Join the queue, relish the prices

The Tayyab group has come a long way since those first days in 1974.

After the initial café came the sweet shop, and then the New Tayyab took over what was once the corner pub.

So no. 83 was transformed from a scruffy converted pub into a smart new designer restaurant.

Now it's a slick 180-seater, there's art on the walls, smart lighting and the chairs are leather and chrome.

Miraculously, the food remains straightforward Pakistani fare: good, freshly cooked and served without pretension.

And more miraculous still, the prices have stayed lower than you would believe possible.

Booking is essential if you don't want to spend your evening in a queue and service is speedy and slick.

This is not a place to um and er over the menu.

The simpler dishes are terrific, particularly the five pieces of chicken tikka, served on an iron sizzle dish alongside a small plate of salady things and a medium-fierce, sharp, chilli dipping sauce.

They do the same thing with mutton, or there's a plate of four large and splendid lamb chops.

Sheekh kebabs and shami kebabs are bought by the skewer.

There are round fluffy naan breads, but try the wholemeal roti, which is deliciously nutty and crisp.

The karahi dishes are simple and tasty: 'karahi chicken' is chicken in a rich sauce, and karahi aloo gosht is lamb with potatoes in another rich sauce, heavily flavoured with bay leaves.

Or there's karahi mixed vegetables.

A list of interesting daily specials includes dishes such as the trad mutton curry nihari, which is served every Monday.

New Tayyab
83-89 Fieldgate Street, E1