ON a cold Monday night in December, I was not really looking forward to venturing out to an Indian restaurant. But after sampling the delicious fare on offer at Tandoori Nights in Cockfosters, I was glad that I had forced myself out, for the restaurant served up some of the most delicate and tasty Indian food I had ever eaten.

An eclectic range of delicious items on the menu were created by specialist chefs, some of whom have worked in India's most exclusive hotels. The food was said to be based on recipes from the southern state of Goa, and it didn't disappoint.

After we had deliberated on our selection, we decided to go for the bienets de aubergine indienne, aubergines stuffed with roasted peanuts and fresh herbs, and salmon boasabor, pan-fried salmon steak in Goan spice. These dishes were recommended to us by the helpful staff and they were tantalising! Both were spicy but cooked in such a light way that they just melted in the mouth.

For our main course we settled on the speciality of garlic king prawns and the more traditional chicken tikka masala. We were tempted to sample various lamb dishes on offer, including the popular gosht Hindustani, tender pieces of lamb cooked with aromatic spices and roasted almonds, or the karahi gosht Khyberi, lamb cooked with onions, peppers and tomatoes in a wok-like karahi, but decided against it.

Other dishes we turned down included the more traditional tandoori chicken, chicken korma and chicken jalfrezie, as well as chicken tikka malai, chicken breast marinated with cheese and chargrilled.

To accompany our main course we chose aloo gobi, potatoes cooked with cauliflower; saag bhaji , fresh spinach cooked with onions, spices and garlic, and bindi bhaji, fresh "ladies' fingers" cooked with onions and spices. We also had special fried rice, basmati rice fried with egg and peas; plain basmati rice, and delicious paratha.

We polished off the entire spread, no mean feat considering the size of the portions, and enjoyed every minute of the meal. The spices were deliciously blended and everything we tasted had a definite kick, without being too hot to handle. All the dishes were cooked in such a way that they all felt light and did not weigh heavily on the stomach.

We had to to decline dessert as we were too full, although we did manage to fit in an expresso coffee and a peppermint tea. LB

Tandoori Nights, 27 Station Parade, Cockfosters Road, Cockfosters

Telephone: 020 8441 9452)

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