FROM the moment you walk into Kendal's Eastern Balti the party atmosphere created within hits you.

The main dining area is peppered with quirky, decorations, including bright wallpaper, tea lights and sparkling curtains. There was also pop dance pumping from the stereo throughout the meal.

The restaurant itself is on the edge of town, on Wildman Street, but despite its peripheral location it was very busy, even on a Wednesday night.

A friendly waiter greeted me and my friend on arrival and whisked us over to a table in the corner.

To keep us busy while we studied the lengthy menu, we ordered some poppadoms with a tray of sauces.

Sometimes at Indian restaurants when they bring this tray out there is not enough mango chutney to cater for a whole table — making it awkward when the final drops are being silently fought over.

But this venue did not leave us in this predicament — there was loads of sauce in each pot.

For my starter we shared some vegetable samosa (around £2.50). These were crispy with a perfect amount of spice and seasoning to give them a strong flavour.

There was a good list of special and traditional meals on the menu, all showcasing the chef's gastronomic knowledge. But I decided to go for my favourite dish — a vegetable Madras, with boiled rice and peshwari naan bread (around £10). I was a little disappointed as it was the least spicy Madras I had ever had. That said, it was very tasty, with lots of onions, tomatoes, and lots of other vegetables but there was not enough chilli for me.

The bread was really good: soft, lots of sweet flavourings and it was a generous size.

Staff throughout were very friendly and helpful.