Maurya

There are still plenty of places with red flock wallpaper and joss sticks around to satisfy those for whom a curry is merely something to soak up a night's intake of lager after closing time, but a new breed of Indian restaurant is emerging that seeks to take the cuisine to a higher plane and to make the experience of eating it a more complete pleasure.

The latest pioneer of this new approach is Maurya, which opened in Church Road, Stanmore, on December 1 2001, with the declared intention of bringing some West End quality to this outer London suburb, not just in the food it serves but in its design and ambience.

The restaurant is the fulfilment of a dream for its owner, Ash Handa, whose background is, surprisingly, in civil engineering rather than catering. Mr Handa, who lives in Chorleywood, said he had been involved in many projects building five-star hotels around the world and had long wanted to own his own establishment.

He had spent a long time seeking a suitable site, and had settled on Stanmore because he felt its residents, and those in surrounding areas, were the kind of clientele he was hoping to attract.

"This area needs an excellent Indian restaurant, like those which can now be found in the West end," he said. "I was looking for a local site for a year. It was not easy and I was very lucky to get this place. It was just a shell."

Mr Handa and his wife, Lily, designed the interior of the spacious restaurant themselves, choosing a light, airy feel, with cool yellows and discrete lilac highlights, and naming it after a dynasty from what he described as India's "golden era", a time before the country was invaded by the Moguls. His one nod towards tradition is a beautifully hand-carved 150-year-old door that he brought over from his house in India and now creates a talking point in the restaurant.

"Our intention is to offer a fresh approach, to provide quality food and good service in an atmosphere of warmth and luxury," Mr Handa said. "We want to be the kind of place in which people feel they can relax over a meal and stay late."

The menu at Maurya is certainly different from any you are likely to have seen at other Indian restaurants. Mr Handa said his chefs, whom he has recruited from India's top hotels, had chosen the dishes they serve from all over India, and adapted recipes from the country's pre-colonial royal kitchens.

"It is genuinely traditional Indian cuisine with a contemporary twist," he said.

Maurya can seat 100 people, but could cater for up to 135 at private functions at which a buffet would be served. It has a small dance floor and a public entertainment licence to enable it to offer dining-and-dancing on Fridays and Saturdays. It is open from noon to 3pm and from 6.30pm to 11pm every day except Monday, when it is closed.

It offers a take-away service from exactly the same menu as diners choose from and on orders of over £30 will deliver free to the immediate neighbourhood. - CH

Maurya, 16 Church Road, Stanmore

Telephone: 020 8416 0770

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295)

December 19, 2001 14:00