First impressions were promising enough. The restaurant is light and airy, with large windows and modern furniture. The menu is impressively extensive with both “Chef’s Recommendations” and “Cinnamon Specialities”, as well as the usual familiar favourites.

But then things fell apart. We ordered some drinks and waited, and waited. Eventually after around 15 minutes a waiter managed to oblige. Given that it was a Monday evening, with very few other customers present, this was disappointing.

There was a much longer wait in store before we received any food – 45 minutes from ordering. When I questioned what was happening, I was told that the “Duck Tikka takes a long time to cook.”

The said Duck Tikka was indeed spectacularly tough and overcooked – a pity, because it’s not something you usually find on Indian restaurant menus. Other starters were OK.

The main courses were of variable quality. The Chicken Hariali was not particularly hot and a bit overloaded with onions. The Lamb Fordena (“cooked in a medium spicy bhuna sauce”) was rather better. Side dishes of Courgette Bhajee and Bhindi Bhajee were also good. Desserts took the form of the usual bought-in ice creams, which is fine by me.

Having looked at other reviews, I see that we were not alone in experiencing bad/slow service. This is a pity, because most of the food is quite good and the final bill was very reasonable.