THE Viceroy Brasserie is in a league of its own for not only is the modern decor not what you would expect in an Indian restaurant, but the food is exquisite, the service second to none, and you could find yourself dining next to stars such as comedian Lenny Henry, who is just one of the Viceroy's many loyal customers who travel from far and wide to enjoy the delights of its extensive menu.

A single visit to the Viceroy isn't enough, because the only problem with this multi award-winning restaurant is that you are spoiled for choice. Even though the restaurant celebrated its 12th birthday in 2001, and is fully-booked most Friday and Saturday nights, owner Ronney Rahman and chef Abdul Malik, who has been preparing traditional Bangladeshi dishes since it opened, are not complacent and constantly strive to be the best.

The restaurant brings West End style and sophistication to Abbots Langley High Street, but is careful not to charge London prices. Visually it is stunning, predominately orange and dark blue, a colour scheme chosen by a top designer.

The menu features a wide variety of starters, such as jhinga puree, medium spiced king prawns on a puree bread; chicken chat, barbecued chicken in sour spicy sauce; mach kebab, minced fish lightly spiced and fried, and a staggering number of main dishes, including chicken chilli massala, a hot dish cooked with fresh green chillis; ghust shahjanee, lamb cooked in Indian herbs, and an exotic sauce, and mach pura, fresh trout marinated in a special sauce and barbecued over charcoal.

Because my dining partner and I failed abysmally to make any choices from the extensive menu, we asked Ronney to select a number of dishes for us. To start, we were treated to the Viceroy cocktail, a selection of grilled tikka and kebabs, with salad. The meat was tender and the range of spices tantalised our tastebuds, perfectly paving the way for the feast ahead. Our crisp, white tablecloth soon disappeared under five main dishes.

A novelty for me was pilau rice and a Kashmiri nan, stuffed with fruits. Wondering how fruit and savoury would mix, I tucked into the nan and was pleasantly surprised that the combination worked. We were soon also devouring butter murgh, mild barbecue chicken tossed in butter with yoghurt, fresh cream and served with an exotic sauce; Viceroy threvuje, a selection of chicken, lamb and duck, spiced and barbecued, seasoned in ginger, onions and herbs and cooked in a special sauce, and shobji luhari, fresh vegetables cooked with green pepper, tomatoes, onions and spices.

But the highlights for me were the hash jafrani, barbecued duck with tomatoes, green peppers, onions and garlic, cooked in a spicy sauce, and one of the new dishes, rezalla, chicken marinated in spices and cooked with yoghurt, fresh cream, butter and chilli sauce. It is rare to find a curry house that offers duck, let alone cooks it well, but at the Viceroy you will not be disappointed.

The Viceroy's trademark is the freshness of everything it serves. Ronney and Abdul pride themselves on setting the highest standards when it comes to buying produce and using only freshly-ground spices.

The Viceroy is open seven days a week from noon until 2.30pm, and from 6pm until 11pm. A takeaway service is available.- VL

The Viceroy Brasserie, High Street, Abbots Langley

Telephone: 01923 262163

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295)

December 19, 2001 14:30