Shimla's mali chicken tikka

Type of Cuisine: Traditional Northern Indian

Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-2:30pm/4:30pm-10pm; Sat 12pm-10:30pm, Sun 5-10pm.

Seating: Total 50; handicap accessible.

Price Guide: $ (Two can dine for under or around $25)

Chef specialty: Lamb rogan Josh, Paswari Nan, Shimla vegetable korma, Prawn Biryani, Mali chicken tikka.

Spirits: Red and White wine; domestic and import beer

The Scene: This brand new restaurant offers a delicious and wide variety of Northern Indian and Tandoori dishes for a price that is just as tasteful as the food.

You can kick-start your savoury meal by ordering some mouthwatering appetizers like the chicken pakora, batter fried bite-sized chicken marinated with Indian spices, or the onion bhaji, which are chickpea flour batter fried onion fritters.

Some other tasty side dishes include the Mulligatawny soup, or the different types of roti or nan (Indian bread), which can be eaten plain, or with a variety of delicious stuffing inside. Both are baked in a traditional tandoori oven.

Shimla also offers many popular, appetizing vegetarian choices such as the Shimla vegetarian korma, a dish that combines nine vegetables and cooks them in a mild creamy sauce with nuts. The vegetable thali combination, which includes papadum, two vegetables, rice, salad, and rice pudding--a good choice not only for vegetarians but also those who would like to sample many different items. For just $11.95, you can't go wrong.

The restaurant does not fail to satisfy the meat lovers with wonderful dishes like lamb rogan josh, a stewed lamb made with the chef's secret recipe. The mali chicken tikka, chicken breast marinated with mild yogurt, cream, saffron and mild spices, is a popular dish and a chef favourite, and is cooked in a traditional clay oven for an authentic taste.

Other non-vegetarian dishes include butter chicken, chicken curry, and prawn biryani (prawns cooked with various vegetables, almonds and mixed with exotic spices and basmati rice).

Shimla also offers Indian King Fisher beer, as well as a selection of red and white wines to compliment your meal.

Top off these wonderful Northern Indian dishes with some traditional house desserts such as the gulab jamun. Dine here, and you will feel as though you have just dined in Shimla, India.