The Maha-Bharat in Kingsbridge offers a choice of authentic Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengali and Indian cuisine in a spacious and relaxed atmosphere with excellent service.

I visited the Maha-Bharat restaurant following a recommendation from a friend and was pleased to find it a stone’s throw from the town's main car park. Once inside this well maintained restaurant, my partner and I were happily greeted by polite and smartly- dressed staff who showed us to our seats.

The spacious restaurant's very relaxed atmosphere is achieved by low lighting, warm and calming colours for the décor and quiet, authentic music playing in the background.

The menu arrived and we were both pleased to see they had Cobra lager on offer- and at a reasonable price. Having said that, they may have a fully licensed bar but one of the most attractive things about the Maha-Bharat is that diners can bring their own drinks - and it's not unusual for people to pick up a few drinks from the Hermitage pub opposite.

Each dish on the menu is described in detail and choosing the main courses and starters proved to be a pleasant task. Due to the extensive choice (20 starters and 104 main courses, including 26 Balti House specialties) the poor waiter had to visit our table several times as we kept asking for more time to make our selections.

For the starter we both went for the traditional Papadums which come with a selection of six pickles and chutneys. Choosing the main course had been a bit trickier as the restaurant offers a wide choice of authentic Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengali and Indian cuisine. I was quite adventurous and opted for the "Fairly Hot" Maha-Bharat Special Chicken Jalfrezi, which is cooked with green pepper, onions, tomatoes and a special Masala sauce with a side helping of Pilau rice. My partner also went for something a little bit different, selecting Chicken Tikka Biryani- Basmati rice cooked together with meat, mild oriental spices, served with a vegetable curry (medium).

Having quickly devoured the Papadums and excellent sauces, the main meals quickly arrived, arriving at the table piping hot and served with great gusto by the waiter who had been very friendly and attentive the whole evening.

Both main courses were delicious and washed down with a bottle of Cobra lager, even though we had both been tempted with the extensive wine list. We also decided against dessert, purely due to the fact we were extremely full, and ordered two Baileys to complete what had been a very enjoyable evening.

All in all, it was a great night out, helped by prompt service and well-informed staff who were always helpful and friendly. I would certainly recommend it and will definitely be visiting again in the future.