Malton Spice Restaurant & Take-away, 56 Clarence Street, York

Wonder no more. So successful was the original eatery bearing the name (which is, would you believe, in Malton?) that a branch was recently opened in York, too.

So will the Malton invasion prove a success?

The jury is still out.

Clarence Street, while not the most obvious location for a chic restaurant, is at least central. From the outside, Malton Spice is nothing much to look at. Step inside, however, and you enter an oasis of quiet: deep-pile carpet, plump leather-effect chairs, colours in discreet shades of burgundy, green and blue.

The restaurant is one of those long, narrow jobs that stretches away into the dim interior of the building. There was only a trickle of other diners when we visited at 7.30pm on a Saturday night. But the steady stream of customers calling in to collect take-away meals revealed Malton Spice has already built up a following among those who prefer to eat at home.

After being shown to a table near the window by a courteous waiter, we settled with popadoms (50p each) and pickles to study the menu.

The Malton Spice offers the usual range of balti and Bengali dishes and curries, as well as a comprehensive selection of house specialities and chef's recommendations. These, helpfully, come with clear descriptions, in case you don't know what's in the Murgh Rajala you're thinking of ordering (chicken cooked with garlic, ginger, cashew nuts and poppy seeds).

The restaurant also prides itself on its fish dishes - good news for Lily, who is a great fish-eater.

Lily passed on starters, but I chose the sag aloo (£2), because it sounded nice and gooey. For main course, Lily chose the Rajasthani Balti (swordfish steak cooked with fresh herbs and spices, £10.95) while I chose the interesting-sounding Hara Murgh (described as a refreshing dish of diced chicken in green sauce made from fresh green leaves, herbs and spices, £7.95). We also ordered a mixed vegetable bhaji side dish (£2.20) plus a portion of pilau rice (£1.70) each.

I was starving, so was pleased that my sag aloo starter - a deliciously red, gooey mess of soft potato pieces in spices - was a decent size. Once I'd finished, my waiter politely inquired how it had been, then whisked the plate away and brought our main courses.

I'd expected my Murgh dish to be green: so was a little disappointed when it turned out to be mainly reddish in colour, with just a faint green undertone. It tasted green, however: with a cool, almost minty flavour lingering beneath the spices. The chicken was very tender, and the dish pleasantly light.

Lily's fair-sized swordfish steak came buried in a spicy, reddish sauce. The fish meat was tasty and firm - perhaps a little too firm - and complemented the sauce nicely. The mixed vegetable bhaji again came in a red sauce (making our entire meal a bit too red for my taste) but was tasty and gooey. The pilau rice was a little hard, but OK.

The portions were so generous that neither Lily nor I were able to finish. Not wanting to waste perfectly good food, we asked for what was left to be packed up: and our waiter was happy to oblige.

Full or not, I had a responsibility to readers: and so manfully scanned the dessert menu. It is simple, consisting mainly of ice-creams and sorbets. I chose the Mango Kulf (£1.75), a traditional iced dessert from the sub-continent. Its shape, when it arrived, caused raised eyebrows and stifled giggles (you'll see what I mean if you try one) but it was deliciously refreshing.

I rounded the meal off with a cup of really excellent, fragrant coffee (£1.25) - refilled without me having to ask.

The total bill for two, including an orange juice for Lily and a large but rather bland glass of house white wine for me, came to just over £38.

The restaurant's take-away menu bears the legend: "Voted restaurant of the year 2002 by yorkshireportions.com'. This presumably relates to the Malton restaurant. Pleasant as our meal in York was, there wasn't anything to really distinguish it from any of the other successful Indian or Bangladeshi restaurants in the city. Except, perhaps, that coffee.

Malton Spice Restaurant & Take-away, 56 Clarence Street, York. Tel: 01904 652828.

Stephen and Lily visited the Malton Spice on Saturday February 5, 2005.

Fact file:

Food: good

Service: courteous

Value: reasonable

Ambience: quiet

Disabled access: No

Updated: 08:45 Saturday, February 19, 2005