Cafe India

This place comes as something of a surprise to anyone who remembers the old Little Chef on the A5 near to the turn to Wheaton Aston, next to the Bradford Arms, since it?s been completely transformed and turned into a very stylish Indian restaurant, with a quality of cuisine to match the décor.

No garish flock wallpaper here, instead a cool interior of muted colours that provides an ideal background to enjoy an excellent evening out.

The menu is also far more enterprising than at your normal Indian establishment; instead of a bewilderingly huge tome of many variations on a similar theme, here you are offered thoroughly individual dishes, showing off the real diversity that exists in the Indian sub-continent.

There's a range of appetisers, interesting options such as maachli chaat, succulent mackerel cooked in garlic, tomato and capsicum or bhelpuri channa with chick peas, tomatoes, aubergines and garam masala. The usual suspects make their presence felt with prawn puree, king prawns cooked with tomato puree, onions and green herbs served with puffy, light bread and sheek kabab, rolled and spiced minced lamb cooked in the tandoor.

The main courses run from the chicken curry from Goa, marinated meat cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, cream coconut, coriander and hot curry paste through to Chittagong style king prawns, half cut shelled prawns with ginger, garlic, grated onion, lime juice and coriander; maybe you should try the  lamb saqi, a creamy dish of barbecued meat simmered in coconut milk, ground ginger and mint or North Indian chilli garlic chicken, cooked in hot chilli garlic sauce garnished with coriander.

More standard choices include a range of tandoori dishes, biryanis, baltis and even the ubiquitous chicken tikka masala, apparently Britain's most popular dish these days, as well as the traditional curries, like korma, bhoona, madras and dansak.

Side dishes are impressive as well, with an excellent tarka dall, a vegetarian delight of assorted lentils cooked with garlic, or aloo gobi, cauliflower and potato with light spices, and begon bhajee, aubergine with tomato and onion.

Their excellent Website provides you with details of Cafe India's full menu, the takeaway service - with a 10% discount - and their special banquets for parties of ten or more.