A MEAL in the ‘Pie Village’ of Denby Dale should traditionally consist meat and potatoes in gravy, with a thick pastry crust served up in a stainless steel tray the size of a swimming pool, enough to feed the 5,000 – or in this case the 50,000.

They only make it once in a blue moon, on very special occasions, but the village’s claim to fame, bear witness to the Guinness Book of Records, is that Denby Dale is home to the world’s biggest pie.

But nowadays ‘t’Dale’ is developing a much wider culinary reputation, with the emphasis most definitely on the east and the Asian continent.

The village now has three established ‘Indian’ restaurants and last week we dropped in to put one of them to the test.

The venue we chose was the Palace Tandoori, on the main road on the right as you head towards Wakefield.

Well it was the Palace, but the Arctic conditions that have descended on us before the winter has even begun, have wreaked havoc with the illuminated sign which now reads ‘ace Tandoori’.

Personable manager Yunis explained that they were about to begin work on expanding the restaurant, developing next door to create a separate area for their takeaway service, and that they had decided to wait to replace the broken sign until the work is complete.

Right, I thought as we arrived, we’ll see if it lives up to it’s new ‘ace’ reputation.

It was many degrees below freezing point, an ideal night for a warming curry.

We were served popadoms, a simple delicacy, but one I maintain gives a good indication of what’s in store.

A neglected soggy, stale popadom is a sad sight and can ruin a meal before its begun.

But, not so here...

Light, crisp and tasty, we ordered more.

For starters we opted to share the Palace Mixed ‘Sizzler’, and were served up a most generous plateful for two, made up of sonorous, tasty pakoras, samosas and veggie ‘cigars’, accompanied by a yoghurt and mint raita – a veritable meal in itself.

So far so good.

It was a special occasion, so we decided to spoil ourselves with the main courses. I chose the Palace Tandoori Special – spicy tandoori chicken off the bone, cooked with ‘keema’ (minced lamb), and served with pilau rice. Carol opted for the King Prawn Karahi, a medium spiced dish cooked with fresh ginger, garlic, onion and capsicum in a karahi – a wok-like utensil – and served with pilau rice, We shared a side dish of Bombay aloo – delicious spicy potatoes.

My chicken dish was a piquant combination of subtle spices, not too hot, even though I must own up to pinching Carol’s whole green chilli pepper and eating most of it. The rice was light and fluffy and the potato dish spot on.

Carol, too was delighted with her choice and again the portions were most generous.

The underlying theme of the new ‘ace’ is Pakistani cuisine and they serve up an imaginative choice of meals with some inspired dishes on the extensive menu available in the restaurant or to take away.

Trade was brisk the night we called and by 8.30pm most tables were taken. The Christmas spirit was much in evidence with what I suspect were works parties, and in the Indian restaurant scale of things, the noise was approaching a vindaloo decibel level. A good time was certainly being had by all and the obliging Palace staff were joining in the fun.

The restaurant was extended and refurbished three years ago and is decorated in pastel shades (with not a hint of flock wallpaper), subtle lighting, large comfortable chairs and functional tables. The main ground floor dining area is open plan and there is additional restaurant space upstairs

The popularity of the restaurant is plain to see and in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year it might be a good idea to book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Obviously this is a popular haunt with the locals, some of whom are now suggesting that the illuminated sign should not be replaced and that the ‘ace’ Tandoori is an appropriate new name for their favourite establishment.

Manager Yunis enjoys nothing more than ‘tinkering’ in the kitchen creating new recipes. Among his latest dishes are the Ruby Murray, a chicken dish with coconut, spices coriander, green chillies and fresh cream. "It was conjured up by Del Boy and exclusively presented by the Palace, " he told me.

Then there is the Nuts Natcho with chicken and lamb and assorted nuts and the popular Bling Bling, (Footballers’ Wives Dish) of prawns, herbs, spices, onion, garlic, coriander and green peppers to give it a sweet-and-sour flavour.

"It looks too good to eat," said Yunis.

The Palace offers an extensive range of appetisers, curry dishes, including a Kashmiri dish prepared with lychees and blended with Kashmiri spices, tandoori specials, vegetable dishes, Palace specialities, balti, the range of karahi dishes and a selection of English dishes.

The restaurant does not have a drinks licence, but diners are welcome to take their own – and glasses are provided. There is a wide choice of soft drinks.

The takeaway provides a free delivery service available seven days a week.

All in all, we found the Palace to be