"Eastern Class" - by Paddy Smith

If you’ve been wondering where Easton’s renowned Kathmandu Indian takeaway went, look no further. Kathmandu has just changed its address from Seymour Road to Colston Street. And the move to a plush new premises opposite Colston Hall should do it well. Here, stylish modern mirrors and delicate spot lighting are more at home than plum-coloured velour seats and tasselled lamp shades. Huge windows stare out towards the soon-to-be-refurbished Colston Hall via a small terrace.

Where

Colston Tower, Colston Street. 0117 929 4455.

Atmosphere

Breezy and relaxed and only the bhangra music emanating from some hidden speakers lets you know you are about to be served Eastern food.

Starters

First to hit the table are the poppadoms, accompanied by the usual sauces. It’s worth noting that the condiments are demonstrably fresh and the difference between these and the disappointingly common bottled culprits is evident immediately. There is a fine balance between sweet, savoury, spicy and soothing that eludes their ready-made counterparts.

The home-made precedent set by chutney and friends is to be followed throughout the meal. Any suspicions to the contrary are put paid to by the starters - a well-splayed king prawn and vegetable samosas that turn from crisp to gone as soon as they hit your tongue.

Main Courses

Don’t expect your meal to arrive too quickly. Every meal is cooked to order, not reheated from some vat cooked last week. As such, it takes a very reasonable half hour to prepare, and the result is well worth the wait. The lamb jalfrezi is bursting with hot flavour, offset by perfectly cooked pilau rice.

While there’s no doubt that this is not a dish for the faint hearted, don’t be under the illusion that it tastes of nothing but raw heat. Subtlety is key in hot curry dishes and the heat of the jalfrezi disperses into elegant and exotic fragrances moments later, leaving your tongue fizzing with eastern spice.

Vegetarian

As well as the usual meat dishes, there is a genuinely massive vegetarian selection. According to my dining companion, after an agonising selection process, the vegetable tikka massala was "heavenly".

A word of warning - this isn’t the sort of restaurant to go to with 18 of your mates to see who can order the hottest vindaloo and sink the most Cobras.

Clientele

The target clientele are those who will enjoy picking out a good wine from the excellent - and comprehensive - list, then enjoying the friendly service and excellent food.

Prices

First courses begin at around £ mark, with mains starting just shy of £6. Wines start at £9.50 per bottle and are also available by the glass. But the care and expertise that go into food preparation could command a great deal more and once word is out this restaurant is going to be very popular indeed. My advice - get there before the crowds.

Paddy Smith