IF YOU live in Hampshire and you like curry, you should have heard of The Noorani. If you haven't, I'll lay a shiny shilling with you that you've been told about 'the one in Fair Oak'.

The restaurant has appeared in The Good Food Guide and prides itself on its reputation for both quality of food and standard of service.

Being the curry king that I am, The Noorani was one of the biggest plus points for me when I decided to move into the area seven years ago.

But everyone's a winner at the Noorani Indian Cuisine, to use its official title - it's known as 'the Nightclub' to the locals thanks to its popularity as a post-pub venue.

Positioned on the corner of the village looking on to the main road between Winchester and Botley, the restaurant is able to attract diners from as far afield as Portsmouth and Fleet while also looking after the needs of local families, couples and the regulars from the two nearby pubs.

That means the 70-seater restaurant, a feature of which are the comfortable alcove tables, is usually full of atmosphere if not packed and, on my latest visit, my wife and I had typically excellent fare.

We had a prawn puree and mixed kebab to start, followed by chicken tikka korai and batak (roast duck) mossalla main dishes with brinjal (aubergine) bhaji, mushroom rice and a naan bread.

The puree is a delightfully soft puff pastry on which the prawn curry sits while the kebab is a mixture of onion bhaji and two rolled mincemeat dishes.

The chicken tikka korai is a medium-spiced dish cooked in a clay oven for a distinctive flavour while the roast duck is a speciality of the house.

Sliced rather than diced, the meat comes with a rich, tangy sauce that I preferred to be prepared to a vindaloo strength and, as ever, the food was excellent.

The Noorani restaurant also plays host to regular fundraising events - and contributes to the campaigns from the profits made from such evenings.

One of the more recent was to benefit the Hampshire Search and Rescue, which helps emergency services find missing people, especially the old and vulnerable.

Supporting their local lad John Edwards, who was raising funds by flying to the Olympic Peninsula near Seattle for a 50-mile solo hike across glaciers and rainforests, the Noorani laid on an entire evening for 70 family and friends three days before his departure.

Their meals were substantially subsidised with the restaurant donating the shortfall to the campaign - eventually more than £2,000 was raised.

The only complaint I had after my meal was that I'd eaten too much!

With a couple of drinks, our bill came to £33.80 - a reasonable price for another top evening down the nightclub!

Noorani Indian Cuisine, Fairoak Road, Fair Oak

Reservations: 023 8060 1903