Massalla Lounge is a new Indian restaurant that has moved into the old Malabar building. The comfortable, neon-lit decor is the same but the resturant promises "an all new taste at an amazing new price".

There is a simpler menu with all the traditional favourites, alongside some more unusual offerings - such as spiced salmon steaks and Bengal seafood platter - guaranteed to get the tastebuds tingling.

After an appetising plate of crispy poppadoms with four fresh chutneys and pickles, my fellow diners and I opted for samosa chaat, special starter, prawn bhuna puree and king prawn pathia puree to start.

The vegetable samosas were hot and spicy, served on a bed of sweet chickpeas - a delicious dish but very filling. The special starter consisting of prawn puree, chicken shashlik and onion pakora was also on the large side, but a satisfying dish - and the perfectly seasoned onion pakora got a special thumbs up.

The prawn dishes, served on crispy yoghurt bread, were also tasty, but there was a hint of disappointment that the prawns were so pureed.

The general comment was: "A few bigger bits would have been nice."

For main courses, we chose chicken with chilli and garlic, chicken tikka bhuna, chicken tikka kajool (a hot dish with ground chilli paste) and tandoori king prawn, with pilau rice, naan bread and side dishes of sag paneer (spinach with cottage cheese) and tarkha dhall (lentils).

Luckily, we had no later plans because disappointingly, the main courses took nearly an hour to arrive after our starters had been cleared.

They were also not as hot as they could have been, but they were very tasty. The tender cuts of chicken were full of flavour and the four giant tandoori king prawns were subtly flavoured and satisfying. However, the description promised a medley of sauces which failed to materialise. Instead they were served with a potato and bean dish.

The side dishes of spinach and lentils were both good, although we all agreed that we have eaten better.

There was no mention of dessert or coffee so we presumed the restaurant did not offer them - although we were more than full by the time we had finished the main courses.

At the end of the meal we were brought a plate of sweets to satisfy those with a sweet tooth, along with apologies about the length of time we had waited.

It was Massalla Lounge's first weekend of opening. The management had been shocked by just how busy it had been and promised that the next time we go there will be more staff to cope with the demand.

And I'm sure there will be a next time for us, because the food was good, and the bill, as promised, came in at a reasonable £75 for four and that included several beers.

MASSALLA LOUNGE, 35 BROAD STREET, WORCESTER Tel: 01905 729955SERVICE: *** FOOD: *** VALUE: **** AMBIENCE: ****