It was almost eighteen months since we last visited the Shezan, next door to the Shearbridge pub, and then we wrote: "Overall, the curries on offer at the Shezan are way above average, and we recommend the restaurant as one of the better establishments in the three star category."

A year and a half later, we found that not much has changed. The restaurant serves good curries at reasonable prices, and is well worth a visit by the addicted curry fan.

The starters were very variable. We had onion bhaji (£1.00), mushroom pakora (£1.30), potato pakora (£1.00) and chicken pakora (£1.70). While the onion bhaji and the potato pakora were very good, crisp and nicely spiced, the mushroom bhaji was dry and contained little mushroom. Even worse, some portions of chicken pakora contained absolutely NO chicken. They were voted the worst of their type we've encountered in ages.

The main dishes were far better. (The prices, in eighteen months, have either remained the same, or increased by twenty or fifty pence.)

I had a mouth-watering saag aloo (a side-dish made as a main dish). The potatoes were excellent, the spinach minimal, but the subtle masala sauce a piquant delight. The mushroom masala was likewise appreciated: chunky spicy mushrooms in a pungent, ghee-rich sauce. The daal spinach was a dry dish, again light on the spinach, but the lentils were large and substantial, and the dish was enjoyed. The chicken and mushroom provided ample chicken in a rich sauce, and scored highly. The Bombay spinach side-dish didn't arrive, but the daal tarka was described as, "a palate-pleasing dish, rich, freshly made and great tasting." The chicken rogan josh was, "average; small scrappy pieces of chicken, well-spiced, but the sauce was rather basic." The chicken dhansak was not particularly enjoyed, and was described as: "Nice flavour, but too creamy, and a poor portion of chicken."

The scores for individual curries ranged from 6 to nine, with most of us enjoying our meals. The Shezan provides a pleasant, friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy well above-average Asian fare. Recommended.

(Oh, and the toilets were much cleaner than last time!)

(Three chapattis, or rice, come with the curries - unlike the last time we visited, when they were extra.)

The Shezan is good-sized restaurant next door to the Shearbridge pub. This was our first time in this neck of the woods on review night, but if the standard of meals remains as high in the other restaurants as it was in the Shezan, then we're in for good few weeks of dining.

We started with onion bhaji (£!.00) and mushroom bhaji (£1.30). The onion bhaji were fine, with good chunks of fresh onion in a spicy batter. The mushroom bhaji were not up to the standard of some we've had recently (at the Kashmir, for example - when the mushroom bhajis are on form, they're a delight.) These were rather dry and lacked succulence.

The main dishes were far better. I had daal mushroom, and this was one of the finer examples of the dish. The daal was cooked to perfection and deliciously flavoured, and the portion was generous. The daal vegetable earned high marks for a nice variety of fresh veg in an excellent sauce. The chicken jalfrezi was just above average. The mushroom dopiaza was mediocre and instantly forgettable.

We finished with an Asian sweet called ladoo, small ball-like confections made from semolina, honey, and fennel, which went down well with a very good coffee.

Overall, the curries on offer at the Shezan are way above average, and we recommend the restaurant as one of the better establishments in the three star category. Chapattis, rice and nan bread are not included in the price of the curries, and must be ordered separately, I was given a long, involved story by the waiter, along these lines: all the curry houses in the area charge extra for chapattis, etc, but the Shezan deducts 10% on orders over £30 - therefore our chapattis, etc, were in effect free...

A final note: we don't usually mention the toilets - but the men's loo in the Shezan was in such a state that it could put off less hardier souls than ourselves from dining at the restaurant.

(Rice and chapattis must be ordered separately.)