A solo mission on this occasion having arrived in London ravenous from an afternoon’s teaching in the Biggest Seminar Room in the World. Motijheel is an old favourite. If ever I want to remember what my teenage culinary years were like I can stroll down Marchmont Street and back into the timeless atmosphere of Motijheel where the decor and the recipes are dependably unchanging as the chaos and dynamism of London swirls around outside.

While I was starving I’ve still got an eye on the expansive Christmas waistline so starter was chicken tikka (tasty chunks of juicy chicken and a frugal salad with it). I stuck it to the chicken again for main with a chicken sag masala and a naan bread on the side. The curry could have done with a bit more juice for my naan to soak up but thankfully I had a pint of Carlsberg to deal with any drought issues.

My fellow diners were a couple of contractors making raucous conversation (no bad thing) and a French family who being very French had gone off menu and ordered mushroom omelettes for the offspring. The service, as always, was charming and although the room could do with a spruce up it would almost be a shame if they did so. It’s about time someone preserved one of these old Indian restaurant interiors in the V&A.

7/10

To see which other restaurants I’ve visited in 2016 check out my GoogleMap

London Restaurants indian London Restaurant Review