INDIAN HEAT

Americans are consuming more spices than they ever have before. This may have something to do with the sudden influx of Indian restaurants, which seem to be opening at a rapidly increasing rate. If you long for a little heat in your life, these recently reviewed restaurants will be happy to oblige. All prices exclude drinks. ANARKALI (7013 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 934-6488). This new restaurant relies heavily on the usual dishes: There are a few tandoori plates, a couple of curries, a vindaloo or two. Among the vegetable offerings are the ubiquitous sag panir, brindal bhajee and aloo gobi. But Anarkali has other things to recommend it. The room is pink and pleasant. The service is cheerful. And it’s hard to think of another restaurant where you will be served by a tuxedo-wearing waiter who unfurls your napkin and drapes it across your lap with a flourish--and later brings you a bill for a generous meal that comes to less than $10 per person. Open for lunch and dinner. All major credit cards. Street parking. $15-$25.

DIWANA (1381 E. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, (818) 287-8743). Diwana’s outside reveals nothing; go inside, however, and you find a dark interior of spartan simplicity and one of the most authentic Indian experiences in town. Seat yourself and wait patiently for service--it’s worth it. The okra and eggplant curry is a wonder. Exotic appetizers include spiced garbanzo flour pastas, roasted cereals, lentils and peas in garlic chutney. Khaman dhokla is a salty, steamed chick-pea flour cake topped with coconut, cilantro and green pepper; adding texture to this dish is the vegetable paratha, multilayered flatbread stuffed with green onions and shredded cabbage. Open for lunch and dinner Wed.-Mon. Beer and wine. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $10-$20.

MANJULA’S SOUTH INDIAN RESTAURANT (819 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (213) 659-2036). Manjula’s is a little like India itself: wonderful and sometimes frustrating, a mix of cultures and contradictions. Many dishes are delightful: masala dosa, a long, tube-like crepe filled with curried potato, is smashing, as is another non-spicy dish, chole bhatura, garbanzos stewed with onions atop poori, the puffy Indian bread. Lamb biryani with chicken kurma is extra-tender, a northern specialty and a chef’s triumph. Manjula’s magnificent vadai are crisp, golden lentil doughnuts with not a drop of wasted oil on them. Open for lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. V, MC. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $25-$40.

MAYUR (2931 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, (714) 675-6622). Mayur’s dishes tantalize with the subtle seasonings of cloves, tumeric, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and much more. One piece de resistance is murg massalam, a whole chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, and dramatically topped with a thin sheet of genuine silver leaf. Delicately seasoned basmati rice with pine nuts is a terrific combination. The tandoori and karahi lamb are beautifully cooked. Other specialties include whole quail marinated in ginger, garlic and spices; fish tikka kebab, the hotly spiced boneless chicken vindaloo and lobster bhuna. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner nightly. Reservations. All major credit cards. Lot and street parking. Dinner for two, $20-$45.

SHER-E PUNJAB RESTAURANT (5370 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 933-2031). Sher-E (which means “tiger”) is an unassuming, reasonably priced, yet unique place: located in a former photography shop, the restaurant still retains its camera-like facade. Inside, a wedding canopy in a brilliant jumble of colors lines the ceiling. Good tandoori entrees are ginger kebab, a chicken dish with intense flavor, and sausage-like sheekh kebab made from ground lamb. There are satisfactory vegetarian foods, like an Indian-style cheese (paneer) mixed with green peas for matar paneer and with spiced spinach for saag paneer. The four styles of curry, made with either chicken, beef or lamb, are good. Open for lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. All major credit cards. Lot parking. Dinner for two, $20-$35.