MY first experience of a chic modern Indian restaurant was about 15 years ago at Shimla Pinks in Broad Street, Birmingham. I had no diffculty in luxuriating in every single aspect of it. It was sheer self-indulgence.

It is not surprising, therefore, that I awaited my visit to Blue Ginger in Malvern Link with eager anticipation.

The name alone is a good indication of what is to come. And I was not disappointed.

Let's not misunderstand - Blue Ginger is no Shimla Pinks, but it offers a highly pleasurable experience and, of course, it doesn't leave the same sort of hole in your pocket that you can expect from the well-known Birmingham restaurant.

Inside, the restaurant has a bit of a Mediterranean feel with its white walls, rectangular insets for displaying arty ceramics, marble effect tiled floor and European art deco style prints. And there's loads of space.

The crisp feel is complemented by high backed chairs in alternate black and red. After a couple of poppadoms and condiments, which included a tamarind sauce, I started my meal with king prawn suke - king prawns in a tamarind sauce with a salad garnish while my partner had the tandoori mix which included chicken tikka, lamb tikka and sheek kebab. Both were excellent.

We both chose signature dishes, or house specialities, for our main courses. I had Darjeeling delight with chicken, pilau rice and saag bhaji. The chicken dish was fabulous. So many curries are what I would call gluggy and taste the same. This was a clean spicy dish with tender pieces of chicken.

My partner had duck tawa, where the meat is barbecued, but found the sauce a little greasy. The chana rice and saag bhaji were excellent.

I am not that keen on the ice-cream-based desserts served at Indian restaurants but my partner thoroughly enjoyed a vanilla fudge concoction.

The service at Blue Ginger was faultless and the overall feel of the restaurant was clean, friendly and discreet.

Our meal came to a very reasonable £39.80.

BLUE GINGER WORCESTER ROAD, MALVERN LINK

Tel: 01684 564411

SERVICE: **** FOOD: **** VALUE: **** AMBIENCE: *****