The description "a zippy chopped fritter made of spinach, topped with tamarind dressing" made us order palak pakori chat and we were not disappointed by the melange of sweet-sour flavours and crisp-soft textures.
Spiced potato cakes were served on a delicious slew of sautéed vegetables and quail on the bone in an unusually good tomato-and-onion sauce.
The least good of the four first courses chosen was chicken 65, "our secret recipe, delicious and succulent". The colouring suggested that the secret might lie in 65 being an E-number.
Masterchef Ramdas's special recommendations comprise one page of the main courses. It seemed sensible to try Chameli Special Chicken, which turned out to be unusually carefully seasoned and spiced.
Lamb Rogan Josh, a good test of a place, was also well prepared and he who had ordered Goan Fish Curry and ate most of it said it was wonderful.
The dish that delighted me most was a Gujerati vegetarian speciality of dhal mixed with Indian pumpkin, which was extraordinary - the opposite of mush. Indian Summer was a dessert of excellent home-made ice creams.
Each order of a bottle of red wine exhausted the stocks of that particular bin. The cautious lack of investment was rather sweet.
Chameli deserves the sort of keen following that could fill a cellar. But when you go, be prepared to wait for the food; it is not of the three-pot school. Service is charming.
