When I made my way to Hakkaland, a restaurant promising a fusion of both Indian and Chinese food, I had no idea what to expect.

I’m a big fan of Indian food and I cook various dishes frequently, however I have mixed feelings about Chinese cuisine.

I’m a big fan of dim sum, but that’s about it. I have to admit it is bottom of my list for take away favourites.

So I didn’t know what to expect, or how much I would like it.

Hakkaland, in Station Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, is the brain child of Chef Steven Lee, who came to the UK 90s from the China Town area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in India.

He approaches the flavour combinations by adapting Chinese cooking techniques with Indian flavours and tastes and I loved it.

I had been invited along for a tasting session as the restaurant approaches its first anniversary on November 18.

To start I was presented with Chow Chu Cauliflower (£5.95) - crisp, battered fried florets of cauliflower, tossed with fried sliced of fresh green chillies; Kolkata Chilli Chicken (£7.75) - boneless fried chicken, tossed with fresh green chillies, onion and soya sauce, famous dish in Kolkata since 1968; Chicken Lollipops (£6.95) - slow fried, marinated spring chicken wings dusted with chef’s secret spice mix; Tai Pai Paneer (£7.75) - famous indo-Chinese style, small finger paneer with red chilli flakes, green and red peppers, finished with chef’s special sauce; and Vegetable Szechuan Wonton (£7.95) - crispy vegetable wonton, topped with delicious shredded vegetable with mushroom in Szechuan sauce.

It was a lot and it didn’t even make up half of the starter selection, so I was unsurprised to discover many visitors come and leave happy without having a main dish.

The Chow Chu Cauliflower was a standout dish being wonderfully crispy with spiced flavours, and then the Tai Pai Paneer and Chicken Lollipops were a close second, both being succulent and wonderfully rich to taste.

Again for the main I tried a bit of everything: Ocean Delight (£11.50) - mixed sea war of prawn, squid, tilapia and crab claws, cooked in butter, garlic and cooking rice wine; Vegetable Manchurian (£7.95) – a wonderful Indian creation of mixed vegetable fritters topped with a robust ginger, garlic, chillies, chopped onion, coriander and soya sauce; Hunan Chicken (£8.50) - boneless slices of chicken cooked with dry red chilli and preserved red ginger with onion and spicy chilli sauce; Hakka Veg Noodle (£6.95) - traditional Hakka style of quick stir fried noodles with mixed shredded vegetables; Teppan Soba Veg Noodles (£7.25) - noodles cooked with garlic butter, herbs and vegetables or chicken. Served on a hot sizzler; and vegetable fried rice (£5.75).

Again, it was a lot! The Ocean Delight stood out for me, particularly because it featured tilapia – a delicious fish rarely found in London restaurants.

The main dishes were more akin to Chinese cuisine tastes than Indian, whereas the starters were quite the opposite, but all had evidence of mixed techniques and flavourings. It was quite the eye opening dinner experience, and a notably enjoyable one.

Hakkaland, 364-366 Station Road, Harrow, HA1 2DE. Details: 020 7018 2580, 07963 744 139