calm and soothing atmosphere with its newly refitted interior.

Following the traditional 'Indian' (i.e. Bangladeshi) restaurant repertoire of food, the menu contains all the favourites (the usual Korma, Dupiaza, Rogan, Vindaloo range, etc.) and few surprises, but what it offered was all very well prepared and presented.

The customary poppadums and chutney condiments were despatched while perusing the menu and supping a very pleasant new world Semillon Chardonnay from the reasonable wine list. The starters arrived shortly after: a perfectly succulent piece of Tandoori Chicken and the King Prawn Sag Puree. Moist without being unduly oily, prawns mingled with spinach in a lightly spiced sauce on a small flat-bread base. This, and the item from the Tandoor, were judged a success.

Determined to try a less well known dish we went for Nilgiri Machchli (Tilapia fish in a coconut cream sauce) and a King Prawn Jalfrezi. Both were excellent: the Jalfrezi was feisty without being uneatably fiery, whilst the Machchli, although seemingly devoid of the coconut promised in the menu, was nonetheless very tasty.

A fine Pilau Rice and a creditable Spinach Bhaji appeared. A tepid, stale Nan bread was immediately replaced with a steaming fresh one without any quibble. And that revealed one of the key strengths of Bollywood Spice. The attentive level of service was exemplary and the desire to please was evident from the start and at all times. It certainly made a difference to our dining experience.

To sum up, we enjoyed our meal hugely. As a place to take people to impress, the Bollywood Spice experience works. It's very clean and uncluttered, with comfortable furnishings, and the staff definitely care. It's a definite step up from the cheap and cheerful old style Indian student haunts that are more commonly found in Mill Road, and the slightly higher prices understandably reflect this. The food, though, is not remarkably different from many of the other 'Indian' restaurants in the city - but the atmosphere makes it worth the journey.