Spice Merchant II

I am on a mission to spread the word about Spice Merchant II. Being Pakistani, I know what REAL Indian food tastes like and it often bears little resemblance to what one may find in a curry house - food full of fat and sugar. Have you noticed how sugary naan breads taste?The Spice Merchant is a South Indian restaurant and as India covers such vast space and culture, the cooking here is different too from the northern Moghul food we are aquianted with. The flavours have a lot more coconut and tamarind and fish features heavily as it is the coast of the peninsular. This is the region for the best fish curries of all. The street food is different, the most famous example being a masala dosa.Having discovered South Indian cooking a few years ago, masala dosas are definitely something to seek out. Traditionally, they are giant rice-flour pancakes filled with spicy potatoes (and meat if you prefer), folded like a star and sealed until crispy. it is served with a light vegetable curry and 'sambals' which are South Indian chutneys of coconut or tomato. Apart from Southall, Birmingham and other asian communities, it is hard to find proper indian cooking but this is the business, Swindon. Try a dosa. Try the Kerelan Fish curry. I ate like a king for £10 - a chicken dosa and a 'mixed platter' starter - including lamb tikka, chiken tikka, shish kebab and a 1/4 tandoori chicken for £4! that's a lot of meat and you'd normally pay closer to a tenner for all of that. The prices are very resonable if not cheap, and portions generous. I usually get 2 meal out of it. When my vegetarian partner and I eat, we are silent apart from occasional squeals of delight (from me) which is a good sign. He says 'mmmm it is very good' in the way that you know he means it. (he had veg dosa, onion bajis, mushroom baji and the vegetable biriyani - which is seriously good)I haven't eaten in the restaurant yet but often pick up a dosa on the way home from uni, and they also deliver. What puts me off eating in is the lack of music in the premesis, which I think is necessary for the atmosphere as it is so small (will suggest it). But it is a small business and I plan to take friends there to support it. The location on Manchester road is a bit of a drawback as it is a little out of the way and a little 'rough'. In fact, it's in the old premesis of the fantastic Jamiacan 'The Duchy Pot' which closed due to lack of business.The staff are lovely, sweet and glad to have you there; the food takes a little longer than you want to arrive but that is because it is all so fresh - the chicken is especially so. It makes me realise how not-fresh other Indian restaurants are. It's worth the wait, it's worth an awkward silence to eat delicious Indian food this good and real. Everyone must try it.