There was a time when you would be guaranteed to see one or several of the following in an Indian restaurant: flock wallpaper, busy-patterned carpets, and table lamps. But there is a new standard of décor for such venues. The Tamarind in Newport conforms to the new visual style, with a bright, contemporary sign welcoming diners to the smoke-free restaurant, with trendy laminate flooring and subtle recessed lighting.

On the night Cat went with a group of friends, the staff were attentive and friendly, even offering suggestions for the party's indecisive members. The menu boasted a pretty good selection of food, including an array of seafood-based dishes. The meal started with poppadums - both plain and spiced - accompanied by a typical selection of dips. Cat and her friends had starters too; Cat ordering onion bhagee which was delivered as three reasonable-sized bhagees and a little bit of salad. Also bought out of the kitchen were an interesting minced lamb and fried egg affair and a tasty selection of mini kebabs.

After some gentle conversation lubricated with an apparently excellent red wine (Cat was on the lemonade, alas) the main course arrived, preceded by the tealight-powered plate warmers that Indian restaurants always have. Cat had chicken passanda, with pillau rice and a mushroom bhagee side dish. The chicken was lovely and tender and the passanda sauce was very thick yet salty and sweet at the same time. However, the plate warming device did not stop the tasty sauce becoming prematurely cool.

Cat's fellow diners enjoyed their prawn, chicken and fish dishes and they all mixed and matched the side dishes. The potato aloo was very spicy, containing as it did mustard seeds. Still, the water jug and the alcohol were promptly replenished.

By the time all the food had been consumed, the restaurant was empty apart from Cat's party. Nonetheless, the staff did not try and hurry the proceedings along. Instead they had a friendly chat about the cinema and brought coffee and mints despite the lateness of the hour.

The food was good value for money, the service attentive and the restaurant nice and clean. Perhaps next time, Cat will take Matt with her and he can add his own comment to this positive review.