REGULARS of the Taj Mahal on the York waterfront will be pleased to discover that it has re-opened following the floods of last autumn.

Boasting the same owner, but a new chef, waiting staff and interior, the King's Staith restaurant is back for business.

And no doubt it will be keen to live up to its reputation as one of the leading curry houses in York, as confirmed by the Good Curry Guide which lists the Taj along with just eight other local Indian eateries in its latest edition.

To see if its reputation was still justified, my partner Nick and I paid a visit a few nights ago.

It was just getting dark as we walked along the riverside to the Taj and the dusky light falling over the Ouse added to the romance of the outing.

Shame then, that the decor on the newly-renovated restaurant resembled Mr Blobby without his custard spots.

Worse than the pink walls, however, were the bright interior lights, which made the eating area feel more like a canteen than a cosy curry house.

Perhaps that explained why we could hear every conversation at the surrounding tables. It's amazing how low lighting and soft music work wonders in creating an intimate ambience - and encourage diners to keep their voices down.

On the plus side, though, I'd never seen such shiny cutlery. The stainless steel was gleaming like silver - a welcoming indication of attention to detail and pride in the place.

As for the menu, the choice was impressively wide. We ordered some Indian lager and leisurely studied what was on offer.

My eyes lit up at the appearance of pakora on the menu: a staple of Indian fare in my homeland of Scotland, but rarely seen here. Similar to mini onion bhajis, they are a mix of gram (chick pea) flour and a choice of filling such as chicken, fish or vegetable.

I chose vegetable pakora (£2.10). They were nicely cooked: light and crispy on the outside, giving way to a softer centre. However, the overall flavour was a bit bland and it was hard to distinguish which vegetables were used (onions certainly), so the accompanying dip of bright-yellow spicy yoghurt added a welcome kick.

Nick was disappointed with his King Prawn Buttery Fry (£3.95): a giant king prawn dipped in spicy crumbs and deep fried, which tasted tough and rubbery.

But reputations were rescued somewhat with the arrival of Nick's main course: the Murgh Tikka Shaslik (£6.95), or chicken tikka kebab, if you like. Served on a large hot plate, it was a sizzling mix of light yellow chicken chunks, burnt-edged onions and green peppers, and juicy tomatoes.

The chicken was melt-in-the-mouth succulent and the veggies were crisp and sweet. Eaten with chapati (60p each) and a trickle of the spicy yoghurt dip, it was a memorable concoction. Indian food rarely gets better than this.

My Chicken Rogan Josh (£6.50) was more straightforward. The medium-hot sauce was given a pleasant sweet edge by an abundance of slow-cooked tomatoes. There was not much chicken in the dish, however, and some of it was not the best breast meat that you might expect.

Nor would my plain boiled rice (£1.50) win any Brownie points: it wasn't fresh and fluffy enough and had dried out a bit in the serving pot.

What couldn't be faulted, however, was the service, which was friendly, courteous and attentive in all the right measure.

And for value, a meal at the Taj adds up to a pretty good deal - our food plus three beers (£2.40 each) came to £30.

If you dine between 5pm and 7.30pm, you can take advantage of a special menu offering three courses plus a glass of wine for £9.95.

Despite the variable fare, I'd definitely go back for a shaslik dish. And just in case they don't do anything about the lighting, I'll take my sunglasses along too.

Taj Mahal, King's Staith, York. Telephone: 01904 653944.