Streetlife

My favourite is Mirch Masala on Tooting High St. Further afield Dishoom, Tayyabs and cinnamon kitchen are in a different league to be honest

If you/they like Southern style - mainly vegetarianbut do traditional meat - then I do recommend on Tooting High Stree the  Radha Krishna Bhavan - tasty fresh food and good service.

As an Indian, rule of thumb is taste & freshness. Why else would I eat out? Only reason is that I've been in the pub & need to eat something!
In Tooting:
Mirch Masala (alcohol allowed)
Spicy Village (No booze :(  )
In Croydon & worth the trip : Spice 'n Ice

@ the first two I tend to concentrate on the grilled stuff - it's freshly cooked. The other stuff tends to be pre cooked and everything tastes the same - the base is pre cooked and the ordered meat then combined to make a "curry", Not for me. Spice Village do a great fish...I think it's called Masala Fish.

Spice 'n Ice has a great menu and everything just tastes fresh and great. A different take on Indian food with a touch of Chinese as the chefs are from Nepal. The curry's are also almost "home cooked".

Dishoom (12 Upper St. Martin's Lane, London) is a great take on Indian food. They have emulated the Bombay Brasserie. The Roomali roti is a must, instead of the usual naan bread.

Hope this helps.

Coming from an Indian , we like Chennai Dosa, Daawat in Tooting .
Dishoom , Chor Bizzare (delhi based) , Masala Zone in Oxford Circus and Punjab (best potato rotis ever) ....Authentic Indian food

the Greedy Buddha in Wandsworth Bridge Road is fantastic.

Chutney Mary's New Kings Road expensive but great

Hi William try Amirah's Kitchen at 356 Old York Road. It's only been open for six weeks and offers an alternative. See the other reviews on Street life and FB. Www.amirahskitchen.com

If you want to go into central the best food is clearly at Benares with its modern take on Indian food. If you wants something fun and different try Roti Chai behind Selfrides. A few people have already mentioned Dishoom.

Thanks
A

Chutney, Alma Road is great

I agree with Johnny B - Greedy Buddha is the best I've found.  Really interesting menu and wonderful desserts like cashew kulfi.  And they sometimes have live music.

Hanish P, ty for your comprehensive guide.

Has anyone tried the new place Delhi Heights in c.w.?

Not normally a huge fan of 'posh' curry but Painted Heron is one of my favourite resturants in London
Its just over the river
http://www.thepaintedheron.com/

They are all fantastic, and Amirahs kitchen is friendly and the food is so so tasty and it's on your door step 10 out of 10.

I am still in mourning over demise of Kastoori. Has anyone found good purely vego substitute?

Chennai Dosa on Upper Tooting is a good South Indian vegetarian option.

However, if you are looking for a take away, there is a little shop hidden away on Upper Tooting called Shiv Darshan that does only Indian vegetarian food. The menu changes daily and has a "home cooked" feel to it. It's all cooked by the owner. Great for a cheat "come-dine-with-me!
The cost of a meal for 2ish (depends on how much one consumes)  is +/-£4.00 - A couple of rotis, a veg dish and rice with a dhall.

Thank you all
fabulous feedback
Will report back when we decide

Leah - see above re Radha Krishna Bhavan

My new favourite is Al Mirage. Good value and very tasty.

Mirch Masala stands head and shoulders above the rest! But there are many many many excellent Indian and Pan-Asian restaurants in Tooting.

Good luck :-)

Our favourite is Varanasi Chefs in Battersea High Street - perhaps a bit of a trek from Earlsfield, though!