In fairness, what restaurants tend to mean when they describe themselves as ‘sexy’ is: “We have low lighting and/or at least one striking design feature.” By these standards, Mayura is sexy indeed. Here, the light comes mainly from candles and soft lamps, a welcome change in a land where restaurants often have the wattage so high that a team of surgeons could rush in at any moment and start operating on the dining table. As for design features, there’s a chunky wooden cocktail bar with a little stream running underneath that gushes into a stone bowl, while colourful curtains and cushions brighten up the surrounding teak and wicker furniture. If you’re very wonderful you can go through the antique wooden Indian door into the VIP lounge where a large bed awaits, but the best bit of all is the toilets: the ladies get a wall covered in a 12-rung rack of sparkly Indian bangles (firmly padlocked to the wall), while the men get to pee as they gaze at Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai. It is all beautifully sourced and put together, and if it fails to succeed completely it is only because of the rather corporate feel of the space itself, which is high-ceilinged with huge windows—the end result being that the main space feels like an airport departure lounge in sari drag. For any sense of intimacy, it’s best to sit in the back section which is cosily cocooned in crushed red velvet.

The menu is a quick trot through the Indian canon, especially tandoor, with a few Euro stop-offs at vegetarian lasagne or duck confit. This did not bode well for the authenticity of the food, and my companion and I were fully expecting something bland and decidedly non-pukka. To our great surprise and relief it was actually one of the best Indian meals either of us have ever had in Barcelona—that, plus the sexy factor, must explain why the place is so packed that they have two sittings at weekends.

We started with some light and crispy pakora served with tamarind and minty yoghurt sauces, along with a truly killer hot sauce. To try the menu’s Euro side, we also shared a mousse-like avocado gazpacho served in a cosmopolitan cocktail glass with lemon grass sorbet, chopped peppers and onions. It was delicious, but so rich that after about five spoonfuls it felt like eating straight whipped cream—maybe a little more salt or something crunchy to dip might have helped.