We Londoners are getting pretty savvy when it comes to Indian food.

It’s no longer a decision of who does the best Balti when deciding where to go; nowadays, people know their Keralan from their Northern cuisine.

If you're partial to Punjab cooking, the Mela Group's (you've probably dined in one of their five London haunts at some point) Punjab festival - including cooking demos, musical performances and special menu - should be of serious interest to you.

If you're not up to speed with your regional Indian cooking, Pubjab dishes are more flavourful than spicy and much healthier than your average fare. There wasn’t a dish we tasted that had the usual layer of oil that I associate with our neighbourhood curry house, and combinations were tres innovative.

Highlights include prawns soaked in rum, quail with ginger and mango, dumplings of lentils in spice water, chicken in reserved yoghurt, and fennel scented pancakes (interesting, no?). The staff at all locations seems to be extremely friendly (the last time we were at a Mela we left on a first name basis with the manager, the cook, the cook's son, the sommelier and the waiter), and their wine cellars are fabulous, too.

We urge you to check out the festival and, as it ends on the 10th, you better make it quick if you want to catch the tail end of it!