Vedas is only the second Indian place I’ve visited in Shanghai, but I can safely say that their offering is below average. It’s in that 83 Changshu Lu complex – on the same floor as Xibo, which offers stiff dinner competition, and surrounded by other very worthy options. Unfortunately, there are a few good reasons why it was basically empty when we visited.

Look, they have some dishes that are pretty good. It’s hard to mess up a samosa (they didn’t!), and the tandoori lamb chops (188rmb) sizzled impressively. I have no quarrel with the rogan josh (88rmb), and the baingan bharta (68rmb) has a lovely texture (although the smokey flavour promised by the menu was lacking).

There were some real let-downs, though. The butter chicken (78rmb) tasted suspiciously like Heinz’s classic tomato soup; the dal makhani (78rmb) lacked that traditional smokey depth; the poppadums and naans were oddly flat and dry. The korma (78rmb) was fine but, again, lacked interest.

Annoyingly, everything was either over-seasoned (the dal was saltier than my neighbours in the morning) or under-seasoned (gol gappa chaat, I’m looking at you). The curries were very light on actual meat. Also, at a brazen 18rmb, the mango chutney we ordered was a very strange interpretation of the dish – more like a thick mango lassi than a sharp and sticky chutney.

It’s pricier than its competitors, and the food doesn’t match up. There’s not much atmosphere in their single, cavernous, undivided room, either. Not a terrible choice if you’re craving Indian on Changshu, but there are much better options elsewhere in the city.

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