TUCKING into a tasty meal in the former home of Britain's last official hangman might be enough to make most people lose their appetite. But after a major refurbishment, the stylish Khan Saab Indian Restaurant in Whitefield is a far cry from its days as the Junction Pub - once run by the country's chief public executioner, Mr Harry Allen. And since Harry's departure as landlord in 1962 (although he carried on his 'sideline' until a little later), the new owners have completely transformed the building into an up-market but affordable eating establishment.

The walls are a sophisticated lemon, bordered with green, tasteful artwork adorns the eaves and there's not a Taj Mahal cut out in sight. The restaurant has only been open for a fewr months and everything is still wonderfully clean and fresh.

We were ushered to a glass table-topped waiting area, where we ordered a couple of drinks, a glass of fruit for myself who was driving (unfortunately) and pint of Kingfisher lager for my friend.

The menu is extensive, with more than 100 main course dishes to choose from, not including a good range of side dishes and sundries. Starters range in price from £1.50 for a mushroom pakora, to £7.50 for a jumbo king prawn. There's plenty to go at if you are a veggie like me, or if you just want a small portion.

Dishes range from madras, vindaloo, korma, dhansak, dopiaza and bhuna, along with a wide selection of specials. These include lamb passanday (£6.10), chicken banglory (£5.90) and king prawn kastoori (£7.50). Under a list of Meat Specials you can choose from dishes such as saag gosht, chicken chanay, aloo keema, and bhindi lamb, all at £5.40.

For extra fun you can choose from the selection of Sizzler Specials, which are brought to your table on a sizzling platter, with vegetables cooked on the charcoal grill. Very good for the figure conscious, or so I'm told.

After some debate we finally plumped for aloo kebab (£1.70) and seikh kebab (£1.90) to start, followed by karahi mixed vegetables (£4.60) and karahi chicken (£5.70). We also ordered pilau rice for two (£2.20) and a garlic nan (£1.60) to share.

Poppadoms are automatically brought to your table (60p for two) along with coleslaw, red onion, mango chutney and salad. (50p per person).

I had planned to leave these alone in order to finish my dinner, but the temptation proved too difficult. They were delicious. Not greasy at all.

When the starters arrived however, mine was rather lukewarm in the middle. After a quick word with the waiter however, it was whisked away and replaced with a fresh, sizzling aloo kebab.

There were no complaints about the seikh kebab, which I was informed was very tasty and very spicy.

Staff are pleasant and accommodating, and dishes can be prepared to suit your palate, as I found when I requested no carrots or peas in my vegetable curry. The result was a tasty blend aubergine, cauliflower, onion, mushrooms, potato and peppers. My friend described his chicken dish as "something different from your normal vindaloo or madras." He added that the mix of various spices gave it a wonderful flavour, although the asbestos mouthed Simon would have liked a bit more chilli in it. The rice was quite fragrant and the nan bread was done to perfection.

After an exploratory snoop I couldn't find any disabled toilets, although the cubicles look wide enough to take a wheelchair. The eating area is all on one level and there is a gently sloping ramp on the way in. To reach the Khan Saab from Bolton, it is a quick drive down the M60 and off at junction 17. Take the first exit on your left and you'll see the neon lights on Bury Old Road about a minute later. A large car park can be found at the rear.

It's about the fourth time we've been to the Khan Saab and its always been filled with customers, even after the initial honeymoon period.

Ten per cent service charge was added to the final bill which came to £28 - a tad pricey for a curry considering we only had a couple of drinks, but we'll still be going back again. Joanne Hampson

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.