At last we get to sample the fare on offer at the famed Akbar's! We've tried to get in on our usual Friday night session, but the place has always been too full. This time we booked a table on the slightly less busy Wednesday night.

The place was packed, as always. Even if you book a table for a set time, on busier nights, we understand that you are often kept waiting. Today we were lucky and were seated almost immediately. It's an up-market restaurant with the typical OTT Asian furnishings, a tent-effect ceiling, and blaring Asian muzak.

We kicked off with panir pakora (£1.95), chicken pakora (£2.25), and mushroom and potato poori (£1.95). The panir was exceptional, big pieces of tasty Asian cheese in a crispy batter - they're the only panir pakoras we've come across in Bradford, and we recommend them. The poori was excellent too, a mild mushroom and potato curry on a deep-fried chapatti-like bread. Likewise, the chicken pakora gained superlatives: big, mouth-watering chunks of meat in a spicy, crisp batter.

A word about the pickle tray: four different varieties of pickle, (the hot pickle very good) refilled at no charge.

Could our main courses compare with the excellence of the starters?

It must be noted that the service was incredibly slow - and according to SteveK, a regular here, we were served a little faster than is the norm! Between finishing our starters and receiving our main dishes, we were waiting for almost an hour.

I had a chana and panir balti, a very good chick pea curry with good-sized portions of panir. The balti palak aloo dhal was described as only average, and a little bland, likewise the balti palak, aloo and mushroom. However, the balti mushroom panir gained high marks, as did the karai fish. The chicken tikka badami was succulent and not too hot, with a distinctive and unusual after-taste. The karai chicken was rich which good chicken pieces.

We finished with very good coffee and excellent, if vastly over-priced, barfi.

Overall. We were impressed with the fare of offer at Akbar's. However, we must stress that it's no better than that served by three or four other restaurants in the city, where the service is far, far better. (For instance, try the Khaima next door.) We feel that Akbar's is a victim of it's own success.

So... Good curry - pity about the service.

(The price of meal does not include chapattis, etc: chapattis 30p, roti 50p, nan £1.25, family nan £2.95, pilau rice £1.25.)