DESPITE being a lifelong resident of the Wycombe area, and a long-term fan of Indian food, I am ashamed to say I had never before sampled the fare of Chutney in Easton Street.

That all changed this week, though, as my wife and I stepped into the restaurant to give it a go.

And, with stomachs full and tastebuds more than satisfied by the end, I’m pretty sure we’ll definitely be back for more in the future.

The restaurant is welcoming, decorated with a modern sheen, while the staff who warmly greeted us paid just the right level of attention throughout. They were all personable, friendly and attentive but never overbearing, checking we were satisfied at intervals throughout the evening, but never overdoing it.

We went on a Monday night - never the busiest in any restaurant, but there was a steady turnover of diners, giving the place a light and pleasant buzz.

As is traditional for a good Indian, we opened with poppadoms, which were served with a nice selection of pickles. These included the usual mango chutney, onion and raita, with lime pickle coming in a separate dish and with a ‘beware of the heat’ warning from the waiter. Too many curry houses seem to omit the lime pickle altogether (it’s a love it or hate it pickle, but a favourite of mine), so Chutney immediately won brownie points from me.

For starters we had Chicken Tikka and the tried and tested favourite of Onion Bhajis, and neither disappointed. The chicken was beautifully cooked - moist and tender, and delicately spiced, accompanied with tastily cooked onion. The generously sized bhajis, meanwhile, were crisp without being overdone and full of flavour. Both were served with good-sized portions of salad.

The menu offers the expected selection of curries - kormas, bhunas, baltis, rogan and jalfrezi to name but a few. But for our main courses we shared a selection of dishes from the Chutney’s Special section of the menu, and were more than happy with all our picks - although we quickly wondered if we’d bitten off more than we could chew as the sizably-portioned plates piled up around us.

The Shatkora Chicken was a good solid curry, full of rich flavour, with a thick, well-spiced sauce and, again, beautifully cooked meat. As nice as this was, though, I preferred the other dishes we tried. The Lamb Achari was a real treat and my favourite of the mains - the spicy sauce, made up of yoghurt and pickle, had a wonderfully sharp and zesty edge to it, and the lamb was perfectly cooked. A complaint I sometimes have in Indian restaurants is that the meat can be a bit tough or overdone - this simply wasn’t the case in any of the dishes we tried at Chutney. Both chicken and lamb were succulent and tender, and a pleasure to eat.

The third main we tried was the Garlic Chilli Masala, which was my wife’s favourite of the three dishes we tried. This was, again, a spicy one as the name would suggest, with a roasted garlic flavour carefully judged so as not to overwhelm the rest of the dish and the chicken within it. Yet despite its punchy flavour the dish also left a pleasantly smoky and subtle taste in the mouth. Again, despite their size and richness, the dishes never felt too heavy or greasy, with none of the oily sheen that can blight lesser curries. They were, in fact, far too moreish and I carried on eating well beyond the point I should have called it a day.

Accompanying these mains we enjoyed a milder Peas Paneer side dish, a serving of Mushroom Rice and a Garlic naan. Again, all were a pleasure to sample and full of flavour.

To round off the meal we shared a dessert - all our overfull stomachs could manage. We had the Bati Kulfi, a mix of pistachio and almond ice cream topped with nuts. It was standard fare for an Indian restaurant, but an enjoyably cooling way to end our night out after the spicy heat of the dishes we tried earlier.

So, while this was my first visit to the restaurant, I left confident that it would not be my last. Chutney delivers all you could want from a good Indian Restaurant - great food, a nice atmosphere and friendly and engaging staff - my only concern was that I was so full by the end I left thinking I probably wouldn’t need to eat again for the rest of the week.

Go to www.chutneywycombe.co.uk for more details.