THE Golden Tandoori, Clarence Place, Newport

This is one of Newport's most popular Indian restaurants. And its recent refurbishment has transformed it into a spacious and modern-looking curry house.

We visited it on a quiet Monday evening, not the most obvious time for a curry, emphasised by the fact that there was only one other party dining that night.

We started with the obligatory poppadums, and onion bahjis and garlic mushrooms. All the dishes were well presented and tasty, with no complaints.

A rare and welcome touch followed when, after our starters were finished, we were asked if we would like to wait a while for our main courses, or have them immediately.

We opted for the latter, and I was served with a chicken rogan, a mild curry with a tomato-based sauce with mushroom rice.

Portions were plentiful, and tasty, although I ran out of curry before I had finished the rice - bad planning on my side, I suppose! My girlfriend opted for a prawn madras with half chips, half rice. She tackled the madras in vain, with the dish proving too spicy for her taste - evidence that the hotness of some curry dishes can frustratingly vary from restaurant to restaurant.

The service was friendly, helpful and non-obtrusive, which in my view is as good as it gets.

The total bill, which included a bottle of wine and starter drinks, came to a very reasonable £37.50.