It seems like only yesterday I was in West Vale doing a restaurant review – and with the speed that life is flying by it was really – as it was only a couple of weeks ago.

The village has quickly popped up as a culinary hub and when I went to check out Catch seafood restaurant I spotted that another had opened next to it – Cinnamon at the Mill.

It looked to be thriving so it’d be wrong not to give that a try too.

And it was busy again on the Friday we went – so busy in fact that within minutes of sitting down and ordering drinks we were ever so politely asked to move to another table.

It seemed a larger party was expected but, no problem, we moved to what turned out to be a better seat next to a window.

Not long after another staff member came over and said the bottle of rose wine we’d ordered was ‘on the house’ because we’d been moved.

Now that’s what I call a win win situation. Moved to a seat with a view and free booze. I was on the verge of asking if we could be moved each course, but thought better of it.

Restaurant review: Cinnamon at the Mill, West Vale.

The restaurant is set within Victoria Mills, which is mainly occupied by landmark West Vale business Andy Thornton Architectural Antiques, and it looked like the restaurant hadn’t had to travel out of the mill for its fixtures and fittings: lovely old oak alongside stone walls with the centrepiece a plush high seat that runs almost the entire length of the restaurant.

The restaurant is an offshoot of Cinnamon at Ripponden and the top quality service they have there has been transferred to this latest venture – hence the wine – but I wasn’t looking at it through rose-tinted spectacles as the service was spot-on from start to finish. Efficient, polite, never overbearing.

Poppadums to start with the usual dips – but there was also a chilli one too that was out of the ordinary. That was going nowhere until it was finished.

We went with friends Mark and Shirley and the starters were prawn puri (£3.95), freshwater shrimps fried with onions and peppers, boti kebab (£4.50), skewered barbecued pieces of marinated lamb gently cooked with grilled onions, tomatoes and capsicums, chicken tikka (£3.50) and garlic king prawn (£4.95), king prawns lightly fried and garnished with onion and capsicums.

See more of the dishes below.

The puri was sweet and succulent while the boti kebab featured largish chunks of oh-so-tender meat with the grilled onions and tomatoes giving it a deft, sweet touch. Mark’s chicken tikka more than did the trick for him while my garlic king prawns was, surprisingly, the only disappointment. If these were kings the princes must be tiny. King prawns should be majestic monarchs giving a royal air to the plate.

The staff asked if we wanted a break between starters and mains which we did – another nice touch there – and the courses were all chosen from the extensive range of Cinnamon specialities.

The East Indian Jalani (£9.95) is described as a dish of fiery character, using green chillies in a spicy sauce garnished with diced potatoes and Indian cheese sprinkled with sundried red chillies. Sounded dangerous to me which was why we chose it but, fear not, it’s bark was worse than its bite and you could relish the different flavours without fear of it being a tongue burner or a tastebud destroyer.

The wonderfully-named Maachli Dilkush (£9.95) is fillet of fish cooked in light, delicate spices marinated in a spicy sauce. It looked good, tasted even better and the use of peppers gave it a fresh and crunchy feel.

Maachli Dilkush - fillet of fish cooked in light, delicate spices marinated in a spicy sauce at Cinnamon At The Mill

It’s always wise to opt for something creamy so this time it was the Tandoori Butter Chicken, marinated and barbecued meat cooked with fresh mint, yoghurt, cream, spices and coriander in a rich butter sauce. It was certainly a smooth one with just the right amount of spices.

And, finally, the South Indian Garlic Achari (£8.95) was described as chicken in a dry, tangy, garlic sauce with lime, fried onions, spices and coriander. Certainly not as dry as you’d think and had more than a touch of zest. There’s a lot going on in that dish and all of it’s right.

By the way, if you’re an onion lover then try the onion paratha as it’s done with such a delicate touch.

All in all, a great meal in wonderful surroundings.

Unit 4, Victoria Mills, Stainland Road, West Vale, HX4 8AD

Tel: 01422 377766 or 01422 377700

Website: http://www.cinnamonatthemill.co.uk

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 5pm-11pm; Friday to Saturday. 5pm-12pm; Sunday 4pm-10pm

Children: Welcome

Disabled access: Yes, with a toilet

The bill: £83.95

Would you go back? Absolutely