‘I felt like I'd been whisked away to an elite Indian restaurant in Mayfair or Soho’

LYNETTE PINCHESS REFLECTS ON A SPECIAL EVENING AT CLASSY NEW CITY EATERY PASSAN'S

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ASK me to pick my favourite Nottingham Indian restaurant and I couldn’t narrow it down to just one.

Our city is blessed with so many superb curry houses dishing up spicy flavours from the Indian subcontinent.

Dosas, saag, jalfrezi, mappas, you've got it. Tapas or a huge mixed grill, it’s covered. Cheap and cheerful to fine dining, no problem.

Just when you think every need is met, along comes something that sets itself apart.

Passan’s Tea Room and Cocktail Lounge offers so much more than the name suggests.

Yes, there's High Chai, a luxury afternoon tea with an Indian twist, but it’s a morning til night establishment serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

The hideaway lounge is reached via the steps inside Bombay Delicatessen in Carrington Street, Nottingham. While they share the same owner, the concept is vastly different.

I was invited to return after seeing Passan’s in its infancy, when it was just an empty white-walled shell.

The transformation from that blank canvas to now is something quite incredible, with eye-catching, carefully orchestrated features wherever you turn your head.

Rich burgundy and green tones, marble tables, an illuminated bar with an arched wooden overhead gantry, patterned William Morris drapes and wallpaper, colourful artwork and a lacquered herringbone floor create the sophisticated surroundings.

I feel like I've been whisked away to an elite Indian restaurant in Mayfair or Soho.

We begin our visit with a cocktail from a list with a distinct Indian fla-vour rather than the ubiquitous espresso martinis and mojitos.