India, April 28 -- In the minds of most Indians who travel to London, there are two kinds of Indian restaurants in the city. The first kind has nothing much to do with India or even with Indian food for that matter. These restaurants are run by Bangladeshis, most of them from the Sylhet region, and serve a made-up cuisine that no Indian would willingly eat. (I imagine that any self-respecting Bangladeshi would also pass out if he had to eat the 'Madras curry.' ) But they have catered to Brits for decades and no matter how much damage they have done to the image of authentic Indian food, the curry house is a much-loved British institution.

Then there is a second category of Indian restaurants most of which opened towards the end of the 20...