In London, Flavors of India Without the Fuss.

MORE than 15 years ago, the first ''upscale'' Indian restaurants began appearing in London, including the now-famous Tamarind, which opened in Mayfair. The occasion was notable: in a city filled with curry joints, here was a white-tablecloth operation with Michelin star aspirations. It was eclectic, exciting, expensive and successful -- and yes, it got its star. It remains crowded and popular, and I don't have an unkind word to say about it. Still, it isn't what I look for when I go to London. The great thing about the so-called ''Indian'' food scene here (I'm putting ''Indian'' in quotation marks because a more accurate term, I suppose, would be ''subcontinental,'' which would include food from Pakistan, and the disputed land of Kashmir, among other areas) is that you can find it in every neighborhood and it's the genuine item. The white tablecloth spots are fine for people who are skittish about true subcontinental food. But those that offer the real deal are amazing, and frankly have more guts than those that cater to, well, a white-tablecloth clientele. And don't assume that good ingredients are restricted to the pricey places; every restaurant discussed here uses high-quality meat and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]