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When a new restaurant opens in Milton Keynes we are always keen to pay them a visit. Often, the experience can end in relative disappointment. Either the food is not quite good enough or the restaurant is completely empty and devoid of any atmosphere. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised the very moment we walked through the doors at Cinnamon – the latest Indian restaurant in Milton Keynes, situated on Buckingham Road.

When you see a busy restaurant with lots of smiles and laughter at the tables, you immediately know people are enjoying the experience and the food must be pretty good! What’s more, this was a Wednesday night – a night when many restaurants struggle to attract customers.

Cinnamon has had a facelift since being taken over and an impressive one at that. The stone flooring in the restaurant has been replaced by carpet and the colour scheme - with warm and earthly colours, creates a cosy environment in which to enjoy your food. Cinnamon does not look like a traditional Indian restaurant and this is further evident in the unusual, varied and interesting lighting.

We were able to choose our wine quickly as Cinnamon’s wine list is not overly long or complicated. They have a lovely range of quality wines at reasonable prices and we opted for the delicious and flowery Sauvignon Blanc Kintu from Chile. This is pleasant, fruity and easy drinking white wine.

Whilst we surveyed the menu we ordered some poppadoms. These, alongside the lovely, fresh, chutneys, were easily the best I have enjoyed for a long time.

I opted for the Sabzi Platter to start which looked amazing value at just £2.95 for a mixture of vegetable spring roll, vegetable samosa and onion bhaji served with salad. The spring roll was particularly good as I loved the way you could taste the different vegetables each time you took a bite. The onion bhaji was moist and the samosa accompanied with a small helping of salad was excellent.

My partner decided to begin with the Chicken Tikka – chicken marinated in spices and herbs barbecued in the tandoori served with salad. I was enjoying my starter so much that by the time I looked up to ask the question “How is it?” I looked to find her plate was already empty. I was told the chicken was soft and moist with a melt in the mouth texture that was “simply amazing”.

As good as our starters were, Cinnamon obviously have to offer something special in order to thrive and survive in an already busy market for Indian cuisine in Milton Keynes. With their impressive selection of “Own Recipes” this is exactly what will stand them apart from the competition. These dishes have been created from countless years of research, travelling and a sheer passion and knowledge of food.

We decided to share the Murgh Sylhety (chicken breast, gently spiced, served medium hot together with green peppers, onions in a soya sauce) and the Cinnamon Special Curry (chicken in a medium to hot sauce delight of capsicum, onions, ginger and coriander). These were, put simply, exceptional curries. Neither of us had tasted anything quite like this before. Where some Indian restaurants simply spice their food (some too much too often!) these dishes were well spiced with the rawness of the heat in the spices taken away by being cooked to perfection! These were hugely flavoursome and I also liked the way the chicken was cut. The only problem we had was trying to finish all the food.

A mention also needs to be given to the rice! A pilau rice and a lemon rice were ordered. These were both light and fluffy but I loved the subtle zang that was evident with the lemon rice.

We ordered a side of potato and spinach. This is a simple dish that so many restaurants get wrong. However, the potatoes were divine – lovely and soft, with just the right amount of spinach. This dish had an abundance of flavour.

It’s rare that we have eaten this type of food and been so impressed with all the dishes. So much thought is clearly given to every aspect of your meal including the service which was exemplary.

Cinnamon will surely have curry lovers all over Milton Keynes and beyond for that matter, raving about their food. Fantastic!