ou can always count on Kensington Market for a night of dining on-the-cheap. In places from Big Fat Burrito and Jumbo Empanadas to Rice Bar and Torito Tapas Bar, easy-to-please spots are the signature core. So strong that core is, that restaurateurs have rarely ventured into these parts with a project with offerings that reach beyond, say, the price of a burrito. La Palette is one success story that comes to mind.

And now, Waterfalls Tapas Baris is giving it a shot with a menu of stylized Indian cuisine offerings. Shyly, however, as the menu sneaks in a few tempting, if slightly generic, Mediterranean offerings for the masses.

While Waterfalls is not exactly formulaic, the very idea of it first showed up on the local radar late last year when word got around that a restaurant was taking over the old controversial XPACE gallery space. After bad publicity killed off the gallery, much curiosity surrounded the restaurant construction site. And now, after six months of construction and permit acquiring, here it is.

The Kensington Market spot is not as flashy as some of the newer Indian restaurants about town, nor does its menu break new ground. But it executes the standard Indian dishes well, though pretty heavy on the traditional Indian curry spices. Small plates include a little plate of Cajun-seared scallops with a pomegranate glaze ($9.99) and served on a little arugula salad; with the jumbo shrimp ($9.99), Til Tikka prawns are sautéed with Indian spices; and escargot ($9.99) is doused with a serious garlic butter. But the real standout is the chicken tikka ($8.99). Plump, boneless chicken – first marinated in yogurt and then baked in a clay oven - is served with naan bread and tamarind chutney.

The mains are evenly split between Indian and contemporary. Grilled New Zealand lamb chops ($19.99) luxuriate in a red wine rosemary reduction. Order them rare as the kitchen tends to over-do. Still, the center of the chop is ideally tender, moist and pink while the marinade outside is cooked into a juicy cloak. The scant flesh running the length of chop is transformed into charred lamb candy. The lamb, like the other Indian dishes, is accompanied by fragrant, fluffy and nicely cooked basmati rice.