The Sweet Palace is a bit of a dive, with greasy, threadbare carpets, awful toilets, and curries that do no favours for the reputation of the cuisine in the city.

The starters, it must be said, were better than average. We had onion bhaji (£1.20), potato bhaji (£1.20), vegetable samosa (£1.20), and mushroom bhaji (£1.50). They were all crisp, nicely spiced and piping hot - nothing special, but a good appetiser for what we hoped might be a similar standard of main dish.

We were disappointed. I had aloo matter, consisting of tinned potatoes, frozen peas and a mild, bland masala sauce; while it wasn't actually a bad curry, it had nothing at all to distinguish it from the mush I make at home. The mushroom dopiaza was slightly better, though again the ingredients were tinned; it was pleasantly spiced, but on the mild side. The matter aloo palak was "Disappointing: dull, tasteless, and bland." The dall and spinach was about the best, though nothing special: it's hard to go wrong wth spinach, and the dall was tasty enough. The channa palak came as chicken palak, and was returned. Five minutes later it was replaced by a hastily thrown together mess that tasted of very little - a big disappointment.

All in all we're amazed that places like the Sweet Palace can survive, with so many other good restaurants in the vicinity. Although the starters were okay, nothing else was, and we can't bring ourselves to recommend this place to any self-respecting curry aficionado.

(Price of the main dish includes choice of chapattis or boiled rice.)

The Sweet Palace certainly stands out from the other establishments nearby - it's neon-lit frontage ensures you can't miss the place. Inside, the restaurant is a split-level affair, with a well-lit lower area and an upper, windowless, rather gloomy room, where we were.

We kicked off with a good range of starters: mixed bhaji (£1.50), onion bhaji (£1.20), chicken pakora (£2.50), mushroom bhaji (£1.50), and potato bhaji (£1.20). They were all above average - especially the onion bhaji, which were nicely crisp and beautifully spiced - apart from the rather disappointing mushroom bhaji, which were overcooked, the batter crunchy and the mushrooms a trifle wizened.

The main courses provided points all the way from a disappointing three to a satisfying eight. I ordered aloo dall and was very pleased with the dish - the lentils were cooked to perfection in a rich, mouth-watering sauce. The aloo palak was above average - very much like same dish in the Kashmir in taste and consistency, a good portion of minced spinach leaf and tinned potatoes. The fish masala was a little too hot for Angela, and IanW was disappointed by the lack lustre bhuna. Maria Found her laziz-e-sabzi (a disappointing mix of tinned veg) too greasy and rather mild. Overall, a very mixed bag.

I'd certainly recommend the Sweet Palace as an essential stop on the curry-addicts tour of the city. It provides some good dishes at reasonable prices and the vegetarian menu is pleasantly extensive.

(Dishes served with a choice of three chapattis or boiled rice.)