Aziz Pandesia is the newest addition to the Aziz restaurants, a chain that's been established in Oxford for 20 years. This bar-restaurant offers a myriad of dishes from Asia including Indian, Bangladeshi and Thai.

The Venue
Aziz Pandesia is literally in the middle of Folly Bridge and a short, pleasant amble from the centre of town down St Aldates. Residents-only parking and somewhat overzealous traffic wardens make it tricky to park nearby however. The restaurant is hidden away at river level down a flight of stone steps, but there are several signs at street level to help you locate it.

Inside, the restaurant has glorious views of the river from it's spacious bar and classy modern dining area. If the weather is nice you can sit outside on a large pontoon that floats on the river, if you are feeling adventurous you can arrive by boat, and when the sun begins to set it's hard to imagine a nicer place to eat in Oxford.

The Atmosphere
This is very much a restaurant that relies on the weather. In the summer months and during the Grand Buffet served on Sundays, the dining room is bustling and filled with diners and the outside seating is almost always at a premium.

On a weekday in the winter, Aziz Pandesia can seem a little empty, a feeling exacerbated by the large size of the dining area. Staff are friendly and attentive without crowding you and even when it's busy will endeavour to make your experience a good one.

The Food
The menu offers something for everyone with no fewer than 70 different dishes and the multiple cuisines mean you can mix Thai starters with an Indian main course. However, the drawback is that with such a large menu it can lead to variable quality in the dishes themselves, which it sometimes does.

The Thai menu is limited, a smattering of starters include tiger prawns with chilli sauce, satay and deep-fried vegetables. Mains are slightly more numerous and include favourites such as green curry, chicken with cashew nuts and a crispy fillet of sea bass which is well cooked and piquant. There is nothing exceptional and this section of the menu is not always available, but, that said, most people go to Aziz for their Indian and Bangladeshi food.

The Indian/Bangladeshi menu offers much more choice. Starters are traditional curryhouse fare – samosas and sheek kebab but it's well worth opting for the lesser known dishes such as the maach bora fishcakes – tuna with onions and gently spiced with coriander. Mains include the usual fare as well - dansak, korma, bhuna and the like, all of which are well spiced but the meat can be a little dry at times.

The katchee biriyani, a Bangladeshi dish of basmati rice and marinated lamb is excellent, delicately spiced and filling, and the range of vegetarian curries has a great deal to offer with its clever use of flavours. Expect to pay £4 for a starter and £7 to £10 for a main. Add in some rice and a naan and a meal for two will cost in the region of £30 to £40 before adding drinks.

If you want to try a range of dishes, the Sunday Grand Buffet is very reasonably priced at £10, a huge range of dishes, served buffet-style ensures you'll go away happy.

The Drink
Operating as a bar and restaurant means there's a wide range of drinks. The cocktail menu offers classics at £5 each and the wine list, while containing nothing exceptional, has a good selection of solid mid-range wines. Kingfisher is available on draught and there is a range of bottled beers and cider that should suit most.

The Last Word
A restaurant serving several cuisines is an intriguing concept, but to do it well isn't easy and the quality of dishes at Aziz Pandesia can suffer because of this. On the right day it can be exceptional and on the wrong day pretty ordinary, with the norm being somewhere in between. All in all it's probably worth the risk, if only to sit by the river on a summer's evening, sipping cocktails and watching the sun set over the water.

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