Saleem’s has been a fixture on the Ladypool Road for almost 40 years and was in the vanguard of the balti phenomenon. Mind you it’s had a modest makeover in an endeavour to keep up with the Imrans’.The smarter décor is still thankfully minimalist and they’ve kept their cold display cabinet with the usual full frontal dispay of Sheekh Kebabs. Also retained are their well known framed pictures of the medal winning Pakistani WWF tag team.

Service was welcoming and we were brought a couple of large saucers of red dips crammed full of onions enough to reduce any baltigoer to tears if they hadn’t been a more subtle mild variety. However a more disappointing touch were the Poppadums which were not only 30p each but as dry as those often microwaved back home. Presumably, as a consolation, they came with a cavernous cereal bowl full of the traditional yoghourt and mint dip.

My starter was a plump Tandoori Chicken Breast which was a bit dry and on reflection I should have gone for the Leg instead.

However my partner’s Meat Samosa was crammed full of minced lamb (and a bargain at 65p).Main courses came, slightly disappointingly for a balti purist, in shiny bowls with a slightly thin sauce. In fairness both my Balti Meat and Dall Tarka and her Balti Chicken and Mushroom were flavoursome without being overly hot. The meat was also extremely tender and for a dipping medium we chose the slightly pricey Saleem’s Special Naan described as ‘with almonds,milk and ghee’. If you like six sugars in your tea then this naan is for you but although the combo of sweet and savoury can work well this was a bit too sweet for my taste. However the consistency was good with a doughy middle if slightly crispy at the edges.

Overall a decent effort and coming in at just under the £20 mark for two, even with a takeaway Sheekh Kebab, it was good value. Mind you unless you are an MP on expenses keep away from the Balti King Prawn Tropical which is a prohibitive £10!

ANDY MUNRO