Sukhi's Indian Cuisine, Blackburn Road, Darwen

ANYONE opening up opposite two of Darwen's top Indian restaurants know they are in for a tough time. Yet Sukhi's has done just that, and now the Anaz and the Akash are faced with a serious challenger.

Not that the owner of Sukhi's is a new face to Darwen. He started at the Anaz and was manager at the Akash for nearly two decades before deciding to go it alone.

Sukhi has certainly made his mark. The food is just as good as his rivals, but what he does provide is extra special personal service that is lacking in most restaurants you visit these days.

It's satisfying to feel wanted and a warm welcome costs nothing. Sukhi's provides not only that, but also helpful suggestions that might suit your taste, and dishes that are not necessarily on the menu.

The setting is similar to most traditional Indian restaurants. It is nicely decorated but a talking point is the unusual 3D effect pictures on the wall.

My party of five enjoyed a drink in the reception area while we chose from the extensive menu. Sukhi came to join us and, with his help and guidance, we selected a meal that proved a belt-busting treat.

We opened with the usual poppadoms followed by a selection of starters. They included delicious onion bhajis, tandoori kebabs, king prawn puree, lamb tikka and chicken chatt puree. They cost between £2.25 and £3.50 and were a tasty mix.

Everyone chose a main course but we shared them out banquet style.

I went for my favourite balti with lamb tikka. It had a lovely tomato sauce but my only criticism of the night was that the lamb was a bit tough.

We also had a tandoori chicken cimbay (£6.50) a delicious combination of fried spices, cinnamon and bay leaves.

The other two equally satisfying dishes were chicken danzsak (£5.95), a spicy meal cooked with pineapples and lentils, and prawn koria (£5.50) cooked with extra mushrooms.

In addition we had a naan bread (£1.25) and chapatis (50p). Not surprisingly we could not face a dessert, although a selection of ice creams are available.

We rounded off a very pleasant experience with traditional orange slices and a complimentary brandy.

The beer selection includes draught bitter and Indian lager, while there is a reasonable selection of wines.

Indian food is a delight for vegetarians as every curry can be cooked with just vegetables. The restaurant is divided into smoking and no-smoking areas.

Wheelchair access is a problem as there are a couple of steps to negotiate, but I saw the waiters happily help a disabled person and her wheelchair into the restaurant.

However, after the delight of my midweek excursion I have since revisited the restaurant on a busy Saturday evening and the pleasurable experience was, sad to say, not repeated.

Although we had booked a table we had to wait an unacceptably long time to be served for both our starters and main courses, which took the shine off our night out.

Quality of food:****

Atmosphere: ****

Service: ****

Menu: ****

Value for money: ***

Overall Rating: ****

HOW TO GET THERE

Take the A666 north out of Bolton through Egerton and continue to Darwen. Continue straight through the town centre staying on the A666 and Sukhi's is less than one mile from the centre on the right.