Imagine a curry house where you can eat as much as you wish. And you can choose from a wide range of starters, main courses and desserts - all for £6.95.

That's the deal at the Shabab and judging by the car park when we arrived on a cold Sunday night, the word had got around.

While waiting for a table, I examined the menu and despite a full range of "made to measure" dishes, the buffet option was too much to resist.

And when Carolyne and I were taken to our seats, it became clear that nearly everyone else was taking advantage, too.

With starters of vegetable pakoras, sabzi samoza, spicy chicken drumsticks and dahi bhale, it's easy to over-do it even before you get to the main courses.

But leave room you must - so you can take advantage of the lamb rogan josh, saag alloo, chicken tikka masala and keema masala that await.

Enticed by so much, it's hard not to pile your plate high with a bit of everything.

There were enough options to justify about three platefuls.

For a newcomer to the delights of Indian food, the buffet is a great idea.

You can try a little bit of everything all in one night.

However, it's probably not for the curry aficionado who might find some of the dishes slightly lacking in spice.

Being vegetarian, Carolyne chose a vegetable platter which arrived on a huge tray and also had a variety of foods, from starter through to dessert.

She was impressed and it was obvious a lot of effort had gone into preparing the meal.

I restricted myself to one plateful of main course then struggled manfully to squeeze down some dessert - which included fruit salad and a range of Indian sweets.

With most diners eating from the buffet, the atmosphere was very laid-back - the waiters were there when needed but customers were free to wander back and forth.

It's definitely unlike any other curry house in Bradford.

The restaurant is big enough to swallow up the biggest Christmas party.

And with Indian dancing to watch on screen while you eat, it's truly a modern experience.

David Firth

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.