THE Winton Tandoori was bustling with chatty diners last Wednesday, and it seemed a shame to be taking my dinner away from its convivial confines.

That said, the decision had been made for me due to the lack of free seats – a happy headache for the restaurant’s proprietors.

Home to all the usual suspects, the Winton Tandoori’s menu is a tried and tested romp through Britain’s favourite Indian dishes, but there are a few alternatives lurking between the baltis and bhunas for more adventurous palates.

I opted for the jullka, “cooked using chef’s own pickles, with peppers, a little onion and chef’s own sauce” and a portion of plain rice, which came to £7.95 in total.

The jullka claimed to be a hot dish, but I asked them to stoke the fire with some more spices anyway.

Perusing the selection of newspapers at the bar, I waited a mere 15 minutes for my meal to arrive which, happily, came in the old-style aluminium boxes instead of the wasteful plastic boxes that a lot of takeaways are packaged in.

Not as fiery as I’d hoped, the jullka couldn’t quite goad my brow into perspiring, although the rich, complicated flavours made up for this. The sumptuous sauce was a fusion of subtle spices, peppery flavours and a palate-cleansing citrus aftertaste – if only there had been a little more of it.

However, they weren’t stingy on the chicken and there was enough of the tender meat to fill me up (and a bit left over for my scavenger mates).

Happily the flavoursome dish didn’t taste too fatty or too salty and it was good enough to go back to Winton Tandoori – I just hope they have a seat free next time.