Cavern Rocks

It takes a lot to remove me from the sanctity of home in the winter, where my biggest terror is that I might run out of logs, chocolate or Masterchef on iPlayer.

But the promise of a good curry is enough to lure any cavewoman out of her cave, especially as the Indian Cavern was within trekking distance in case of flash flooding, or an impromptu snowstorm.

Had it been the ‘hot rocks’ menu of yesteryear it would have been harder to lure me, except with a trail of chocolate buttons or a horse-drawn carriage, which is exactly why Deepankur Julka, pictured, changed the menu when he took over the Middle Barton pub recently “People don’t want to come out to cook their own dinner, or if they do, they only want to do it once,” Deepankur said smiling, ”or that’s what we discovered when we did some research”.

And so Deepankur decided to go back to his roots, and having been born in Delhi has introduced a simple but aspirational Indian menu to the Carpenters Arms, renaming the restaurant the Indian Cavern.

And cavern is an appropriate term because the unassuming pub/bar that you walk into doesn’t overwhelm you with culinary aspirations.

It’s bare and rural and not somewhere you would imagine being conducive to producing delicious Indian food.

But follow the waiter deeper into the depths of the pub and you emerge into a beautiful, light dining room decorated in reds and beiges with contemporary wallpaper, modern furniture and a very relaxing and intimate atmosphere – a real surprise and more of a grotto than a cavern.

Our very attentive barman-cum-waiter soon had us seated with the menus, which offered limited but original choices, again a good crowd-puller.

Because many curry house menus are so predictable, one doesn’t need to open the menu to know their contents.

Which is why our starters of fish amritsari macchi tikka £5.95 (marinated in yoghurt and spices and deep fried), potato panjabi aloo tikkis served with mint chutney and tamarind chutney (£4.35) and palek and paneer samosa (£3.95) were all a new experience – move over onion bhajis, there’s a new kid in town.

The trio of fish came in a delicious sauce, the potato patties were delicately spiced and the samosas like an Indian version of the Greek spanakopita with their cheese and spinach filling.

Next up was a fabulously deep gosht rogan josh (£9.65), a vegetable jalfrezi (£7.75) and an aloo mattar potato and pea side dish (£4.25), accompanied by the most deliciously light, oily, hot peshawari naan bread I’ve ever had.

We were cooing in awe by that stage.

If I had a criticism it would be that the jalfrezi wasn’t juicy enough and the vegetables rather too ‘diced’ for our liking, a poor cousin to the wonderful lamb rogan josh, but otherwise it was a delicious meal and one I would be more than happy to repeat.

If only all villages were as lucky, perhaps more of us would venture out on these cold, wet nights.

If not, they deliver locally. Now where’s that remote control?

* The Indian Cavern is at the Carpenters Arms, 122 North Street, Middle Barton. OX7 7DA. Call 01869 340378.