WALKING home through the streets of Swindon, a wonderful smell coming from a restaurant on Victoria Road has caught my attention.

Most of the time I would pass Ruchi without even paying attention. But this night was different – I was hungry.

The time had come for me to write a food review and this was the perfect place to try something I never had before.

I decided to sit at the back of the restaurant, so that I could enjoy my food far from the noisy streets.

I eagerly waited my turn, drooling at the wide range of dishes listed on the menu. I am far from being an expert, but I know all the classics such as Tandoori chicken, chicken curry and so on.

The restaurant is a mixture of modern and traditional.

The Indian music added to the atmosphere making me feel elsewhere but Swindon. The décor itself was generally dark and sober.

The reviews on TripAdvisor described friendly staff, but it was not the case this time. I did not get even a smile and I had the tremendous honour to hear one of the waiters burp as he stood right next to my table.

At some point during the night I felt surrounded by the great number of servers. I was certainly more focussed on them walking from the reception to kitchen than on my food.

I started with some papadums. There were a couple of sauces and onions to go with it.

It was very tasty and enjoyable. Definitely the best way to start.

I asked for some Coke. It was not really fizzy or not cold.

I then ordered fried aubergine, also called begun biran (£3.50 per person). The service was pretty fast, probably a bit too fast between each stage.

I got four small aubergines. They were very oily and lukewarm. I left two of them in my plate – which I usually never do. It did not feel very fresh which was a shame because I quite like aubergine.

I immediately got my main dish. I picked ujalla (£14,90 per person). They said it is their signature dish which made me curious.

It is king prawn barbecued in the tandoori and then cooked with various herbs, chilli, potatoes and mushrooms. On the side, I got a bowl of rice. It smelt so good.

I took a couple of pictures to make my friends jealous. It worked, they definitely were.

After the first bite, my mouth was on fire and despite having north African heritage, it did not help at all. I asked for a couple of glasses of water to help me go through the meal.

I could not feel my tongue and instantly regretted the choice I had made to order something I was not sure of.

Prawns were too rubbery and I gave up on them after eating three or four. But the other ingredients were very good and tasty. As with the previous dish, I could not finish my plate.

A dessert? Yes, why not? I asked the server if they had any desert, but he was slightly surprised when I mentioned it to him. Do people never ask for a dessert?

But I wanted to get the full experience.

How disappointed I was when I saw that the dessert menu consisted of ice creams and a poor strawberry cheesecake.

I went for the cheesecake (£3,90). It was frozen. No, I don’t mean cold, I mean iced.

The waiter apologised explaining that they usually serve it frozen. Is it true? I cannot tell.

He tried to melt it using the microwave, it was even more disgusting. I will give him credit for trying and he generously agreed not to count it on my bill.

My stomach was burning for the rest of the weekend, and I was still hungry by the end of the night. 

At least I got a couple of chocolates before leaving.

I left the restaurant at around 11pm which was perfect as several people, tipsy or drunk, were coming in. I don’t know if I’ll go back again, but if I do, I know what I should not order.