Hello, Indali

I had the pleasure tonight of attending a preview party for the new restaurant being opened by my friend Tej Lalvani and his father, Kartar, at 50 Baker Street in London.

Indali Lounge will serve healthy Indian food, made with the finest ingredients and with a minimum of the butter, oil and other artery-clogging elements that glop up so much of the food found at your average Indian restaurant. Tej's father exuded great confidence and enthusiasm as he boasted of their approach -- their version of Butter Chicken, for example, will be made without butter and will taste much better for it, he said assuredly.

Based on what my friends and I tasted, this approach is likely to work. The flavors of the foods we sampled were delicately balanced; the spices clear to taste but subtle and never excessive. And this is no surprise coming from the family that built Vitabiotics (Wellman, Wellwoman, Pregnacare and more) on the same philosophy of the highest-grade, healthiest components.

Given London's large Indian community and the love of almost any Brit for a good Indian meal, when Indali Lounge opens in a few weeks' time I'm sure it will be a great hit. And I'll be calling Tej to see if I can get a good table whenever I'm in London.