Village, The Basement, 57 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 525-7410. Hours: 11.30am-3pm; 6pm-11pm daily.
A MONSOON had dumped more than 300mm of rain on southern India, BBC World Service television's weatherman informed us. And to make our recent visit to the Village Indian restaurant feel truly authentic, we stepped out into Hongkong's heaviest downpour of the year.
Few people had braved the rains: only two other tables were occupied. It was just as well that Village is a cosy venue; otherwise, we would have felt as lonely as samosas without mint sauce.
Village has replaced the late (lamented by some) Siddharth restaurant. Or rather it has taken over part of its place, for Gunga Din's has spread itself sideways to commandeer the upstairs section, leaving the basement to the newly-opened Village.
Hongkong's curry houses are taking a lead from the tandoori revolution that's been waging in Britain over the past decade. There's been a mutiny against flock wallpaper, colonial prints of Old Delhi and wailing ''Bollywood'' film music.
Among the new breed locally that has moved away from sub-continent kitsch is Village with its white-washed walls and painted scenes of Indian villages, bought by the owner in Jaipur. One wall features a large panel of stylised mythical scenes rendered oncloth. Classical ragas, rather than the latest offerings from Hindi playback singers, drift down from the sound system.
Now for the essentials the curry aficionado needs to know: one, is it hot, and two, is there plenty of it? After all, you don't go for a curry if your appetite is a bit delicate. You expect to come out feeling so full you couldn't possible eat again for a week.