The veteran Indian/Thai restaurant Guroo has just opened a second branch -- this time right downtown. The original has been around for years, so it is somewhat a surprise to see its sudden expansion. It is certainly good news for the city's central residents, as the new Guroo offers Indian plus Thai at prices that are hard to beat -- especially given that it's located just off Tverskaya Ulitsa.

The restaurant has taken over the short-lived Azhur club/restaurant's premises -- in fact, that restaurant's sign was still out front on a recent visit.

Inside, the design is more generic Asian than Indian, with various Asian motifs on display. The previous establishment's aquarium remains and the tables beside it are probably the most pleasant place to sit.

The Thai selection has all the favorites such as tom yum kung prawn soup and tom yum tale seafood soup, both of which come in two sizes -- small (229 rubles) and large (469 rubles) -- while the tom yum kai chicken and mushroom soup is offered in one size only (229 rubles).

The original Guroo is probably best known for its Indian food and the range at the new restaurant is good. Vegetable samosas cost 159 rubles, while a Bombay tikki with potato costs 189 rubles. Of particular note is the chili pakoda, or lightly battered chilis (249 rubles) -- if you find orange ones among them, watch out because they make this the hottest dish in Moscow (rivaled only by Druzhba's No. 77 chicken wings with chili, which is largely inedible due to the overwhelming quantity of razor-sharp bone fragments spread through the dish).

Other dishes include chicken pakoda (419 rubles), chicken tikka kebab (small -- 199 rubles, large -- 389 rubles) and a sikh lamb kebab (small -- 239 rubles, large -- 499 rubles). Draft beer starts at 129 rubles for a half-liter of Klinskoye.

Guroo: 7 Maly Gnezdnikovsky Per., 629-4017, noon-midnight, M. Pushkinskaya.