Ghenuc, Cradley Heath

Since it opened earlier this year, word has quickly spread about the place, its food, and the bright, modern decor.

And while the venue might be new, owner Zaman Abul has a wealth of experience in the business - learning the trade a fair few miles east on the other side of the region at his family's Shimla Tandoori restaurant in Aldridge.

On our recent visit, we arrived at the relatively early hour of 7pm to find the place already buzzing.

A quick perusal of the menu showed a fair few old favourites and sprinkled with a couple of other choices that we'd never heard of.

Most exciting for us, however, were the combination balti options, which offer the chance to try half portions of two dishes from the menu in divided stainless steel bowls.

If your party is small, the combination dishes allow you to try a far wider selection of main courses than would otherwise be practicable - without wasting food.

Sitting on our high-backed chairs in the bright modern white-walled setting of Ghenuc's main dining area, we munched on virtually oil-free poppadoms with a selection of sauces (the fantastic mint and mildly curried one was best) deciding what to order.

Less than 10 minutes after the decision was made, our piping hot starters of Masala Fish and Nargis Kebab arrived piping hot at the table.

I was totally happy with my perfectly-cooked fish dish, which had clearly been prepared to order, and my dining partner loved her tandoori take on the Scotch egg, which came wrapped in a wonderfully-light omelette.

Both were served on a bed of super-fresh lettuce and cucumber salad.

For our main courses we ordered combination dishes of Keema Peas with Aloo Gosth, and Balti Chicken with Lamb Pasanda, accompanied by a lentil side dish of Tarka Dhall, plain and garlic naans, and some plain rice.

Everything was good, but the simple-but-tasty spiced mince dish Keema Peas, and the restaurant's creamy Lamb Pasanda dish were both standouts - as were the truly light and delicious naan breads.

Sometimes the thought of mopping up curry with big chunks of stodgy bread simply doesn't appeal. But on our experience, anyone who goes to Ghenuc and DOESN'T order a naan bread to go with their meal is crazy.

Also pleasing was the garlicky Tarka Dhall - always a firm favourite on the Dunton table - which was one of the best versions of the dish that I've tasted in a while.

Ghenuc has a comprehensive and enticing selection of dessert dishes. However for us they were not just unnecessary, but also an impossibility.

Our bill, with a jug of water and a couple of bottles of beer thrown in, came to a touch over £30. Bottles from the restaurant's wine selection start from around £8.

Ghenuc is open seven days a week, including bank holidays. Hours are 5.30pm-12.30am Sunday to Thursday, and 5pm-1am on Fridays and Saturdays. The restaurant is fully licensed, but diners are welcome to bring their own drinks.

By Jim Dunton

Ghenuc Restaurant, 3-4 Cradley Road, Five Ways, Cradley Heath Telephone: 01384 560633