The menu at Sarovar spans the whole Subcontinent, and there are a lot of dishes available that you are unlikely to see elsewhere in town. Unfortunately, the quality of food is somewhat inconsistent, with some dishes excellent but others merely humdrum.

There are a couple of unusual South Indian rice dishes, but idli (rice cakes) are bland; try instead the green lentil crêpe with vegetable stuffing or the odd-but-intriguing spicy lentil “doughnuts.” Slightly more interesting is upma, a sort of rice porridge flavored with mustard seed and a few lentils. Yellow dal is thin, almost watery, and potato-and-pepper curry is mild and uninteresting. Tandoori chicken is dry and the pieces are small.

Better dishes include curries and kormas, which shine in both carnivorous and vegetarian varieties. Curried spinach is creamy, with a nice flavor; chana masala is rich and spicy, the chickpeas tender yet firm; aloo gobi takes cauliflower into the realm of classy. We also like navratan korma, a dish like mattar paneer (with peas and homemade cheese), but with a creamier, lighter sauce. One favorite dish at Sarovar is curried goat, “with bone,” which is meaty and tender with a slight caramelized flavor that is wonderful. Would that the setting were as lusty as the goat, but here there’s far less seasoning; we’re left with a few screens and some odd paintings to complete the picture.