Ghenuc, Cradley Heath

It's always good to return somewhere you've previously enjoyed eating and find the place exactly how you remember it. And that was the case on my recent visit to Ghenuc in Cradley Heath.

While the town has undergone some pretty radical changes over the last couple of years, Zaman Abul's excellent restaurant still serves some very fine curry.

Bright and modern both inside and out, Ghenuc is a first-rate place to feast.

My dining partner Emma and I kicked off our meal with some perfectly crisp poppadoms served with delicious mango chutney and fresh onion salad.

After considerable debate, we opted for starters of masala fish and a mushroom chat curry, which was served in a fried puri bread. The fish in my starter came in one-inch cubes, rather than as the usual whole fried fillet, but the taste was second to none.

Emma said she was pleasantly surprised by her vegetarian dish, which was hot, but not too spicy and took the form of a fairly thin salsa. For our main courses, we opted for a frenzy of garlic. In choosing a chicken shatkora balti and a chicken sylhety balti, we selected house special dishes that came with enough of the pungent root to make even the most Gallic of hearts leap for joy. We also ordered side dishes of brinjal bhajee and bhindi bhajee.

The main courses arrived 10 minutes after we finished our starters - just enough time to regain the edge of our apetites and soak up some of the atmosphere of Ghenuc, which was doing a steady business, even though it was early on a Monday night.

The decor is contemporary and stylish, and the same can be said for the tableware.

When they arrived, our main courses were kept hot on glass table-top platewarmers that looked a whole lot snazzier than the 1970s versions still whipped out at some restaurants.

Both of our main courses came with huge chunks of tender marinated chicken, and deliciously grease-free sauces sprinkled with chopped roast garlic in the same way you might sprinkle a cake with dessicated coconut.

They looked rather similar too, although the shatkora had a pleasingly bitter edge, which we were told was the result of special Indian bitter limes.

Brilliant

Whatever the cause, I found it to be a brilliant accompaniment to my Bangla lager.

Emma pronounced herself pleased with her chicken choice and I was equally happy with mine.

Our main-course portions were so big that we could easily have shared just the one. And we could have certainly dropped the side dishes.

But it always feels like a shame not to sample a selection of food when you go for a blowout feast, and the aubergine-filled brinjal bhajee and chopped-okra laden bhindi bhajee were good counterbalances to the rest of our meal.

Emma also ordered a fruit rice to go with her main course, which was an interesting deviation from the plain boiled rice I usually favour.

As was the case the last time I visited Ghenuc, which is the Bengali word for "oyster", our savoury exploits effectively ruled out dessert.

Previously, my dining partner and I both ordered the innovative combination dishes that the restaurant serves, which offer separate servings of two of your curry choices for an ultra-reasonable £6.50.

All I can say about the quality of our food this time around is that it was at least as good as on our previous visit, and that was very good indeed.

All-in-all our feast cost us barely more than £15 a head and had we really sought to economise, we could have had an even cheaper night. One way to save cash at Ghenuc is to take out your food - or even have it delivered to your home. Take-out prices are cheaper than eat-in ones, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays the place offers a four-course dinner for £8.50.

Ghenuc has putting on a special Christmas Day menu, offering diners either a traditional English turkey meal with all the trimmings, or an Indian set meal with tandoori chicken as its main course.

Jim DuntonCradley Road,

Five Ways, Cradley Heath

Tel: 01384 560633