Moshan Island Grill

33-34 Newport Street,

Old Town

01793 495256

Open hours. Monday closed; Tuesday 6pm to 11pm; Wed, Thu, Fri 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm. Saturday 6pm to midnight. Sunday 12pm to 4pm

THERE is nothing like heavy rain and gales to put you in a bad mood.

My friend Jo and I were trying to walk to the Moshan Island Grill in Old Town after finishing work, but the storm was doing its best to deter us.

With damp, windswept hair and a sense of relief when we got out of the rain, we walked into the Caribbean restaurant just after 6pm.

Within minutes, I felt like I was on holiday.

I was sipping on a glass of coconut and pineapple juice, the decoration around the restaurant was modern and colourful, and a Caribbean sounding version of Cher’s nineties hit, Believe, was playing on the CD player.

Long gone was the doom and gloom of the wet February day outside.

The menu offered a variety of traditional Caribbean dishes, and we were spoilt for choice as we browsed the menu.

For a starter, I went for the Trinidad roti, spiced lentil and sweet potato filling served in paratha flatbread (£5.95) while Jo chose the Aloo balls, spiced sweet potato mash and callaloo balls (£5.95).

For the main course I went for jerk chicken (£7.95), while Jo chose the fish curry (£8.95) and we shared a side order or callaloo rice (£2.95).

Wondering what callaloo is? So were we.

When we quizzed the waiter, he patiently explained it’s a Caribbean vegetable, a bit like spinach.

Sounds good, we thought.

And it was. Well, to be honest, so was the whole meal.

The jerk chicken I had for my main course packed a big punch of flavour.

It was an explosion of herbs and spices, slightly hotter than I would usually eat, but I cooled it down with the coleslaw it was served with.

The chicken was tender and fresh, and the presentation, which included salad on the plate too, made it look appetising before I even started.

Jo was pleased with her fish curry, and it was steaming as it was brought to the table.

She said it was full of flavour, and the prawns were particularly soft and fresh. There was a generous portion of seafood considering the reasonable £8.95 cost.

The starters beforehand were good too, my flatbread was fresh and tasty, but I was jealous of Jo’s Aloo balls when I tried half of one.

They had a great texture – crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside – and the spice gave it a nice level of warmth.

The service throughout was the perfect balance between relaxed and attentive, the men serving us were keen to help but they had a chilled out attitude, which only added to the holiday mood.

Jo and I had both driven past the restaurant, on the roundabout where Newport Street meets Devizes Road and Croft Road, hundreds of times before but had never been in.

I feel like I have discovered a gem in Old Town, which I had never even considered for dinner before.

I think we’re a bit late on the uptake though as there were plenty of other people in the restaurant that night – despite it only being 6pm on a Wednesday.

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to book ahead. Jo said she had previously tried to eat there but it had been fully booked. I had emailed ahead of our arrival but they hadn’t received my booking. It didn’t matter that time, but I will be sure to phone them in advance in future.

Our bill came to a total of £35.65.

EMMA DUNN