Don't be put off by the appearance of this restaurant. From the outside, Tariq looks like a massive fast-food joint. It is, but it is also a curry house, and a very good one if the food we sampled is representative on the fare on offer the rest of the time.

The restaurant area is upstairs, a plush, palatial area with thick carpeting and lush décor. Unfortunately we were the only diners that night, so the atmosphere was somewhat lacking.

We started with vegetable pakora (£1.60), onion bhaji (£1.10), chicken pakora (£2.20), vegetable and paneer pakora (£1.90), and vegetable samosa (2.20). They were perhaps a little on the expensive side, but they were also the best starters we've sampled for many a month. The veg pakora was light, fresh and mildly spiced - a delight, as was the veg and paneer pakora, containing cheese that was rich and distinctly flavoured for paneer. The chicken pakora was succulent and well-spiced. The onion bhaji was of the spindly, crunchy variety, and again well-liked, fresh, piping-hot, and beautifully flavoured. The veg samosas were my personal favourite: the pastry was crisp and light, while the filling was plentiful, fresh and delicious. All in all, a treat. But would the curries be anywhere as good?

We need not have worried.

The daal paneer was one of the best dishes we've sampled for a long while. The lentils were of the split pea variety, mealy and delicately spiced, with big, generous portions of rich, flavoursome paneer (although this dish was not listed on the menu, they were more than happy to customise it for us). The mushroom chana was also very good, the chick peas swimming in a pungent, rich sauce thick with mushrooms. The chicken rogan josh contained spicy chunks of meat in a sumptuous sauce; the portion was excellent. The chicken vindaloo was described as, "Very enjoyable - good size chunks of chicken, good consistency (not sloppy), and hot, but not too hot." The tarka daal was described by JonF, usually a carnivore, as, "very good, but lacking something - probably meat. The portion was gargantuan.)

We were more than pleased with our curries, which is reflected in the marks we gave each dish. The service was fast, friendly and efficient and, if the restaurant had been a little better patronised, the atmosphere would have been improved.

The only slight disappointment was the price of the chapattis, at 60p each a bit steep. However, the nan bread was good value - one being sufficient for two people.

We finished off with excellent coffee.

All in all, we exhort every self-respecting curry fan to male a bee-like for this restaurant and sample the delights on offer.

(Chapattis and rice, etc, do not come with the main dishes, and must be ordered separately: chapatti 60p, plain nan £1.60, garlic nan £1.80, plain rice £2.10.)