Spicy and sophisticated

In March 2004, the team from Painted Heron - a notable Indian restaurant on Cheyne Walk - re-opened the site formerly home to a modern brasserie, Kennington Lane, as their second restaurant. It will be interesting to see how their version of sophisticated 'Modern Indian Cuisine' fares in SE11, because at first glance Chelsea and Kennington have little in common.

At the new restaurant starters hover around £6.50 and mains £12, sending a clear signal that this is not a run-of-the-mill, high-street curry house.

The dining room is pleasant and airy, while the furniture and fittings seem unchanged since the site's last refit. This is all to the good - why shouldn't an Indian restaurant have comfortable chairs, decent-sized tables, crisp linen and stylish cutlery? There's a splendid courtyard behind the restaurant where large umbrellas make a perfect setting for a warm summer evening.

Yogesh Datta takes on the head chef role at both restaurants and he is a good cook - the original Painted Heron won Best Indian at the 2004 Tio Pepe ITV London Restaurant Awards.

There's a long list of starters but you do notice a very European approach to dishes. Thus you could choose black tiger prawns, tandoor roasted with pomegranate extract, pickled rabbit and watercress salad, pigeon breasts in tandoori spices, or minced venison and pine nuts kebab. The prawns are sound, but could do with more oomph, the pickled rabbit and watercress salad is an agreeable dish, but might be found at a French restaurant, the pigeon breasts are a little on the tough side. The kebab works best.

The starters are not as good as the main courses here - probably because they stray a bit further from the sub continent - perhaps a tad too much 'modern' and not quite enough Indian?

The mains are far better, this time the black tiger prawns come in a mild korma sauce with saffron - a successful dish. A whole lamb shank is cooked on the bone and arrives with an exemplary gravy described as 'Kashmiri spices and fenugreek'. A dish of roast duck breast in hot Rajasthani red chilli paste may disappoint chilli heads by being only medium hot, but this is a well-made sauce.

Breads are terrifically good - a rosemary and chilli nan isn't wildly chilli hot, but it is delicious. A wholemeal roti comes handkerchief thin and flavoured with saffron. There is also a star turn lurking among the side

dishes - asparagus and green peas cooked in a 'green chutney sauce', which turns out to be quite sweet and velvety, the perfect foil for the vegetables which have been left crunchy.

The new Painted Heron seems busy, service is attentive and competent, and some of the dishes are very good. Best to miss out on the starters.