Capital Bites Weekend Special: Indian News, Afghan Cuisine and Grill 79's Arty New Menu

The weekend is here, and that means we're all back at work to pay for the seven days off we just had. Luckily, we're back with a healthy dose of restaurant news to keep you entertained this Saturday afternoon.

Lots going on in the world of Indian cuisine. Originally known as Tamarind, the Indian Restaurant at Marriott Northeast is changing its name to Tadka, and focusing on high-end Indian dining with the emphasis on thali-type set meals, so a small number of people can try a large number of dishes. They will have four Indian promotions per year (one each quarter), each running for three weeks, focusing on a different region of Indian cuisine each time. Chef Kurly is still in residence.

The new branch of Ganges is now open above Paddy O'Shea's and based on a visit the other night, it's a vast improvement on predecessor Kamat's. They've redecorated fairly dramatically, making the place look more permanent than Kamat's seemed. Of course, the Ganges menu is massive, and the food was unsurprisingly enjoyable. This Ganges will be serving dishes to bar patrons downstairs, and they tell us they're even willing to stay open when there's a big football match or other sporting event on late at night.

A new spot called Jusong has opened in the basement of the Village North. Bright red honeycomb-style bookshelves run around the walls, and they serve Hunan-style "Mao family cuisine" - hongshao rou, "Lion's Head" meatballs (shizi tou) and the like - as well as a range of other dishes from around China. For more details, check out their Dianping page here.

Gung Ho! co-founder John O’Loghlen has been telling us about the new dough mix they are working with, concocted following John's recent trip to Italy and lessons with a master pizza baker. Gung Ho!'s new Lido facility is set to open around mid-November - incorporating a restaurant, offices and their delivery service, this will be their new HQ.

Grill 79 has a new autumn/winter menu. As a prelude to the launch event last week, each dish had been separately conceived as a painting or "work of art" by an artist and displayed in a gallery outside the restaurant, before being introduced with an achingly hip video. The food was actually quite well done, with practically everything cooked sous-vide in a water bath and then deconstructed in a fancy way. Dishes getting the new menu treatment include a caesar salad, pork belly, lobster tempura and beef short rib.

And finally, Afghan food is coming to town! Named after the Buddhist statues infamously destroyed by the Taliban, Bamiyan by Punjabi is set to open soon, upstairs from the Punjabi. It's a high-end lounge combining Afghan, Arabic and Indian cuisines. Dishes from Bamiyan can be ordered on both floors. An antique furniture magnate will be decking out the whole place. Ten percent of the resturant's proceeds will go to charity, with the Afghan ambassador also lending Bamiyan the support of the Afghan embassy.

NOTE: This post was amended after publication.