Ruchi, Swindon (From This Is Wiltshire)

Ruchi, Swindon

11:57am Thursday 28th January 2010 in

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THE Ruchi was the first Indian restaurant I visited after arriving in Swindon just over a dozen years ago.

“You should go there,” fellow hacks told me. “It’s the business.”

I duly visited, because when it comes to recommendations for places to eat and drink, the recommendation of a colleague in a newspaper office tends to be pretty strong truth.

I discovered that the place was as good as I’d been told.

In the intervening years the restaurant has undergone a change of name, changes of decor, and most recently the addition of a spacious, yet somehow cosy, extra dining area upstairs.

It’s still the business, though, right from the moment you walk in the door and are warmly greeted before being ushered to your table, to the moment you walk out again.

On my last visit, I was one of a party of three. We planned to do the generous main courses justice, which - alas - meant foregoing a selection of starters that includes everything from trusty favourites like Onion Bhaji and Aloo Chat to rather more exotic offerings such as King Prawn Butterfly and Salmon Tikka.

Instead, we settled for some pappadums, which come with a selection of delicious sauces spanning the scale from mild and creamy to decidedly fiery.

The list of main courses is impressive, with the latest innovations resting comfortably side by side with favourites.

I usually go either for the Garlic Chilli Chicken - something of an obsession with me whenever I visit The Ruchi - or the Chicken Ujalla.

The latter is one of the more recently-introduced dishes, and is a magnificent combination of secret herbs, mushroom, potato and chillis.

However, on this occasion I opted instead for the Chicken Korahi, a medium-hot dish whose flavour is led by peppers, onions and another of those secret combinations of herbs. I thoroughly recommend it.

The trick to a good curry is giving it a medley of flavours and making sure they are all discernible, and this is something The Ruchi’s kitchen staff excel at.

One of my companions opted for a Lamb Jalfrezi, which came as hot as one would expect but nevertheless with plenty of interesting, individual flavours.

My other guest is a vegetarian, and chose a Vegetable Dansak, which she accompanied with a side dish of Tarka Sagdal - spinach and lentils with cumin seeds.

All were reported to be delicious.

The whole meal, including beer and wine, came to only slightly over £50, which merely added to the pleasure of dining at a restaurant which nobody living in this neck of the woods should leave unvisited.

THE RUCHI, 89 Victoria Road, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 3BD. Tel: 01793 479370/480264. www.ruchiswindon.co.uk. Open daily from noon until 2pm and 5.30pm until midnight. Takeaway available. Also a Tuesday Special meal deal, with starter, main and side dish, plus any rice or naan, for £9.90 per person.