Restaurant of the Week - Urma's

Urma's success puzzles me.

This posh pizza parlour attracts diners in large numbers. But the prices for such simple food!

But let's start with the good. What cannot be faulted at Urma's is the service, which is very fine indeed. The excellent decor and cleanliness are worth a mention too.

The young waitresses here are always professional and attentive. To be fair, I would rather eat in a restaurant surrounded by good service and poor food rather than vice versa.

We visited on a Wednesday nights because Ricoco's across the road was full. I hadn't eaten at Urma's for at least 12 months, so tired had I become with the lack of choice of the menu.

I ordered a simple pasta dish (£8.50), while my partner did the same. Garlic bread (£3) came up as a side dish along with a tuna salad (£4.50). All were unremarkable, including the pasta which was uninspiring.

We won't be rushing back, but for the sake of the waiting staff. Thank you.

Restaurant of the week - Tudor House

Tudor House has always had a reputation for good food and service. Since new owners took over the service has remained excellent, the food to be fair has got better.

Quite simply it is 'more authentic': less sugar, more spice.

We usually opt for the value of a set meal when eating Thai, but chose instead to pick three of our favourite dishes straight from the main course menu. Plaa Goong (£6.50) was king prawns with fresh chilli and lime juice. A good sized portion arrived on a long square dish, drizzled in vegetables and juices. The prawns were tasty and large - we enjoyed between four and five each - and the sauce was superb.

Red curry chicken (£5.85) came in a ruby sauce with aubergine and fresh basil. Once again the portion was good and the Thai flavours were wonderful without being too hot or sweet.

Mixed vegetables (£3.75) and two bowls of steamed Jasmine rice (£2.00 each) complimented this good value meal. The vegetables, fresh bean sprouts, mange tout and broccoli, were crisp and tasty. A third bowl of rice was brought up free of charge when the staff noticed that a small amount of food remained in the dishes. It was a nice touch.

The Tudor House service and food remains as consistent as ever. The only failing of course is the hygiene rating from Southend Council, which is poor.

A great shame, although we understand issues with the council have since been resolved.

Restaurant of the week: Masa

OK. It's not quite Southend. But Masa in Hadleigh is something a little bit special.

A glance at the menu indicates straight away that this is more than the traditional chicken curry night.

We were not over hungry, so opted for just two papadoms. They came served up with the traditional yoghurt, chilli and onion side dishes. But it was just a little more refined and tasty.

For mains we chose to share the Tawa fish curry (£10.95): fresh sea bass fillet accompanied by spices, fresh garlic, vegetables and apple chutney. I'm a former fish monger. I honestly think mixing good fish with spice is sacrilege. But this was something else. The last time I tasted fillet with that much flavour I was eating barramundi on an island off the coast of Brisbane.

Our second dish was the chicken stew (£7.95). If that sounds about as exciting as warm beer and salty cockles on Southend sea front in November then think again. It was as good as the fish. A delicacy from Kerala (the south western state of India popularised by the western hippies when they left Goa behind in the 1970s) this boneless chicken includes vegetables, coconut and spices. And you've guessed it. If you like Thai food, you love this.

Bombay Aloo (£5.50) was an ample and tasty third main dish. Again, it's the detail that made the food so special. 'Baby potato' stirred with onion, tomato, masala and spices.

Steamed basmati (£1.95) meant we didn't go home hungry.

Rumours that Masa is a bit pricey are farfetched. Yes, some of the specials at £18 - £19 might not hit the mark for some diners in recession hit Britian 2009. But there plenty of exceptional regional dishes (Goan, Lucknow) coming in at £8-£10.

We had a couple of glasses of red wine and Cobra beers between us with change out of £50.

Service was good; the decor is still new, fresh and clean.

One of the best restaurants around at the moment in terms of value for money and quality.

Go experience Indian food at its best.