Eriki - more than just a neighbourhood Indian Restaurant

Louise Elgin's exacting standards were well met!

Eriki ,  4 - 6 Northways Parade, Finchley Road
London NW3
Tel 020 7722 0606

Eriki is a modern and stylish local Indian restaurant with a quiet understated elegance. The atmosphere is relaxed and airy with red and orange paintwork, intricate wooden screens and a spacious feel throughout. The tables are beautifully laid with funky  Dali-esque cutlery, crisp white linen napkins and sparkling glasses. In the kitchen is Head Chef Naresh Matta, who honed his techniques at Soho Spice and Red Fort before joining the team.

The twelve starters are split between either vegetarian or meat and fish based. Masala Dosa, if you’ve never tried it before is something I would recommend. I first tasted it in Malaysia, and it now has become one of my firm favourites and not something I often see on Indian restaurants menus. It is basically a thin, crispy, totally light, melt in the mouth pancake made of gram flour with a spicy potato and chick pea interior, this is then served with a subtle coconut chutney dipping sauce - try it as its rather good! Our other choice, calamari rings, stir-fried with onions and Kerala spices had just the right texture and spice to make appetising.

The main courses included a terrific selection of dishes for all palates and appetites, our choices included Saag Gosht, succulent pieces of lamb cooked with spinach and spices, Handi Murgh Dum Biriyani, moist pieces of chicken and rice cooked together and side orders of crisy okra, naan bread and creamy tadka dhal. There was a real feeling of feasting for the eyes and taste buds, with the spice element superbly balanced - enough to keep the senses alert without blowing your head off! Lager is my preferred choice whilst eating curry and we managed to down quite a few Cobra’s which  proved a good choice. To finish, we tried a Mango Margola, a very refreshing and bitter sweet end to our meal, which would be perfect on an Indian summer’s evening.  Yes we feasted but did not end up feeling overly full, but just satisfyingly fed!

One of the joys of dining at Eriki is that you don’t have to dress up, some modern Indian restaurants have now become so Chi Chi and expensive which is not always what I want when I fancy a curry. This is a local restaurant and the people of Swiss Cottage should count themselves lucky to have such a high standard of cooking on their doorstep. However, even if you live a little further a field, or have just finished watching a match at Lords Cricket Ground, which is only one metro stop away, it would be worth jumping on the tube to enjoy this relaxed atmosphere and the high standard of cooking that is on offer at  reasonable prices

A meal for two including beer is about £35 a head.

Louise Elgin.  March 2007