GUESTS were treated to traditional music and dance for the grand opening of Liverpool’s first five-star Indian restaurant last night. Mayur, in Duke Street, employs chefs from India, Malaysia and Singapore, and aims to offer an authentic taste of the East. It was set up by Mashood Siddiqi, a consultant physician at Aintree Hospital, with his wife, son, daughter and son-in-law. Guests at last night’s opening were draped in Indian garments and saw demonstrations of both traditional dance and contemporary folk.

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ANY homemade attempt at curry tends to run the culinary spectrum of agreeable spicy mush to cultural abomination; eating out, I am probably the kind of diner Sanjeev Baskar had in mind when he thought up Goodness Gracious Me’s famed "going out for an English" sketch.

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Mary Murtagh finds Duke Street’s latest restaurant a cut above the average NEW restaurant Mayur is just what the doctor ordered. Apologies for the pun, but I just couldn’t resist when I discovered that Aintree hospital consultant Dr Mashood Siddiqi was one of the people behind this latest city centre venture.

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In my greedier days (two weeks ago, before I started my diet) I’d have chosen Palek Paneer Kofta (£9.95), spinach and cheese dumplings with cumin, ginger and pepper served with tomato and cashewnut gravy.

Instead, polishing my halo, I opted for the vegetable jhalfrezi (£8.75) with naan bread (£2.15).

My non-dieting friends chose the Punjabi Choley (£8.75) and the Hyderabadi Murgh Biryani (£14.95) with pilau rice (£2.75) and a garlic naan (£2.75) and side dishes of Aloo Tamarter Cut (£5.95) and Dal Tarka (£5.95).

My one naughty treat was a pint of lager to wash it all down with. Diet or no diet, a curry isn’t a curry without a nice cool lager.

IT is a well known fact that spicy food can be an aphrodisiac, so with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my partner and I headed to Mayur for a romantic meal for two.

Working full-time and being parents of a very lively toddler, Mike and I don’t get to go out much as a couple these days, so having secured the babysitting services of a good friend, it felt very decadent to be out on a well deserved date! And Mayur is certainly to be admired. Walking into the Indian eatery on Duke Street, we were impressed with the opulent decor featuring chic chandeliers and plush, patterned wallpaper.

Mayur really is a touch of class but even though the weather was frosty outside, we received a warm welcome inside.

FOR his Scouse dish, head chef Uday Seth went for fish and chips – with an Indian twist.

It’s called Patrani machchi (seabass) with tandoori chaat and he says: “The dish reflects the maritime heritage of the city and perfectly embodies the cultural melting pot that Liverpool has always been.

“Seabass is a commonly-available, traditionally-used fish, but it is transformed by the Indian spices and the use of the banana leaf.

“The same applies to the accompaniment of grilled pears, apples and potatoes; all everyday staples that have been transformed using exotic spices.”

Uday, 44, adds: “It is full-bodied, vibrant, colourful, and full of complementing textures and flavours – a perfect description of Liverpool itself.

“I wanted to incorporate a dish that is modern and light but which contains fundamentally Indian flavours.

“The basic inspiration was from the cooking culture of southern India which draws heavily on seafood.”

Uday’s patrani machchi

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