If Regent Street stands for style, quality, heritage and success, then Veeraswamy has always appeared to be right at home.

The oldest Indian restaurant in the country, the West End favourite was established in 1926 by the Great Grandson of an English General and an Indian Princess. In its time, the venue has welcomed such celebrities as Marlon Brando and Charlie Chaplin, not to mention various Royalty. Having been known to be a bit of a 'Princess' myself at times, I decided to see if it was worthy of its reputation…

Upon arrival, the restaurant certainly ticked the ‘first impression’ boxes. Waiting in a dimly lit hallway for the lift to arrive to take guests upstairs, I felt distinctly like one of the aforementioned celebrities, about to be ushered to a secret location away from the prying eyes of the bustling street outside. In reality of course, I was merely being ushered to dinner, but every girl can dream.

Once upstairs, the Royal dream thankfully continued, with décor designed to evoke Maharaja palaces of the 1920’s. Vividly coloured turbans (quite the talking point with my date who claimed, rather unusually, to have his own at home) and Kalighat style paintings from Bengal, combined with silver jali screens, candles and splendid chandeliers, all in all created a perfectly luxurious atmosphere fit for a Queen, never mind a Princess.

Whilst this ‘Princess’ is more into the material, decorative things in life, most people of course head to Veeraswamy based on the reputation of its food. Here, my delicate tastebuds were also impressed. At first, I played it safe with the mango and avocado salad, yet something about the majestic surroundings (or maybe it was just the goading from my date) made me opt to try mussels for the first time in my life. Not known to be the most adventurous of diners, I fully expected to feign enjoyment in order to silence the critic sat opposite me, but lo and behold, I genuinely enjoyed them - testament to the quality of the cuisine I'm sure.

Moving on to the main course, we opted for the king prawns and Rogan Josh lamb curry respectively. The former was perfectly cooked in a deliciously tangy sauce, whilst the lamb, enthused with saffron and cockscomb flower, managed to leave my companions plate and make it onto mine more often than not. I'm not sure if he was happy about this, but I tend to think if one is arguing over food, it can only be a good thing... provided I win.

By dessert, we were pleasantly fulfilled, and therefore opted to share the sorbet of the day. With Indian food, I always find it best to finish off the meal with something light and refreshing, which the sorbet and accompanying raspberries was perfect for. Along with dessert, we opted to devour another glass of the house white, which we had enjoyed a bottle of over our meal. Not usually known to be a fan of wine, the claim on the menu that this particular white was unlike any other was certainly true, in the most addictive of ways.

Sitting in the beautiful surroundings, with a glass of wine and delicious fruit, being waited on by the friendliest and most accommodating of staff, I would have to say that the only thing lacking in setting the scene for this 'Princess', was the lack of a gold place settings. Having said that, however, I have to admit that in her time, this 'Princess' has been known to be somewhat overrated...

Veeraswamy, it has to be said, is anything but.

To make a reservation, call Veeraswamy on 020 7734 1401.