It was a dreary Tuesday night when we went to The Mowchak, in Downley, but we were immediately warmed up by the welcome and the series of mouthwatering dishes on offer to us.

It has that traditional feel of an Indian restaurant and we sat down in the cosy surroundings. The first thing I should note is that the restaurant doesn’t have an alcohol licence so we nipped to Tesco Express next door to buy a couple bottles of Cobra.

We perused the menu and there are so many dishes to choose from, it took us both a while to decide.

The selection on the menu for me is where The Mowchak certainly differs from a lot of other curry houses in the region. There is such a vast array of quality dishes, including some I have never heard of, that really caught our eye.

My friend Graham and I both plumped for the mixed kebab for starter (£4.25). This is such good value for me. The meat, consisting of chicken tikka and sheek kebab and the onion bhaji, came out sizzling and accompanied our side salad.

The dish was fresh and packed full of flavour and was one of the nicest starters I have ever had in an Indian restaurant. The quality of the food really shone through and after that I was certainly looking forward to my main course.

For main, I went with the lamb tikka chom chom (£8.50) and Graham went with the duck tikka mughlai (£10.50). Graham commented that it is rare to find duck on the menu in an Indian restaurant and he devoured his dish, which was spicy and the meat, lovingly made, was so tender.

My chom chom was fantastic. I had never ever seen this dish on any Indian menu. It is described as madras hot and certainly packed a punch, with peppers, onions and tomatoes all within the thick, rich sauce.

It seems to be one of The Mowchak’s signature dishes and I would highly recommend it.

We had our mains with a selection of sides including a plain naan (£2.25), saag aloo (£3.50) and we shared a keema rice (£3.25).

The portion sizes, like the starter, were generous.

Usually when you get more in quantity, the quality can sadly lack but it was the opposite in this instance - absolutely one of the best curries I have had in quite some time.

We were offered the dessert menu, but declined as we were stuffed, having enjoyed a superb Indian feast.

I think the bring your own alcohol actually adds to the charm and ambience of this little gem. It makes you feel like you are having a takeaway and you are really well looked after.