The evening got off to a most promising start. As we set off towards the new Bengal Brasserie, the taxi driver asked if we were celebrating a special occasion. "It's my 30th birthday," I said.

The driver misheard and thought I said 20th. And on being corrected he reacted with spirit-lifting incredulity: "Your 30th?" What is the secret of my youthfulness? Oil of Ulay? A byline photograph yellowing in the attic? Nothing of the sort. My elixir is beer and curry. And I was off for another infusion that very night.

The Bengal Brasserie, a companion restaurant to the one of the same name in Goodramgate, does not look very promising from the outside.

It resembles a Little Chef, set back from the outer ring road and next door to the Granada Services that is the Wetherby Whaler. Indeed, the two restaurants are so close that when we climbed out of the taxi, one nostril breathed in fried fish, the other Eastern spices.

We followed our left nostril to the door, where we were greeted with great civility and ushered immediately to our table. The Bengal's interior is a wonderful surprise, contemporary and very stylish.

The furniture is designed in eye-catching greens and purples. The restaurant is on a split level. Go up the steps to the bar and smoking section, separated from the lower, non-smoking area by rails of burnished metal.

Uplighters in the same material provide a soft light with which to read the menu. And you do need to read it: none of the familiar dishes from standard curry houses are here.

The aim is to offer traditional Bengali cuisine. It is so different that a glossary of terms is included alongside the dish descriptions.

Spend an hour or two here, and you gain a whole new vocabulary of tastes.

For vegetable read shabji, sag is spinach, golda king prawn. Over a couple of pints of Kingfisher lager (a wine list is available), we chose our starters.

I ordered Murg Bunda, deep fried chicken in a pastry roll (£2.75) and Jo opted for Salmon Tikka (£2.75).

The fish arrived sizzling from the kitchen. Barbecued almost black on the surface, the fish melted in the mouth, Jo said. My chicken rolls arrived with less drama, but were no less satisfying.

Both dishes were lightly spiced. The subtlety of the flavours is something that some curry lovers might take a while to get used to.

My main dish was a case in point. Macher Salan (£9.95) came from the Connoisseur Choice section (clever name that; flatters anyone who picks one of the dishes that he is a true foodie).

This was monk fish cooked with a mixture of spices "prepared by our chef to his own secret recipe".

The presentation of this meal was superb. It arrived on an oval platter with the monk fish in one dish, rice moulded into shape on the main plate, with a small bowl of Bengali vegetables to the left and red sauce to the right.

A nan bread came separately. The monk fish itself was meaty and tender, and it was served in an understated, crafted sauce.

First add the vegetables, a staple of the Bengali diet apparently, but fresh to the English palate. When you have savoured that combination add the stronger, garlic and chilli flavours of the scarlet-red sauce. It is a dish of infinite variety.

Jo, too, was delighted by her Ghost Achar (£7.95), lamb braised with mango, chutney and pickles. This filling meal, another Brasserie speciality, had a tangy, sweet-and-sour flavour which she said was "yum yum yum".

The service was attentive, quite a feat considering the restaurant was packed. We noted some diners were already regulars despite the fact the Bengal Brasserie had only opened a matter of weeks ago.

We finished our meal with tasty chocolate ice cream for me (£2.95) and banoffi ice cream for Jo (£2.35). Our meal came to £45.50, including four pints of lager, which seemed nothing to grumble about given the quality of the evening.

As we waited for the taxi to take us into town, I reflected that a few more meals like that and I will feel as young as I look.

Bengal Brasserie, York Business Park, Millfield Lane, Poppleton, York. Telephone (01904) 787770 Food: Delicious Value: Good Service: Expert and attentive Ambience: Stylish and modern

Restaurant: Bengal Brasserie

Address: York Business Park, York

Telephone: 01904 787770

Reviewed: May 8 , 1999