Sumptuous Indian meal

Sanded wooden floors, solid wood tables and even the faint smell of sawdust mixed with Indian cuisine greeted us as we climbed up to the first floor restaurant.

But I hasten to add the service and food at Harvey's Indian Cuisine on High Street, Newport, was anything but wooden.

Funky Indian music played while my dining partner and I enjoyed a typically sumptuous Indian meal.

The friendly owners of the restaurant, established just a month ago, threw in free poppadoms with chutney and strawberry ice cream for dessert. As well as the poppadoms, which were sadly not freshly made, I enjoyed a mixed starters for £3.50 that included deliciously deep fried onion bhajis and a selection of meats.

My partner opted for Chicken Tikka starters (£2.40) and garlic mushrooms (£2.50) that were a little flavourless.

For the main course I enjoyed a Tikka Jalfrezi (£5.60) with Keema fried rice (£2.50), which was delicious but greasy.

The Jalfrezi had a fantastic taste of fresh green chillies but was not too hot to enjoy.

My partner commended his main course, Chicken Tikka Massala (£5.50) and mushroom fried rice (£2.50).

As side dishes we ordered two nan breads (£1.50 each) and Mutter Paneer (£3.20), a side dish with cheese, peas, coconut and curry sauce. We also shared a Brinjal Bhaji (£2.60), an unusual and spicy mix of vegetables.

To help wash down our meals we had two Kingfisher lagers each, which boosted the bill by £10.

Overall, the meal did not disappoint but lacked sparkle. Henry Widdas