The only Indian restaurant in Holt it is small with only ten tables. This means it is crowded, especially on a Saturday night although this may be more due to the limited alternatives in a semi tourist town rather than the reputation of the restaurant. Booking on a Saturday is recommended but, as is often the case, the effectiveness of the booking system is dubious. We had to wait for 30 minutes after our reservation time for a table to become vacant.

Fairly standard menu with a comprehensive list of all the usuals. Onion Bhaji starters were good - crisp with a good balance between onion and gram flour - although served without any salad or garnish apart from a mint raita. Chicken Chat starter was very substantial for a starter with large chicken pieces rather than the "finely chopped chicken" as described in the menu and as it should be. Quite tasty, though, with a marked lemon tang to it but the accompanying salad was poor - very limp shredded lettuce and soft cucumber. Main dish of Tandoori Chicken was well flavoured and coloured but again the accompanying salad was very unappetising comprising only of more of the limp lettuce and cucumber. Dhansak had a very pronounced sharp taste but not overbearingly so and was OK. Mixed Vegetable Bhaji was excellent with a good variety of vegetables, well cooked and spiced but without the spices overcoming the flavour of the vegetables.

Quantities of all were perfectly adequate and prices reasonable but the standard of service seemed to depend on the waiter - one was poor and surly while the other was courteous and efficient. We also had to remind the waiter a couple of times for a jug of water ordered at the start.

All in all the food, comfort and decor was fairly average, with nothing to complain about but nothing outstanding. However, it is worth recording that the couple at the table next to us did seem dissatisfied. They complained that they had been waiting for 45 minutes without being served, and when their main dishes did arrive the man was very unhappy with his dish - a highly coloured Chicken Tikka Masala. They left without eating much of it, but perhaps his dissatisfaction had more to do with his mood caused by the wait rather than the quality of the food. It would certainly have to be bad for me to walk out after only a few mouthfuls!!

Malcolm Wilkins - July 1998