We've said this before, and we'll say it again: we think this restaurant is vastly over-rated - we just can't see why it's so popular. In the past we've had slightly above-average curries from the Sweet Centre, but this Friday we were served a dreadful apology for curries.

It began badly. Of the three vegetable starters on the menu, only one was available - vegetable pakora £1.20. It was doughy, bland and unappetising. The chicken pakora, £2.00, was better...

The main dishes were probably the worst we've sampled in Bradford since we dined at the International a few months ago (it wasn't reviewed, but we'll be going back there on a Friday night to see if things have improved).

I had a vegetable rogan josh, and it was the very worst example of this dish I've ever had the misfortune to order. It consisted of tinned vegetables swimming in what the menu called 'spiced vegetable oil', with a bitter, over-hot flavour: it was almost inedible. The dall palak was nearly as bad - too hot, again, and so salty it was unpleasant. The chicken dhansak should have been sweet and sour, according to the write-up on the menu, but this dish was just hot - the concession to the sweet being the addition of a big lump of pineapple. The chicken rogan josh was described as, "swimming in an ocean of ghee. The flavour of the dish 'on dry land' was fine, although the chicken pieces were rather scrappy." The dall tarka was "quite good. I ordered this dish as I knew it was standard for curry restaurants. The dish was hot (temperature wise) and the base sauce had a spicy, succulent flavour to it. An enjoyable meal."

The Sweet Centre doesn't serve chapattis, but rotis, which, I'll say again, are too thick with which to eat a curry, and this time were tasteless. (Also, the naan breads were terrible - liked floor-tiles, was one description, and underdone.)

All in all a pretty dreadful curry experience. The bill came to £7.50 each, and we felt cheated. Give this place a miss and, if you're in the Lumb Lane area, try the K2 or the Sultan instead.

(Dishes are not served with chapattis or rice, and sundries must be ordered separately: roti 30p, plain naan £1.00, garlic naan £1.30.)

It was over a year since we last visited the Sweet centre. We weren't too impressed then, despite the fact that it was obviously a popular restaurant. A couple of weeks before we dined there this time, it was the only Bradford curry house mentioned in an Independent newspaper review of the fifty best Asian restaurants in Britain.

Again, vegetable pakora (£1.00) was the only vegetarian starter on the menu. The portion was larger than last time, and though nicely cooked and spicy, it must be said that the vegetables lacked individual flavour. This time the raita, a salad and spiced yoghurt accompaniment, which last year cost £2.50 per table, was free.

I had a matter aloo, a potato and peas curry. The portion was generous, but far too hot for my taste: halfway through the dish, I could no longer taste the potatoes or peas for the fiery sensation flooding my palate. The tinda, an Asian vegetable like a pumpkin, was the best of the bunch. Again the portion was generous, and not over hot. The tinda went well in a curry, keeping its consistency and flavour. The dall was described as 'bland', the principal flavour being that of ghee. The chicken dopiaza was disappointing, with a distinct lack of onions normally associated with this dish. The Sweet centre doesn't serve chapattis, but roti instead - which we find too thick for our curries, and also rather tasteless.

We finished off with very good coffee a 80p a cup and a selection of excellent barfi.

Once again we were disappointed with the Sweet Centre. We feel that this restaurant is vastly over-rated in a city bulging with at least a dozen curry houses that provide far better fare.

(Roti and rice, etc, are not included in the price of the curries, and must be ordered separately. Plain nans are £1.00, garlic nan £1.30, boiled rice £1.00.)

We came to the Sweet Centre with high hopes. It had been recommended to us and was busy whenever we passed: it has a cult status among curry aficionados matching that of the Kashmir and the Karachi. What was it like? Let's not beat about the bush - we were disappointed.

We began with vegetable pakora (£1.00), the only vegetarian starter on the menu. It was spicy enough, but for £1.00 the portion was rather small. Another minus point was the fact that the raita, a salad and mango chutney accompaniment, usually free in most restaurants, here cost £2.50 per table.

My main dish was dall spinach. The portion was very generous for the price, but the dish itself was on the hot side, and nowhere near as tasty as the equivalent dish at the Kashmir. The chicken biryani, again, was far too hot - and but for the cooling effect of the rice would have been inedible. The peas and pototo was reported to be only average, while the vegetable rogan josh was very poor: it tasted like something slung together from a packet. While we're complaining, we might as well mention the rotis. You get two with each dish, instead of chapattis, and they are too thick to scoop up the curry, on the doughy side, and rather tasteless.

The atmosphere was fine, the service likewise, and the coffee was better than average. Overall, though, this wasn't one of the better Friday night curry experiences. That said, the place is undoubtedly popular, so we'd strongly recommend that you went along to sample the fare for yourself.