STEVE CARROLL treks to Tadcaster for what turned out to be a tasty treat.

LET's get it out of the way right now. If you live in York, the Aagrah is a long way away. There's not many places for which I would undertake a 20-mile round trip just to pick up a Lamb Biryani. But I have to say the Aagrah, in Steeton, near Tadcaster, is one of them.

You will all have passed the Aagrah, even if you haven't noticed it. It's the big building on the A64 half-way between York and Leeds.

You have to want to go to the Aagrah. It takes effort. But as with all things, without pain, there can be no pleasure.

And the Aagrah is worth the taxi fare.

Complimentary popadoms awaited us as we were taken to our table. Assisted ably by my partner in curry - my flatmate Matt - we dived into the menu.

But menu is not an adequate word to describe the variety of dishes offered by the Aagrah. The list is so thick, when the waiter popped it on the table it landed with a thump.

At your local Tandoori, you'll be lucky if you have a choice of a dozen starters. At the Aagrah, you can pick from more than 32.

I popped for the Lamb Tikka (£2.60) while Matt chose Mixed Kebabs (£2.30).

Cooked over charcoal and marinated in yoghurt and vinegar, the Lamb Tikka was substantial. Yet despite this, it was light enough to give the firm impression that, for once, I would actually manage all of a main course in a curry house.

The meat was firm, but not tough, and delicately spiced. The Mixed Kebabs was a novel experience, Matt pointed out - a mix of the conventional and the unusual.

One the traditional side is a Seekh Kebab. Firm minced lamb, served with onion, green chillies and a skewer. The other is a Shami Kebab, which can only be described as a minced fishcake. It comes equipped with lentils and is fried with egg. .

On our usual trips to the local curry house, Matt and myself - curry lovers though we are - are pipe and slippers eaters. We like routine. It's a rogan josh for me, a bhuna for him. So where Matt plucked the Goan Salmon (£8.95) from I have no idea. Even I saw adventure in such a menu and chose a Murgh Makrani (£6.90).

The Goan Salmon comes with rice but I chose Mushroom Pilau (£1.95), along with a minced Keema Nan (£1.80) and a side dish of Aloo Bhaji (£2.20).

The Makrani, a mix of Chicken breast and King Prawns, came sizzling to the table. Coated in a sauce of cream, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cardamon and cinnamon, this was a rich dish full of flavour.

The Chicken was a little on the tough side but the King Prawns, light, soft and at just the right temperature more than made up for that minor failing.

I was delighted with the rice. Packed full of button mushrooms and cooked in a mushroom stock, it was a generous size, soft and not over-cooked.

Matt was amazed to be greeted by a salmon which must have really enjoyed its previous life. It was huge. It came apart easily, was as boneless as it could be but was a little dry on the outside.

The accompaniment, a tomato and garlic sauce, was an excellent foil for the salmon and generous in its portion. Lightly spiced, it did not dominate the fish.

Also deserving praise were the grilled vegetables. Crisp, the assortment of courgettes, carrots and broccoli were a novel addition to an Indian meal.

As for the side dishes, the Keema Nan was fluffy and golden brown though the Aloo Bhaji (Bombay potatoes) were perhaps a little on the starchy side.

It was with trepidation that the dessert menu made its way to our table. For he uninitiated, pudding at an Indian restaurant can sometimes be a disappointment.

But our twin choice Caramel Fantastica (£2.95) for Matt and ice cream for me (£2.95) were satisfactory, and a welcome end to a superb Indian banquet.

We washed down our food with bottles of Kingfisher (£2.55) and pint-sized bottles of Cobra (£3.70).

The Aagrah celebrated its 25th birthday this year. May it enjoy many more years serving food of this quality.

Aagrah, York Road, Steeton, Tadcaster, ring (01937) 530888

Steve Carroll visited the restaurant on November 25

Fact file:

Food: delightful

Service: reasonable

Value: good

Ambience: roomy

Disabled access: Yes

Updated: 17:41 Friday, December 20, 2002