MOST people fall into one of two categories when it comes to Indian food - either they love it or they hate it.

So choosing a restaurant for a meal out with friends can present a few problems, with some members of the party really wanting an Indian while the rest really can't stand eating anything too spicy.

But next time you find yourself in that sort of scenario, P.O.S.H - Port Out Starboard Home - British Colonial restaurant could be just the problem-solver you're looking for.

Essentially it is an Indian restaurant but, as the name suggests, it's very different to the average curry house. P.O.S.H offers a selection of dishes from India designed to reflect the multitude of different nationalities which have settled there and contributed to its cuisine.

Although the full range of Indian dishes are available, the menu offers a large selection of other foods which would suit most curry-haters down to the ground.

What about a starter of tiger toast for example - a small round of fried toast covered in an olive, caper and anchovy butter, topped with tiger prawns.

Non-Indian main courses include kedgeree - king prawns, eggs, salmon and onion stir fried in butter with boiled basmati rice - and chicken pie (chicken cooked in wine with onions, garlic, mushrooms, stock, a few herbs and spices and a little cream, topped with a paratha, which is a light, buttery fried bread resembling flaky pastry).

There are plenty of other unusual dishes to choose from, but my friend and I are part of the curry-loving set so we chose to eat Indian style.

Many of the Indian dishes at P.O.S.H are a little different to the norm though, so I decided to try the bhel puri as a starter - chick peas and diced potatoes mixed with sev (deep fried fine gram flour pasta) topped with a chilli and garlic chutney and tamarind sauce.

The sev was nothing like pasta but reminded me of the very fine gram flour sticks you get in Bombay mix.

However, it was very tasty and the soft potato and chickpeas contrasted nicely with the crunchy sev.

My friend enjoyed his starter of onion bhajees, which were cooked well and served with an unusual dark sauce.

For my main course I chose the aubergine and chickpea jhale frezee with egg-fried rice and a chapati, while my friend picked the phool gobi massala (cauliflower, potatoes, peas, onion, tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, garam massala and chilli) with pullao rice and a plain naan bread.

Both main course dishes were full of flavour without being over-sauced or too greasy, while the egg-fried rice gave my meal an Oriental twist.

The restaurant quite rightly boasts its avoidance of artificial colourings and flavours, and the modern interior is a far cry from the legions of Indian restaurants with artificial plants, flock wallpaper and dark alcoves.

Our bill, including two glasses of wine, a bottle of water and a gin and tonic, came to £43.25.

Reservations: 023 8022 6377.