The Curry Centre, in High Wycombe, was voted Indian of the Year 2012 by Bucks Free Press readers, so I had high expectations when I went along to sample the menu last month and I wasn’t disappointed.

I visited The Curry Centre, in Easton Street, with my boyfriend Stephen. We both love a good curry and have been out to a fair few Indian restaurants before so we were very excited to try a new place out.

The Curry Centre is the oldest Indian restaurant in High Wycombe and has been owned by the Ali family ever since it opened in 1970. Mr Ali, who has taken over the running of the family restaurant from his father, happily showed us the well-preserved menu from 1970; back when a bottle of Moët and Chandon Champagne would set you back a mere £2.50.

Before we ordered our food, we had time to admire the interior design of the restaurant. The walls are red, adorned with mirrors, glittery designs and shimmering paintings, which sparkled in the light and really created a nice atmosphere. Mr Ali informed me that all of interior design had been done by the family, which was very impressive.

The glitter, elaborate chandeliers, palm trees and booth-like seating made it feel really cosy and authentic. The seating had been preserved by the family since the restaurant first opened, and it definitely added to the comfortable feel of the place.

Despite there being plenty of people in the restaurant on a busy Saturday night, the booth-seating made it feel more private and it wasn’t noisy at all, leaving us to enjoy the Christmas tunes playing softly in the background.

The warm, inviting restaurant is clearly a firm favourite with the locals and nothing could have proved this more than a romantic marriage proposal which took place a few tables over from us.

On to the meal - We started by ordering a bottle of house wine, a Sauvignon Blanc, which was very pleasant and easy to drink, and four papadoms, two plain and two spiced (60p each). They came with a huge variety of raitha’s and chutneys, including chilli, mango and a special tamarind creation, with sliced onions and cucumber to accompany.

Mr Ali then brought over a wonderful starter of spiced Tikka Chicken with carrots, infused with lemon and salt for a zesty twist. I was a little apprehensive about this at first since I’m not such a lemon fan, but it really complemented the chicken and added a fantastic flavour – so much so, I could easily have ordered another plateful, if it wasn’t time for our main course.

For my main, I chose a Chicken Rogan Josh (£5.95) and a side of pillau rice (£2.95). The Rogan Josh was very mild, with chunks of tomato and onion. The chicken was wonderful and soft and overall, I enjoyed it more than any other Rogan Josh I’ve ever eaten.

The way the rice is presented, in a round metal bowl, I thought the portion looked quite small, but it was a more than adequate amount when I spilled it out onto my plate. The rice was hot, full of flavour and not dry at all.

Stephen chose a Chicken Khandani (£7.70) with a Keema Naan Bread (£2.20) on the side. The chicken was well cooked, marinated with cream, coconut and spices and had a minty sauce, which was different to anything either of us had ever eaten but very enjoyable nonetheless. The Keema was fresh and stuffed full of mince lamb, just the way you expect it to be and we couldn’t fault it at all.

We also tried a lamb Jalfrezi (£7.75) which is definitely recommended for all the spice lovers out there. It was very spicy, but not too overpowering that I didn't enjoy it. The lamb was tender, the sauce was full of flavour and the large chunks of pepper and onions were a really nice addition.

All of the dishes are presented in metal bowls, as the restaurant really do take a no-frills approach to presentation, preferring to focus more on how the food tastes than how it looks.

On the side, we each had one of The Curry Centre’s famous Onion Bhajis (£2.55 each). I couldn’t believe how large it was when it came out on the plate, but you could see it was fresh and hot and was possibly the tastiest Onion Bhaji I've ever eaten, although one is definitely enough, because they are much larger than your average Bhaji.

Stephen and I were completely stuffed after our meal, but we couldn’t leave without trying a dessert, so we chose to share an orange sorbet – some restaurants aren’t keen on guests sharing meals, but The Curry Centre were very happy to accommodate and brought it out very swiftly with two spoons.

The sorbet was presented nicely in a hollowed-out frozen orange and was lovely and refreshing – a great way to end our meal. You get a lot of food for your money at The Curry Centre, which is great because they will happily pack away your leftovers for you to take home if you get too full.

The staff were all very pleasant and shared jokes with everyone. Despite being very busy, they made you feel very relaxed and welcome, which was lovely. It is obvious that this is a tight-knit, family-run restaurant, with so much effort going in to making the food as enjoyable as possible. Mr Ali has an infectious enthusiasm for the food he creates and it’s really nice to see so much love and thought go into every dish.

Overall, I would definitely come back here again. The staff were brilliant, the atmosphere was lovely and the food was even better.

Visit www.thecurrycentre.co.uk for more information and the full menu.