We last visited the Balti Chef eighteen months ago, and then we thought it an above average restaurant - certainly not in the top flight, but better than many we'd tried in our travels.

There's been an innovation since then. The Balti Chef is now the Balti Chef/Mother Spice. This is because there is a separate menu, (albeit very limited) which is described in the literature as "... devised, prepared and cooked by women." However, there were no women cooks in evidence when we glanced into the kitchen. Is this merely a publicity ploy? (This is the restaurant, it must be remembered, that claims in its literature that balti dishes originated in Baltistan!)

But enough of the waffle - let's get to the curries.

We kicked off with chicken pakora (£2.20), vegetable pakora (£1.70), onion bhaji (£1.50), and mushroom pakora (£1.70). (The prices have remained the same - with the exception of the onion bhajis, which have dropped by 30p!). They were, sad to report, nothing special - not a patch on the last lot we had here. They were all a bit doughy, lacking crispness, and could have been spicier. The best of the bunch were the mushroom pakora and the veg pakora. It must also be mentioned, however, that the portions were very small - which is probably how they've managed to keep the prices down for so long.

I had a balti chana for my main dish. It was rather dry, and the chick peas were way overdone; having said that, it was an above average dish with a pleasant tangy afterburn. The karahi chicken (from the Mother Spice menu - though there was little difference in quality between these and the other dishes) were described as "Large chunks of chicken in a sauce that tasted homemade but not unpleasant. It would have been nice mixed with spinach/chick-peas/lentils to give it some additional interest." And, "I thought the chicken was a bit tough at first, but got stuck in and enjoyed it. Just right for hotness and spiciness until the I ate the green chilli by mistake." The balti vegetable dopiaza was "dull and although filling, with lots of vegetables, the base curry sauce was lacking the taste-bud grasping sensation that I come to look forward to on my first mouthful of traditional Asian cuisine. I asked for apna-style, but my request seems to have been ignored as this dish was only medium hot."

We finished with decent strong coffee which came with After Eight mints, but unfortunately there was no barfi on the menu.

To round up: the Balti Chef/Mother Spice is a pleasant establishment serving above average curries, though perhaps a little expensive for what they are. (Our bill came to £8.50 per head). We'd recommend that our readers give it a go and contact us with their thoughts.

(The main dishes do not some with rice, chapatis, etc, which must be ordered separately: chapati 30p, naan £1.00, garlic naan £1.30, plain rice £1.20.)

We last visited the Balti Chef eleven months ago. Then we said the restaurant: "...provides an above-average curry in pleasant surroundings, and is yet another worthwhile stop on the spice-fan's itinerary.

And not much has changed in almost a year - even the prices have remained the same.

We had some fine starters. Onion bhaji (£1.80), vegetable pakora (£1.70), and aloo tikki (£1.70). The tikki and pakora came in burger shapes, the latter a highly-spiced mashed potato, the former a tasty selection of finely-chopped vegetables - both highly recommended. The onion bhaji was also well above the norm

I plumped for sag aloo for my main course, and it came in a vast balti dish almost full to the brim. There were, without a word of exaggeration, fully two curries in my serving - so much that I ate one good helping and took the rest home in a take-away container. As for its quality... The potatoes - a constant complaint from me - were cut too large and a little undercooked, and the spinach was reduced to a gruel; but, having said that, it had a very acceptable, fiery taste and I rated it a good average curry. The balti chana was very much enjoyed: the sauce was a spicey-tomatoey mixture, and though JohnM claimed the chick peas were overdone, he still rated it the best chana he'd sampled for months. The balti vegetable rogan josh was probably the poorest dish, begin both plain and unrewarding.

We finished with excellent coffee which came with After Eight mints.

The Balti Chef is one of those above average establishments that will have its champions and its detractors. For those who like their baltis highly spiced, we'd recommend a visit.

As a footnote, the overwritten - but very entertaining - menu maintains the running joke (found also in Akbar's menu) that balti dishes originated in the remote Himalayan region of Baltistan - good one, boys.

The Balti Chef is a large, spacious restaurant with dining areas divided into 'cabins' by fret-work wooden panels; it's tastefully done, with accompanying background Indian music, and no doubt when busy would be atmospheric. Unfortunately, on the night we dined we were the only customers for much of the time. The Balti Chef is a little more up-market than your average Bradford curry dive, (our meals averaged out at £8 apiece), and has a licensed bar.

We started with onion bhaji (£1.45) and chicken pakora (£2.00). The onion bhajis were among the best we've sampled of late - good portions, spicy and well-cooked. The chicken pakora was fine too.

I ordered a main dish of balti chana and mushroom (not on the menu, but the chef will combine ingredients to order) which came in a vast, red-hot balti dish. It was an excellent portion of chick peas and mushrooms in a thick, rich, if rather mild, sauce. While the chick peas were done to perfection, the mushrooms were rather overdone and wizened - nevertheless, it was still a pleasing dish. The balti chicken patia was plentiful but rather on the hot side for JonF, and scored just above average. The balti sag aloo and paneer was not quite as expected - the paneer must have started out as a cheese slice that had dissolved with the other ingredients.

We finished with excellent coffee which came with After Eight mints.

The Balti Chef provides an above-average curry in pleasant surroundings, and is yet another worthwhile stop on the spice-fan's itinerary.

(Bread accompaniments were not included in the price of the curries, and had to be ordered separately: naan 95p, garlic naan £1.25, cheese naan £1.25, roti 50p.)