ONCE you hit your mid twenties drinking copious amounts of vodka in front of X Factor no longer seems an appropriate warm-up to a good night out (well, not every weekend anyway).

What you need is a grown-up meal at a nice restaurant and a few glasses of wine to get you in the mood for dancing.

Four of us went to Shajan Indian Restaurant, Clayton-le- Dale, I never having been before.

The restaurant was nicely busy despite it being early, and we enjoyed a relaxed drink in the bar, and learning from previous mistakes we only ordered one poppodom each, which came with a large tray of chutneys and dips.

We skipped the starters (Have you noticed starters in Chinese restaurants are harder to resist than those in Indians?) and went straight to the mains.

I had lamb dopiaza (it means "more onions"), the boyfriend had mixed bhuna and the other two had chicken tikka masala and chicken karachi.

My dish had plenty of meat and came topped with deep-fried crispy onions.

The others reported their dishes were delicious - with the chicken tikka masala sauce a lovely creamy consistency and mixed bhuna so piping hot that a spilled spoonful left a red mark on the skin.

We shared two huge stingray-shaped garlic naan bread dripping in butter which were divine.

The only criticism I had was that the efficient service left us feeling a tiny bit rushed.

All in all, the Shajan is a good place to star if you want a meal to set you up for a night on the town.

As for somewhere to enjoy a leisurely dinner, I'm not sure.

FOOD 8 DRINK 7 SERVICE 8 ATMOSPHERE 7 VALUE 7

Shajan Indian Restaurant is on Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale.