Randomness Guide to London Menu

Family-run restaurant in Tooting serving South Indian vegetarian food with an African influence (the family spent some time living in Uganda, according to Jay Rayner's review linked below). All the food is vegetarian, and about half of the dishes are also suitable for vegans (and are marked on the menu with an asterisk).

Kake, Ewan, and four friends visited on a Sunday evening in January 2008, shortly after the announcement that Kastoori had been awarded a Bib Gourmand in the 2008 Michelin Guide. We messed them about slightly with the reservation (having reserved for ten people but ending up with only six) but they didn't seem too put out. Indeed they may have been slightly relieved, since they would have had to rearrange tables to fit a group of ten. We ended up on one of two tables for six set on a dais above the rest of the room; it was, unfortunately, a bit cramped, with people on one side of the table all having to get up if someone further in needed to get out.

The food was very good, though, and extremely well-priced. We liked the pani poori starters (£3.25 for five pieces) - little crisp shells filled with a tangy yoghurt sauce, to be popped in the mouth and eaten in one. The issues with this dish mentioned in the Time Out review below seem to have been resolved - however, Kake at least has to agree with them on their description of the kofte curry (£5) as "a let-down though, the vegetable dumplings swamped by diced vegetables in the oily sauce".

The stand-out dish for most of us was the oro (£5.25) - a roasted aubergine curry which is only available on Sundays. It was smoky and tasty and not too oily, and we liked it so much that we ordered another portion of it part way through our meal. The khichdi, or moong rice (£2.75) is also only available on Sundays; opinions were mixed on this one, with some finding it a little stodgy but others hoovering it up. There are in fact several dishes on the menu which are only available on certain days; this is fine by us, since Kastoori certainly merits several revisits.

We ended up paying £20/head, including tip, for ample food for six plus two bottles of a very nice Sauvignon Blanc (£13/bottle) and a couple of Cobra beers. This is very good value for London.

The decor is neither scruffy nor overly posh; we particularly liked the bright yellow tablecloths and matching linen napkins.

See also:

• Time Out review
• Jay Rayner's review in the Observer
• London Eating comments