I once went to a Chinese restaurant in Birmingham where there were more than 400 separate dishes on the menu. Spice Fusion doesn't quite fall into that category but it's having a very good try.

The first 107 dishes on the menu are starters and main courses, followed by a good array of side dishes. But it doesn't stop there. If you still can't find anything to whet your appetite, you can chose the main ingredients of a balti and add extras to suit your own taste and, even better, you can chose the strength - mild, medium or hot.

Oh, and for anyone who simply can't find anything on the massive menu they want to eat, there is a little note at the bottom of each page saying: "Any dish not on menu can be cooked on request".

I think my friend and I went through the menu about six times before we made our choices. It included the usual Indian and Thai favourites like baltis, biriyanis, bhunas and green and red curries but there were a few surprises as well, including ostrich in black bean sauce.

And those people who just want a little spiciness can have steak or salmon marinated in herbs and spices with potatoes, chips or salad.

I started with the Thai dish of pou pia tod (£3.70) which is a bit like a vegetable spring roll. This was served with a hot chilli sauce and a salad garnish. It was a good portion and a nice light start to the meal, although the sauce was not for the faint-hearted.

Mr friend ordered the Thai fishcakes ((£3.90) which also came with the same sauce and salad. The five small fishcakes were slightly rubbery in texture, not what we had expected, and had a very subtle flavour which was rather overpowered by the sauce.

For the main course I had chicken tikka jalfrezi (£7.90 with vegetable pilau rice (£2.90). This was a triumph. The large pieces of chicken were succulent and tender while the sauce with peppers and onion and tomato was very clean tasting. The dish was medium hot until I bit into a chilli which made my eyes water for a few minutes. The vegetable pilau rice was excellent too.

My friends' chana massalla (£4.90), sag paneer (£2.50) and steamed rice (£2) received similar approval.

The menu's weak point was without doubt the desserts. It was a poor selection including gateau, cheesecake and ice creams. I wonder why it is that not many Indian restaurants seem to excel in this area?

I chose the ice nougat (£3.50) and although I did not quite know what to expect, it was a creamy ice cream which really did taste like nougat and contained cherries and nuts.

My friend opted for a pistachio kulfi, or Indian ice cream (£3).

The inviting contemporary restaurant was buzzing the night we were there and the staff were welcoming and helpful, making it a very pleasurable evening.

SPICE FUSION, OMBERSLEY ROAD, DUNHAMPTON, OMBERSLEY, NEAR WORCESTER Tel: 01905 622222SERVICE: *** FOOD: *** VALUE: **** AMBIENCE: ****