Cafe Saffron

Here's one of those restaurants that you bookmark for special occasions- eavesdrop and you'll find most diners are celebrating something. Unlike the hearty down-to-earth style of many Indian eateries in Melbourne, the food here is closer to the cuisine served to royalty: the cheese and potato dumplings may be the tenderest in town, swimming in a thick cashew cream, while mushrooms from the tandoor are soaked in a tongue-tingling garlic and ginger combo. The restaurant's speciality is worthy of your special occasion, too: whole lamb shank rubbed with rum and spices and cooked overnight in the tandoor. It's all served up amid genteel splendour reminiscent of the Raj by staff with a serious commitment to service.