Joe Willis has a memorable meal at Bedale’s newest Indian restaurant

BEDALE is a small town that already had two Indian restaurants so the wisdom of opening a third within a poppadom's throw of the others is questionable.

But open it did a couple of months ago in what used to be Vaseys newsagents on the perilous White Bear junction. Having said that, all the tables were full when we visited the Spice Restaurant and Bar - not to be confused with the nearby Spice of Bengal - on an unremarkable Thursday night, suggesting it wasn't such a daft idea after all and it had been a good idea to book.

We were told our table was being prepared and asked if we wouldn't mind having a seat in the bar area, which we didn't.

As we took in our surroundings which were arguably more sterile than stylish and could do with a feminine touch, we got the impressions all was not running smoothly. Firstly, a man who'd come in for a takeaway who was clearly having a job on to convince the staff the food they were trying to give him was not actually what he ordered. Then there was the staff exchanging cross words with each other.

Drinks had been talked off when we came in, but none were forthcoming for a good 15 minutes. It felt a little as if we had wondered into an episode of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

We were eventually shown to a table by a flustered waiter who admitted it was his first night and our drinks quickly followed, or rather Sarah's did.

The first night waiter brought what looked like a gin and tonic instead of my pint. He admitted it wasn't my drink but said he was going to leave it on our table anyway. It wasn't clear why.

A moment later the manager arrived and exchanged more curt words with his colleague. He then sat down next to us and apologised profusely as it seemed we had been placed on the wrong table - they were expecting a big party and were trying to keep our table and others nearby clear.

In fairness, he was quite charming, telling us they had been so busy that he had not had a night off for eight weeks since they opened and they were dead on their feet. He did say we would have to be moved however.

Two minutes later our poppadoms arrived and we were just tucking in when plates, pickles and poppadoms were whisked away without a word being said. We guessed we had better follow behind.

Once at our new table the food soon appeared and was thankfully excellent. Sarah started with something called ranglee popse (£3.50) which was Punjabi-style meatballs served on a flatbread with a sweet chilli tamarind chutney.

I went for chicken chaat (£3.25) which was chicken in a dry medium sauce with chaat masala and wrapped in a pancake. They were both delicious with the bright red chilli chutney the highlight.

For main, Sarah had a chicken tikka tandoori (£6.50) and I went for the duck bahar (£8.95) which was served on a sizzling pan. Both meals were very good. Sometimes, usually even, you get the impression at Indian restaurants that everything has the same base sauce, with bits and pieces added depending on what you ask for. This wasn't the case at Spice. There was care, thought and skill shown in every dish.

Finally, we finished with an ice cream to share, which we only got after pestering three different waiters for the dessert menu.

The first draft of the bill was left on out table without being totted up, prompting more apologies from staff. The completed version came to just over £40, including a bottle of Cobra, a couple of glasses of wine, which seemed pretty good value.

And so to the ratings. I thought about giving a big fat zero for service, but in fairness once we were sitting at the correct table the food did come out pretty swiftly. The staff were also very friendly and polite, if you ignore the moment our poppadoms were whisked away without warning. In the end I gave them a little credit for still smiling, despite working eight weeks without a break. They've clearly got a kitchen capable of sending out great food. If they give the front-of-house staff a couple of days off, I'm sure the service will soon improve to match.

FOOD FACTS

Spice Restaurant and Bar, 41 Market Place, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 1EG. Tel: 01677-988188.

Ratings

Food quality: 4/5

Service: 1/5

Surroundings: 3/5

Value: 3/5