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Reader rating
Description: "Interesting" dishes -- especially from south India -- are winning a strong local following for this "reasonably-priced" Belsize Park newcomer; service is "warm" and "attentive" too.
Food: 
Service:
Ambience:
Phone: 020 7431 9487
Website: http://www.atmarestaurants.com/
Open: Daily, noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (11pm Sun).
Dress code: Smart casual
Good for: Good food, Ambience.
Payment options: All major cards accepted
Passion for Indian food: Atma is upmarket and has reasonable prices
Passion is a word often bandied about in connection with cooking. Passion for this. Passion for that. Usually it turns out to be a passion for money, but occasionally you come across the real thing and realise what an important ingredient it actually is.
Ravi Binu Raj, owner and chef of the recently opened Atma (meaning the soul) has worked for the Casino group of hotels in India and previously ran a well-regarded restaurant in Wimbledon called Cocum. He comes from South India and his passion is for the food of that region. Recently asked in an interview for Good Housekeeping what cuisine I would choose if I had to live with just one, I said "Southern Indian". So Binu and I have that passion in common.
The meal started with a "gift" of a small cup of kadal, a Keralan seafood soup heavily infiltrated by crab that, in my view, with its singing spicing, puts bouillabaisse firmly in the shade.
In Indian first course patties, it is rare that all ingredients and spices are discernible but with the seafood cakes described as being made from prawn, fish, squid, crab, onion, ginger and fennel seeds bound with lentils, the whole list could be accounted for on the palate. Similarly, the nutmeg and crushed coriander seeds that contributed to the marinade for barbecued lamb chops came through convincingly in their peppery crust. The meat was served with a little goat's cheese salad which included sprouted mung beans.
Perhaps a bit too keen and too carried away by the potential in squeezy bottles of sauces whirled around the plate, the first course was described as Pyramidal Rice Pancake. It might have been better presented as the masala dosa it actually turned out to be once the pyramid swirled with a green coriander sauce had been penetrated to reveal, hiding inside, the spiced potatoes that make this assembly so delectable.
The same determination to do things a bit more dramatically, and arguably artistically, informs the main courses which arrive complete with grains and vegetables. Game, as in pigeon and venison, is the starting point for some of the dishes and there is also plenty to entice and satisfy vegetarians.
Who could resist "A great drowned death of crab meat kofthas in a pool of whole coriander, fresh coconut, cinnamon and shallot cream while accompanied by mushroom with spinach and lemon rice watching"? We couldn't. It wasn't the implied tragedy surrounded by ghoulish onlookers, rather a soft, luscious subtle blend of flavours and textures.
Little pigeon breasts (probably not from squab pigeon as described) had a fabulous nubbly sauce based on sweetcorn, the sort of mixture you might imagine a pigeon liking to eat.
Terrific stir-fried beetroot with a buttery richness which came with skewers of spiced, minced lamb was, said the chef, a recipe learned in his mother's kitchen. No side orders were needed other than the basket of different breads.
One of us had home-made ice creams for desserts. The chocolate one was chocolatey, the rose petal variety sweetly perfumed but it was fig and ginger that was absolute heaven.
Atma is smartly kitted out with black leather chairs and rust-red walls. It is up-market Indian but with reasonable prices, a well considered wine list and one of the nicest, most gentle head waiters in town. I'm really quite passionate about it.
Atma, 106c Finchley Road, NW3 (020 7431 9487) Open daily, noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (11pm Sun). Six-course tasting menu £24.50. A la carte, a meal for two with wine, about £70 including 12.5 per cent service.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
I have now been to Atma 4 times, and the food is consistently very good. Refreshingly authentic food (and I know as an Indian) and the personal touch from the cook and manager makes it my favourite Indian restaurant in London. Definitely worth a visit.
- Vivek, London
A great local that beats some of the best in town. The service from the maitre d' and the waitstaff was attentive and extremely courteous without being obtrusive. The food was perfectly spiced and beautifully presented. The one comment is that I suspect the fire has been reduced somewhat to suit perceptions of English tastes. Lucky to have such high quality cooking in an NW postcode!
- J Neil, London
I can see why the word "passionate" comes in. My friend and I celebrate our birthdays in the same week and this time we went "local" rather than in town. It turned out we were the only people in (albeit rather late for lunch) and stayed there three hours.
The maitre'd (also the co-manager and the chef's brother) is quite simply the most charming restaurateur I have ever met. We had the tasting menu along with some complimentary asides such as the stir-fried beetroot - a vegetable transformed in the chef's hands and the crab and seafood "bisque", a concoction of genius.
My recommendation would be the tasting menu for its sheer variety and experimentation - some work better than others but you get the feeling it's a work in progress and they are always looking for feedback. And the beer works better - no wine list can cope with the combination of meat fish vegetable lentil truffle rice bread.
Fantastic hospitality - and a great addition to the Finchley Road. If only the nimbies at Camden Council would give them some parking space. Until then, it's either the Tube or park in the O2 Centre if you must drive. I know I won't wait until the next time my birthday rolls around to go back.
- Deep Sen Gupta, London
