IT'S not often that I manage to fit in three courses at an Indian restaurant - but at Kuti's Brasserie there was just so much choice I couldn't resist.

The large, long-established restaurant is probably Southampton's best known Indian eaterie, and fully deserves its reputation for culinary excellence served up with a double helping of friendly service.

Open seven days a week, with lunch served from noon to 2.30pm and dinner from 6pm to midnight, the two-floor restaurant has one of the biggest menus in the city. It took us a good 20 minutes to make our choices.

Starters, ranging in price from £2.75 to £6.95, include everything from good oldfashioned onion bhajis to the slightly more exotic tandoori quail (marinated in yoghurt and mild spices) and tandoori jhinga (king prawns marinated in yoghurt, fresh coriander and mustard).

After our starters of onion bhajis (the perfect blend of crispiness and succulence) and sabzi kebab - potatoes and vegetables blended, mixed with herbs and spices and grilled as a cake - I opted for one of my favourites, paneer palak (fresh cottage cheese and spinach) while my friend went for the takurg thali - an Indian silver platter containing a variety of vegetarian dishes.

We were both delighted with our main courses. The paneer palak, which I had with pilau rice and a naan, is perfect for those who prefer their Indian food on the mild side.

If you haven't experienced it before, Indian cottage cheese is unrecognisable from its sloppy English counterpart. This sort comes in delicious chunks that are almost meaty in texture, and, added to the beautifully tender spinach, makes for an extremely filling dish of subtle contrasts.

The thali, according to my friend, is

an excellent way of sampling a variety

of Indian dishes - an ideal solution

for those of wide-ranging tastes or

people who simply can't make their minds up.

Although we both opted for vegetarian meals, there is a vast choice of dishes on offer at Kuti's, including menus devoted to beef, duck, poultry, venison, fish and other sea food. Most main courses are very reasonably priced, starting at around £7.

Indian food is extremely filling, but if you can find room to sample one of Kuti's mouth-watering desserts, do.

The almond Indian ice cream was a complete revelation - firm and nutty in texture, and providing a perfect cooling follow-up to my main course.

AW

39 Oxford Street, Southampton. Reservations: 023 8022 1585 or 023 8033 3473.