TOP TABLE Laguna, Uxbridge Road

It has to be said that in Ealing we are spoilt for choice when it comes to Indian cuisine, which can make it difficult to stand out from the crowdand yet Laguna makes it look easy to do so, both as a restaurant and an absolutely banging catering service The latter is a market leader for Asian Weddings in London, and is an approved caterer at over 100 venues including Kew Gardens, the V&A, Kensington Palace, Cutty Sark, Mandarin Oriental, the Langham & the Four Seasons.

Laguna restaurant is located on the corner of Culmington Road and Uxbridge Road, and somehow always manages to look spacious and full at the same time It's perfect for taking big groups of friends, whether in the main restaurant or the private functions room

I’ve eaten here a number of times and have sampled most of the menu This time, our table had a selection of the most popular dishes, starting with cocktails to put us in the mood The two cocktail champions are the Masala Chai Martini and the Pahargani The Chai Martini contains Absolut Vodka, Vanilla syrup, homemade chai syrup and lemon - it’s sweet and syrupy and you can barely taste the alcohol (which is delightful and dangerous in equal measures.) The Paharganj, which contains rum, homemade chilli syrup, banana syrup, lime juice & pineapple juice, packs more of a punch but is also as deliciously sweet

For appetisers we had a variety of gorgeous mouthfuls: Murgh Tikka, Gilafi Seekh Kebab, Sikandri Paneer Shashlik and Amritsari Macchi Pakora My favourites of the appetisers has to be the Delhi Wali Alu Papri Chaat, which is potatoes and chickpeas blended with yoghurt and a tamarind dressing served with crackers and Chatpatti Chilli Gobhi - cauliflower florets cooked with a spicy Indo-Oriental tang

We then enjoyed an array of beautiful curries including Koh-E-Rogan Josh; some amazing Bhajis and a delectable Saag Paneer Laguna's Butter Chicken is the best this gori has ever tasted We finished the meal with Gulabs and XXXX I then didn't eat again for three days

The Laguna experience remains exemplary to all www lagunarestaurant com