Exotic Archipelago is London restaurant discovery of the year

When you're confronted with ostrich, alligator, kangaroo and scorpion on the same menu, you're likely to react strongly. The squeamish amongst you might say "no way". The culinary adventurers are more likely to observe: "Nice gimmick, but will the food be any good?"

Happily, in the case of Archipelago, the answer is "absolutely". In fact, this is my most delightful London discovery in years, and I have no doubt I'll be making it a priority to get back here. It's a small place, not more than 15 tables, boldly dedicated to the exotic. If I had to nail down the cuisine, I'd say it's South East Asian/African fusion.

You know you're in for something good from the moment you arrive, ducking from mundane Whitfield Street (humble Georgian mixed with brutalist cement) into an Aladdin's cave kitted out by a pack rat who has been seems to have been smuggling stuff out of the back attics at the British Museum. Swing a cat in here and you're likely to hit a Thai Buddha, an African tribal figure, a Moroccan rosewater dispenser, a few camel blankets, lanterns from Indian backstreets and a whole zoo of carved, glass-blown and sculpted animals spotted in the game reserve. The jumble is clearly put together with much thought, however. All of the cutlery and glassware on each table is purposely mismatched, actually making things look more lavish. Menus are treasure maps, rolled and placed in a wooden chest on the table, secured with a silk flower.

Frankly, you're in such an Indiana Jones mood by the time you settle in to peruse the menu that ordering fish or chicken seems like a waste. Though there's plenty of "normal" stuff on the menu. Sadly they were out of the crocodile starter. (I've had alligator, a tasty combo of chicken and lobster, thus was very disappointed not to get to try its cousin.) I opted instead for the ostrich. Rich and flavourful, with a depth of tastes so various it seemed more like sausage than lean meat. I could easily have asked for a triple portion and made that my main meal. But the delights of the curried kangaroo were ahead.

I can't say that the cute little marsupial tasted much different from slightly tough but tasty beef. However, the guy making the curries in the kitchen was clearly a master. The dish was all about the explosion of pungent, distinct spices in your mouth; the type of meat was incidental. It came with a stir fried pak choi and, to calm things down, a yogurt sauce resembling Greek tzatziki.

For dessert I went with a trio of chocolate. Sounds like standard fare, but the dark chocolate mousse was infused with lemon grass (a brilliant innovation I've never come across before) and the milk chocolate was, I think, prepared with basil. I'm not sure what enhanced the white chocolate, I can only tell you that it was the only one of which ... despite trying to stay within Weight Watchers allowances ... I couldn't bear to leave a bite behind.

So many other items on the menu tempted me. Tom yum soup with gold covered quail's eggs. Carmelised duck breast with pomegranate and pistachio nut salad. Blackened tilapia with sweet and sour beetroot salad. Rabbit, lentil and bean curry. Frozen berries with warm coconut-vanilla sauce served around a pyramid of ground nuts. A selection of cheeses with white peach, raspberry and chili chutneys.

And the best thing about this place? Three courses for £25. Amazing. We booked the deal through toptable.co.uk, which is loaded with recession-busting deals at the moment. (Blog entry on that to come.) Archipelago was fabulous value for money, delicious food and huge fun.

My only complaint is slow service. They clearly don't have many staff, with just two people covering the whole place when we dined there. They were attentive, knowledgeable and cheerful, it's just that it took quite a while between courses for the food to emerge from the downstairs kitchen. As long as you're not in a hurry and you're with good company, then the food and atmosphere is well worth the wait.

Post Script: Archipelago must surely be the first restaurant covered on the blog that drew me back within two weeks. I dined there again on the 20th, this time opting for green curry seafood to start and a roast zebra for my main that tasted remarkably like veal. Another excellent meal. The only difference being the lack of three course deal on a weekend; add another £20 to the base bill.