GYMKHANA

The West End neighborhood of Mayfair is not for the faint of wallet. But since its high-end boutiques and majestic squares are difficult for a tourist to resist, you might as well find a decent place to settle in for a meal after a long day of envy.

Gymkhana is considerably more than decent. It’s a five-year-old, Michelin-starred Indian restaurant owned by three British-Indian siblings, the Sethis, who have since opened a more casual second venue in Soho. Gymkhana is, in its dignified but clubby bearing, an ode to colonial India. Crucially, however, its cuisine does not defer to the leaden palate of Olde England. Instead, its flavors are aggressive and uncompromising.

On the Thursday evening I strolled into the elegant, pub-dark restaurant, the harried waiters were quick to show me to my table and then to forget that I was there. Fully 15 minutes passed before I was rediscovered. But I was soon mollified by the arrival of a silver goblet of Jaipur India Pale Ale and Gymkhana’s weighty menu.

The culinary possibilities here seem innumerable, starting with several tasting menus — one of them consisting entirely of game — paired with a dazzling global assortment of wines by the glass. Given the initial slowness, I thought better of a multicourse arrangement that could last until midnight. And in any event, most of the dishes are also available a la carte.

Befitting haughty Mayfair, Gymkhana isn’t cheap. But low-cost delicacies are available, beginning with the shrimp and mango chutney as well as the papadums stuffed with cassava, lentil and the palm stem extract known as sabudana . Still, you come to Gymkhana to go bold. The methi keema, a minced kid goat shoulder in a chili sauce and served with thick bread with which to make a sandwich, shattered any qualms I might have had after the slow start. The goat served as a tender vessel for the searing and complex spices which, this Tex-Mex habitué will confess, were hotter than a two-dollar pistol. But lordy, what a spiritual experience each bite was!