APART from being purveyors of fine Tandoori and Balti delicacies, the Moonlight Restaurant in Brook Street, Neston, has a rare distinction for this South Wirral market town . . .

. . . plentiful parking just opposite! But the food is so good that you'd quite happily leave your motorised pride and joy in the care of shifty-eyed youths offering to 'mind yer car, mister' rather than miss these treats.

Run by partners Mr F. Ahmed and Mr M. Ali, the Moonlight is at first-floor level above the Lodestar pub and is the sister restaurant of the excellent Surma in Hoylake Road, Moreton.

The Moonlight is fully licensed - perhaps the only place to serve the fragrant Kingfisher lager on draught - but you are welcome to take along your own alcohol if you wish.

Open for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and from 5pm-11.30pm Monday to Thursday, 5pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 5pm to 10.30pm on Sundays, the Moonlight is already taking bookings for Christmas.

And if you don't want to leave your hearth and home, why not take advantage of the 20 per cent discount on take-aways? You can even send a taxi to pick up your order if you wish!

Your Dining Outers whizzed through a taste tour of the East in the menu: from the exotic and unusual Chef's specialities to all your favourite tandoori, dhansak, bhuna, malaya, kurma, sagwalla, dupiaza, rogan josh, pathia, madras, biryani and balti dishes.

For my starter I chose Tandoori Mixed Kebab, a succulent mix of lamb tikka, chicken tikka and seekh kebab sausage served with yoghurt and mint raita and salad.

My beloved had Chicken Chat on Puree, small pieces of chicken cooked with chat sauce and served on fluffy thin fried bread. Amazing, he declared!

Next came a new one on me: Nadroo Kiyakni from Northern India, marinated chicken barbecued in the tandoori and cooked with cheese and yoghurt to produce a unique, fruity dish. Strange flavours combined to make a new classic - be sure to try it. My husband, meanwhile, marvelled at Jhinga Massalla, king prawns roasted in the tandoori, then cooked in mild spices with cream and a touch of butter to their own secret recipe -gorgeous. Finished off with exquisitely prepared veggie, rice and naan dishes, this was a real feast.

The Moonlight also features a wide selection of ice creams in weird and wonderful flavours, shapes and sizes - a refreshing treat after all those complex spicy tastes. Super!

So go along to the Moonlight and see just how illuminating it can be on the subject of great balti and tandoori dining!

J.L.Y.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.