IT was a rainy day; quite impossible to do any of the things in the garden that needed doing. So off to Barnstaple for — oh, guilty luxury — an afternoon movie and an Indian meal.

We had time after the film for a drink in the Inn on the Square. We sat in the window on their beautifully upholstered chairs (where did they get that lovely fabric?) and watched wet people walk wetly by.

Not too far to go in the rain because the Gurkha Restaurant is handily central in Market Street. When we arrived it was mercifully warm and dry and bright and cosy too. It soon became clear that both the neighbouring tables were inhabited by regular customers — a good sign.

Gurkha offers Nepalese and Indian cuisine. I am no expert in the cooking of the Indian sub continent; not even of British Indian cooking. So all I can say is that the menu has all the familiar words — balti, korma, vindaloo etcetera — but also some unfamiliar ones. These are the names of the Nepalese dishes and with the help of our charming, patient and attentive waiter, these were the ones which, for the most part, we chose.

I began with a lamb choila. This was slow cooked meat in one of those delicious reddish orange Indian pastes of spices and herbs, perhaps like masala but different. My wife had a potato dish as a starter; she is happy with a potato dish at any time or place. This was a lightly battered patty, delicately flavoured with herbs and spices. Both of these dishes were very good.

We had told the waiter that we didn't want anything too hot, with the result that our main courses had hardly any heat at all. Experimentation with the menu would no doubt find dishes to suit all tastes. So my wife had Jeera chicken, cubes of very tender chicken in another of the sauces. This one included ginger and was mildly hot. I had a mixture of lamb and chicken in another lovely orange paste.

I was impressed by the bhindi bhaji. This is a dish I have often ordered in Indian restaurants. Bhindi are okra or ladies fingers and, I reckon, usually come out of a tin; still good though. Here they were definitely fresh and deliciously crunchy as a result. Top marks.

All this, some rice and a nice crispy, doughy naan cost £40 when my pint and a half of lager and a 10% tip were included. Don't wait for the next rainy day.

Where: Gurkha Restaurant, 2 & 3 Market Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1BX.

Bookings: 01271 377665.