Seemingly the best Indian in Rickmansworth. Rasal is our choice for those Calorie-sinful Indian take-away occasions. They have one of the more extensive menus I’ve seen at an Indian place, and so far we’ve never had a dud. The Jalfrazi and Vindaloo are excellent, if you measure the goodness of such curries on a scale of pain. The pain inflicted whist dining and also that inflicted somewhat later.

Alas, however, it isn’t a perfect picture. Dining-in at Rasal is a risk we’ll never again venture. On two previous occasions it has been impeccable, the staff do their jobs and aren’t a bother. On our third, and most recent, visit something terrible happened. A table of foul humans of the female persuasion chose to have fags with their curry. Sorry, but if you’re the type to suck on a fag over dinner I’d prefer it if you dived into a vat of acid. Cigarettes inside a restaurant – it’s like stepping back into some barbarian era. The UK still has a way to go to join a more civilised modern age, where stinking smokers can bloody well just hang around in the cold. Where they’ll hopefully die of hypothermia.

Something must also be said of their bonus Christmas calendar. Nothing says “come and eat our curry” like a photo of your restaurant that happens to have, dead centre, an extremely overweight woman going for the papadams.

With the negative out of the way, we recommend: the Naz Special, Acchar Chicken (tangy!), and Imad Special. You even get a bonus spiced mango yogurt sauce and an onion salad when you order take-away.

Excellent stuff, but exclusively take-away in future.