THE human memory is a strange thing.

Had my partner and I been to Rafu’s before?

We must have been, although clearly not for many years, as all we could remember about the venerable Highworth dining institution was a vague notion of the internal layout and a sense of having eaten well.

“That was great,” we probably said to each other. “We must go again soon.”

And then never quite got round to doing so.

As things turned out, we were both glad that we happened to pass the place as we were driving in the centre of the historic town and realised we were both craving a decent curry.

What we ended up with was very decent indeed, but more of that later.

The history of Rafu’s is lovingly told on its website. Founder Rafu Miah happened to stop in Highworth while driving through the area in 1982, fell in love with the town and decided to stay. He died in 2016 and the restaurant is now under the care of his son, Omar.

We visited some time after 7pm on a week night and easily found on-street parking no more than a couple of dozen yards away. As those familiar with Highworth will know, there is also a small car park where High Street opens out into a picturesque shopping area.

Entering the small bar/vestibule area, we were immediately given a friendly welcome and shown to a table. The service throughout our time at the restaurant was excellent.

There are two dining areas in Rafu’s, the larger of which is upstairs and can hold about 40 customers. We ate in a much smaller room downstairs which has a handful of tables and the homely atmosphere of the domestic front room or shop space it once was.

Sitting there, it was impossible not to wonder about the countless lives and stories the walls must have been witness to down the centuries, and the scenes witnessed through the windows.

Having said that, with the delicious aroma of spices in the pleasantly warm air, it was also impossible to forget our mission for the evening. There was food to be eaten and – in my case, at least – written about.

Within a few minutes, there were two Cobra lagers on our table, two menus and a plate of poppadums with a selection of sauces and chutneys ranging from mild-but-tasty to my-lips-seem-to-have-gone-numb-but-tasty.

In other words, all was right with the world.

For our starters we chose chicken tikka and chicken chat (both £5.95) – staple classic dishes which are always a good barometer of an Indian restaurant’s overall quality.

Each of the dishes was very good indeed, with the tikka very tender and strongly flavoured but not overwhelmingly so. The chat was equally well-received and also of very generous proportions. I’ve seen main meals not much larger than this starter.

Encouraged by the fine quality of the classic starters, we decided to be a little more adventurous in our choice of main courses and head straight for the house specials.

Ginger bhoona chicken (£10.95) turned out to be as enticing on the plate as it looked on the menu.

It was accurately described as being of medium heat, but thanks to a generous – though not excessive – application of ginger it also had a refreshing quality. The dish is one of the few curries I would describe as having zing.

Our other main was zeera chilli chicken (£13.95), which was rated hot on the menu and certainly packed more of a wallop, albeit a civilised wallop. Anybody with access to suitable spices can make a hot dish for the sake of it, but it takes real skill to produce a hot dish in which all of the individual flavours of the ingredients can be discerned and appreciated.

Recommending Rafu’s to people in Highworth is probably a redundant gesture, as everybody no doubt knows about the place already. However, it’s well worth the attention of anybody in the surrounding area who hasn’t been yet and wants to add another restaurant to their list of good bets for a fine evening out.