IT was a Saturday evening, or it could have been a Tuesday lunchtime. Sarah wore white, linen trousers or perhaps they were blue jeans. I needed a stiff drink beforehand, yes I definitely needed a drink beforehand.

Anyway, it was a day neither of us will ever forget. Our first date spent amid Richmond's Georgian charms. The beginning of a blossoming romance which would lead to marriage, children and a mortgage, although not necessarily in that order.

But first came a curry after a couple of drinks. In fairness, we had both wanted to go to A Taste of Thailand, but it was full. I suggested Amontola because I thought Ralph Fitz Randal - a Wetherspoon establishment to the unacquainted - would look a bit cheap.

It was a good choice. Despite dipping my sleeve in my chicken dopiaza - a faux pas I've not been allowed to forget - the meal was a success and a second date was planned before the bill and mints arrived.

A year later we returned to the Amontola hoping for another magical evening of romance and raita but it was sadly not to be. Love does usually conquer all but it struggled when confronted with a cold restaurant, poor service and music that was so loud all we could do was gaze into each other eyes and wish we had booked at the Thai. Or even to Spoons. We paid up and vowed not to return.

That was until a couple of weeks ago when we spotted a large 'under new management' banner outside the restaurant and decided to chance our arm that very night.

We began with pickles and poppadoms, as you do, followed by crispy cheesy chicken (£4.45), which we shared. The combination of deep fried chicken fillet with cheese and breadcrumbs clearly owed much to the Teesside parmo, but while not a dish blessed with great finesse, was still a winner on taste.

For main course, Sarah opted for the Amontola mixed grill (£14.95), which included a generous combination of chicken tikka, lamb tikka, tandoori king prawn, sheekh kebab and tandoori chicken, accompanied by vegetable pilaw rice (£3.25).

It was a very big plate of meat, with the tandoori chicken alone the size of a standard main course, but she battled gamely with the dish and declared afterwards that she had been pleased with her choice.

My chicken tikka balti (£10.95) with a cheese and garlic nan (£3.50) was also a success - plenty of meat and a sauce that was the preferred medium side of medium hot.

We finished the meal by sharing a lemon tart (£3.75) which was much better than the usual god-awful sweets you find in Indian restaurants.

The last time we visited Amontola, we felt as if we were an inconvenience to the waiting staff, but this time the service was speedy and friendly, although it was a minor amusement that the waiter who brought out took our drinks order couldn't take the food order and the waiter who brought our food couldn't take our drinks order.

The bill, including a couple of bottles of Cobra and a sparking water, came to just over £55, which we thought was reasonable. The new owner is Syed Bari, who took over the Richmond restaurant after managing the popular Star of Bengal in Darlington.

He has installed his father Syed Miah, an award-winning chef, in the kitchen and the pair have overhauled the menu, cutting the number of dishes in half while adding their own specials. Mr Bari, 31, has also begun a general spruce-up of the interior.

All in all, Amontola appears to be on the up. A decent meal in pleasant company with the added bonus that unlike our first date, I didn't get my car locked in the Co-op car park and suffer the embarrassment of being 28-years-old and having to call a parent for a lift home.

FOOD FACTS

Amontola Indian Restaurant, 8-10 Queens Road Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 4AE.
Telephone: 01748-826070.

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 8 Surroundings 7 Value 8