Darwen I HAD the best Indian meal I can remember at the Anaz. I am not a great curry specialist and usually end up at the cheapest curry hole I can find - occasionally in a state of slight inebriation. But I would say the nosh at Anaz would take some beating by any Indian restaurant. My girlfriend and I booked a table when we went on Friday night - which was a good job because it was full.

We were escorted to the "waiting area" near the bar and seated at a table after only a 15 minutes wait.

The decor is traditional Indian - with a few pictures up on the wall of Indian lovers smooching in exotic locations.

There are plenty of dishes on the starter list including prawn cocktail (£2.10), shish kebab (£2.10), mixed kebab (3.75), spring roll (£2.10), vegetable somosa (£2).

I chose chicken tikka pura (£3.45) marinated in yogurt, dhania garlic, ginger tandoori, tikka paste and mixed spices, cooked with tomato, onion and curry sauce with puri bread.

It turned out to be heavenly and will probably colour my opinion of any subsequent curries I have.

The chicken was finest breast meat and cooked to perfection.

My girlfriend had prawn puri (£3.45) which was prawns cooked with tomato, onion, green peppers, coriander and curry sauce with puri bread.

That,too, had a delicious sauce but unfortunately it was spoiled by the prawns which were like little bits of rubber.

It didn't bode well for my girlfriend - the main course she had ordered was another prawn dish.

It was a victory for me, however, because I'm the one who normally sits in a restaurant gazing wistfully at her sumptuous meal while I chomp on something unsatisfactory.

There are dozens and dozens of dishes on the list of main courses - graded from mild to hot.

Prices of around £5.50 include choice of naan bread, pilau rice, chips or chapattis.

There are also Anaz speciality dishes from £6 to £10.95, including baltis - a choice of meats or fish with sauce made from rape seed oil, coriander, tomato puree, tumeric, ginger, garlic, chopped onions and tomatoes.

There is also filet steak massalla (£8.95) which is tomatoes, onions, coriander and curry sauce; and a dish called Moglai which has a boiled egg in it.

I chose Royal Bengal special (£6.75) chicken with mixed vegetables, banana (yes that's right - banana), onion, tomatoes, mixed spices and herbs.

It didn't taste quite as good as the starter but it was still delicious and the banana added a subtle flavour.

My girlfriend was again disappointed by her rubbery prawns in her prawn balti (£6.25).

As usual in an Indian restaurant the sweet menu was limited and my girlfriend just had a chocolate ice cream while I opted to miss this course.

As a free aperitif they gave us an Irish cream liquor - not as nice a gesture as it sounds because the stuff is pretty cheap and horrible.

The total bill including drinks (two halves of lager and a gin and lemonade) came to £28.20.

There were plenty of vegetable dishes for none meat eaters.

For those who get dragged along to Indian restaurants but won't eat Indian food, there is a handful of English dishes. There is no children's menu.

Disabled access is no problem as the restaurant is on only one floor and there are no steps.

"The one and only Anaz restaurant," it proudly boasts on the menu. For my money, there should be more - I hope in Bolton.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.