Please note, Indian Per Se has now closed. Time Out Food editors, July 2018.
For more than a decade, Eriki has bought homely pan-Indian cooking to Finchley locals. The view on to the A41 isn’t the most salubrious, but the maroon-hued dining area, furnished with chunky wooden furniture, provides a slightly upmarket feel. After enjoying quality meals here for more than a decade, our most recent meal was average at best. A vegetarian platter didn’t inspire us with its variety: a potato-stuffed samosa, potato-filled mini dosa and a tandoori-cooked potato. Everyday staples such as the delicious tarka dal were the most satisfying. We loved the roughly textured lentils, tempered with fried ginger, cumin and the bite of chilli. Punjabi-style gosht aloo simla mirch (lamb curry, cooked with peppers and new potatoes) had a decent fried onion, ginger and garam masala base and a generous helping of tender boneless meat. But murgh makhan palak – similar to chicken tikka masala – did itself no favours, with a cloyingly sweet tomato sauce overriding any flavour from the spinach. Service was polite, but the restaurant needs to up its game to match its previous standards.