Friday night, with the lads, curry. Boom. It’s the stuff that weekend plans are made of.

But I felt the pressure was on a little more on this occasion though, as I was welcoming two mates from out of town – one from the bright lights of Bristol and another from the seaside delight that is Bournemouth. Often the butt of jokes myself for living in Swindon, I was determined to prove to them that anything either of their respective hometowns could do, Swindon could do better.

Normally, if I was heading out for a curry with my regular dining companions of Adver_Chris and Adver_Tom we would stumble form the office around the corner to Biplob on Wood Street – it’s tried, tested and always comes up trumps. With so much reputational credit riding on this particular evening I was tempted to stick with what I knew. But I eventually braved it and decided to mix things up a bit and instead set our rendezvous for The Curry House in Rodbourne.

It’s actually quite a disgrace hat I haven’t ventured here before, as it is technically my local curry house, being just around the corner from where I live. With my fingers crossed that The Curry Place was in fact home to phenomenal naan that would blow the out of towners’ socks off we made our way from a town centre bar, through the designer outlet to the restaurant.

The welcome we received was worthy of being that of my local. Although quite small inside, the restaurant doesn’t feel cramped, but instead has a cosy sense of intimacy. Perhaps not the atmosphere I was going for on this particular night with my burly Bristolian rugby player and well-heeled lawyer from Bournemouth, but it made for a pleasant setting nonetheless.

I needn’t have worried, as we were soon joined by another table of lads who were setting in for a heavy night by the looks of it. My mind was further put at ease seeing the accolades the restaurant proudly displays on its menus, including a curry award from the House of Commons, and one of the Adver’s very own Best of Swindon Awards. Evidently a journo had sat in these very seats before me and had a wonderful meal. So far, so good.

We started out in the manner that all proper curries should begin, with a pile of poppadums as high as the bottle of wine we ordered, with lashings of mango chutney, creamy mint sauce and crunchy raita. This was, in part, a delaying tactic for us to make our minds up for our mains.

As well as Curry Place Specials, there are also a wide variety of dishes to tempt including Biriany and pilau dishes, Thali and Keema dishes. The menu helpfully includes a short description outlining what taste sensation awaits them, along with a handy key of chillis to assist those wary of spice. We were undoubtedly spoilt for choice, and there was an awful lot of to-ing and fro-ing between us all as we tried to make a decision. In the end we decided to be a bit tactical and go for three different dishes with the master plan of sharing them out between us.

The rugger was evidently out to prove his manliness (it’s all lies – he has more cake tins than gum shields) and opted for the chicken dupiaza (£6.20). That’s two chillis on the heat scale. With lashings of freshly chopped onions, the chicken was marinated in ‘dozens’ of different spices to create a warming taste. With a peshwari naan (£2.50) on the side, he was well and truly made.

I was tempted by one of the chef’s specials and eventually plonked for the garlic chicken (£7.90) with a side of palate-cleansing lemon rice (£2.50). That and a cheese naan as well (£2.50) and I did start to worry that my eyes were too big for my stomach.

I was a little concerned that the dish might have been garlic overload, but it was deliciously creamy, and with just the right hint of garlic. A return trip to the bar after dinner wasn’t going to be out of the question, after all!

But I did end up with proper food envy when the lawyer’s dish rocked up. He had selected the lamb moglai (£6.20) with pilau rice. Not as adventurous as the rugby player’s two chillis, this sported just the one, but oh my goodness – it was divine! Described on the menu as being “a creamy curry with chopped pineapple and delicate spices” doesn’t really do this dish justice. The lamb was remarkably tender, it almost melted in the mouth, and the flavourings in the sauce really accompanied it well.

Lamb isn’t a dish that I would normally go for in a curry house, and certainly not with an almost sweet sauce – chicken, yes – without a doubt. But lamb? Well, it was certainly a learning curve. I had my knuckles rapped with a spoon several times for trying to make that dish my own.

Fat and full, we even had to leave some of our meals behind – which is virtually unheard of, and we did feel bad as our very chatty waiter cleared our dishes away. We couldn’t fault the waiting staff, who were incredibly knowledgeable about the dishes – although I do feel they should push the lamb moglai a bit more to future customers!

Ultimately, my gamble to go somewhere different paid off, and part of the fun was trying somewhere new together – as well as proving that when it comes to curry, Swindon’s former industrial heartland cooks up a mean meal.

Address: 198 Rodbourne Road, Swindon, SN2 2AA.

Telephone number: 01793 488562

www.thecurryplace.co.uk

Parking: public car parks nearby

Disabled access: yes

Food: 9/10

Choice: 9/10

Decor: 8/10

Customer service: 8/10

TripAdvisor rating: 4