A return to the Shiraz, on Oak Lane. It's a small, unpretentious establishment at the cheaper end of the market, with bolted down tables and chairs, a worn, almost comfortable feel, and a friendly, helpful waiter. They serve a decent variety curries, though we were somewhat disappointed this time round. The dishes we sampled scored from six to eight, with some diners being singularly unimpressed by their meals, and others liking them a lot.

We were unanimous about the starters, though: they were superb.

We had onion bhaji (£1.00), mushroom bhaji (£1.20), potato bhaji (£1.00), and cauliflower pakora (£1.20). They were uniformly excellent, freshly cooked, highly spiced, and the portions were generous. Perhaps the best were the potato bhaji, the potato well-cooked (unlike some we've sampled of late); though there was some criticism of the cauliflower pakora's sweetish batter. We also started with good popadums, which aren't on the menu.

I had a red bean curry; it was rich, filling, and heavy on the coriander, which I like. Also, the chupatis were excellent, light, fluffy, and very tasty. The vegetable korma was well-liked, described as: "Smooth, slightly nutty, packed with a good variety of vegetables - one of the best kormas I've sampled recently." The chick pea, mushroom and spinach curry lacked flavour and was a little on the watery side - a criticism levelled at all the palak dishes, as if the spinach wasn't drained before being cooked. The chicken special contained what was described as, "Tough, rough chicken, and the curry was too dry and lacked texture." The balti murgh consisted of chicken that was on the tough and dry side, was mild and lacked succulence. The vegetable special was, "not particularly 'special', but plain and ordinary, leaving me unsatisfied. There was no distinct taste between the vegetables, and the whole thing was rather bland.". The vegetable and lentil was described as, "Non-descript, a little on the bland side, as if the spices used were not of the freshest."

All in all, then, a mixed bag. We'd recommend that readers who like their curries well-spiced should ask for their dishes apna-style at this restaurant, as on previous occasions here we've found them too mild. (We asked for them all to be made apna-style on Friday, and even so a couple of them were still described as mild or bland.)

We'd certainly advise regular readers to give the Shiraz a go, and will be visiting again in the not too distant future.

(All dishes are served with a choice of either three chupatis or rice. Extras are: chupatis 40p, rice £1.00, garlic nan £1.50.)

On our last visit to the Shiraz, in October '98, we wrote: "The Shiraz is one of those above-average curry houses that proliferate in the city... It's a smallish, unpretentious restaurant serving distinctive curries at affordable prices..." Its single, long room with bolted-down tables and chairs is more reminiscent of a transport cafe than a curry house.

We began with onion bhaji (£1.00), aubergine pakora (£1.20), mix (veg) bhaji (£1.20), and chicken pakora (£1.60). With the exception of the chicken - which was very tough, "old boot leather" was one description, and the portion poor - they were all above average, especially the aubergine pakora, the vegetable succulent and the crispy batter spiced to perfection.

I had red (kidney) bean curry and, while it was perfectly acceptable it was nothing special. A criticism I'd level at this dish, and a few of the others, is that they came in an identical, over-sweet sauce, which rather spoilt my enjoyment of the dish. (This was a criticism we made of some of the dishes on our last visit here.)

The chicken dhansak came with a sauce described as "tangy and adequately spiced" though "the chicken was a bit on the stringy side. If the quality of the chicken had been better, then the curry would have received a higher rating." The lentil curry, was middling, the particular bead-type of dal used not particularly flavoursome and, again, the sauce was too sweet. The veg jalfrezi was a little better - at least it had its own unique sauce - while the chick pea curry was the worst of the bunch, over-sweet and over-cooked. The chicken jalfrezi was suffered from the poor quality chicken.

Once again, the saving grace of the Shiraz was the excellent selection of sweets on offer. We polished off a couple of plates of various gulab jaman, barfi, paree, with better than average coffee at 80p a cup.

A pleasant surprise on this visit was that the prices have remained the same since '98.

The shiraz is yet another of those average curry house that proliferate in the city. It's cheap, cheerful - the staff are friendly and helpful - but it must be said that there are better curries obtainable at the price elsewhere in the city.

(All dishes come with a choice of rice or three chapattis.)

The Shiraz is one of those above-average curry houses that proliferate in the city, giving Bradford its deserved title of curry capital of Britain. Its a smallish, unpretentious restaurant serving distinctive curries at affordable prices. The menu is extensive, especially for vegetarians, and was the first place we've come across that served pumpkin curry.

We started with onion bhaji (£1.00), cauliflower bhaji (£1.20), and aubergine bhaji (£1.20). The first two were crisp and tasty, though one criticism was that they were a little on the sweet side. The aubergine bhajis were exceptional, the batter thin and nicely spiced, the aubergine tender and full of flavour.

The main dishes all rated an above-average seven, though again a criticism levelled was that they all had rather a sweet taste. I had a lentil and mushroom - not the finest I've ever tasted, but better than many. The vegetable special was enjoyable and comprised an extensive range of fresh, unusually spiced vegetables. The chicken jalfrezi was filling but unremarkable. Ingredients from the menu could be combined to make customised dishes - always a nice touch.

What made the Shiraz a must-visit restaurant, however, was its wide range of Asian sweets: barfi, gulab jaman, paree... to name but a few. They were fresh and of high quality - especially the three mentioned - and with coffee rounded off a very pleasant curry experience. (The mango lassi was also excellent.)

(Each dish comes with rice or three chapattis.)