So, I returned on Monday for lunch with my wife in tow so that there would be no chance of being rebuffed at the door. And, as it happened, I could have come solo (Murphy’s Law!), as the singles section is officially open for business on weekdays for lunch.

Once through the frosted and revolving doors, we were greeted by staff dressed in traditional Indian attire, complete with bejeweled turbans and Aladdin-like slippers, all of which was little over the top, but did take me back to my last visit to India where I encountered many hotel and restaurant doormen in similar garb.

Guiding us to our table, we took a moment to take in our surroundings. In contrast to the doorman, the furniture here was more contemporary (to say the least). Soft leather Rolf Benz chairs more Star Trek than Maharaja, but somehow it worked. While the furniture may not be traditional in itself, Indian undertones came through in everything, from the background music to the elaborate golden hanging chandeliers.

Sitting down at our glass-topped table, we were both handed a couple of brightly colored, patent leather menus filled with a selection of both traditional and contemporary Indian dishes — everything from Goan Chicken Stew to Angus Beef Coconut Curry. The choices were a little mind-boggling and we weren’t quite sure where to start.

Before we had a chance to decide on what to order, a selection of complimentary poppadums was served with three different types of sauces: tamarind chutney, tomato chutney and yoghurt and spice sauce. We particularly enjoyed the tamarind chutney here; the tomato one being a little too spicy.

After flipping back and forth between the two menu sections, Contemporary and Traditional, we finally settled on a couple of starters to sample: the Samosas (SR37), and the Seafood Platter (SR105). To drink, we tried the Mango Lassi and fresh lemonade. Both drinks were bursting with freshness and the Mango Lassi came in handy later.

The samosas and seafood platter came out together, which was good to see. Three different types of samosas were smartly presented on a narrow plate: green pea and potato, wild mushroom and goat cheese with smoked cashew nut. The first was similar to those common elsewhere, and as such, pretty unremarkable. The other two were a little more creative and surprisingly good, but not the typical Indian fillings one might have expected from a samosa.

As for the seafood platter, this consisted of just two tandoori shrimps, a grilled scallop and two pieces of herb-marinated Najel fish. The fish was beautifully cooked, succulent and almost melts in the mouth. I only wished there were more of it for the price paid, as SR105 for a starter is more than a little steep.

The main courses in contrast were more than generous. We ordered the Angus Beef Coconut Masala Curry cooked in coriander spices (SR105) and the Nariyal Jhinga (SR95), a dish of lime and lemongrass infused prawns poached in coconut and chili masala. We also ordered some steamed rice (SR22) and Karala Parathas (SR7) to soak up the curries.

My Angus beef, while tender and perfectly braised, was incredibly spicy — enough to have me requesting a box of tissues to help me deal with the heat. As for the Nariyal Jhinga, this was a bit of a disappointment: spicier than expected, but also more sweet and sour than lemony; the masala spices neutralized any remnants of the lemongrass flavor.

If there’s one observation made here, it was that the menu seemed to lack an obvious spice indicator, so it was impossible to establish beforehand which dishes those with a lower tolerance to spice might prefer. Despite this, we both enjoyed the meal, however we would have preferred the option to choose how spicy the dish might be.

As for desserts, we settled on the cardamom Crème Brule served with coconut pancakes. This traditional French dessert, with its telltale caramelized crust, looked fantastic. However, underneath the crunchy topping was an almost watery, curdled milky mix — not the firm consistency I was expecting from a Crème Brule — but tasty nonetheless.

All in all, our meal at Bharat was an enjoyable one. The food was good, and with a little attention to detail, this could certainly be improved upon. However, prices are steep; so, unless you have deep pockets, you may want to save this one for a special occasion.