AFTER scrubbing my flat from top to bottom for four hours we’d worked up a healthy appetite as we sat perusing the takeaway menu for Mela.

We ordered some onion bhajis (£2.20), chicken green Goan curry (£6.50), chicken tikka tapeli (£6.50) and a chicken tikka biriyani (£9.90).

To mop up the sauce we ordered some pilau rice (£1.90), a keema naan and a cheese naan.

Within minutes we were offered a seat and even a free drink (much to the delight of my boyfriend who was in desperate need of a beer after spending the evening with a duster in his hand). Before we’d had time to finish our drinks the food was ready and it smelled delicious.

There was some confusion when we got home as to which dish was which. They all looked fantastic in the plastic boxes but it took us a couple of minutes to decipher what belonged to who. But we figured it out in the end and delved in.

My Goan curry was very tasty - it was a good decision to try something new. Lots of big chunks of tender chicken in a fairly thick sauce. It was packed with flavour but not fiery hot.

The tapeli also had huge chunks of chicken and plenty of sauce and the biriyani, which was served with a vegetable curry, was packed full of chunky greens and potato and was given a score of 8/10 by its consumer.

Our only minor complaint was that the cheese naan wasn’t particularly cheesey, but was perfect for mopping up the sauce nonetheless.

Essential Info
Open 12 noon - 2pm and 5.30pm until midnight.


SERVES: A wide range of Indian starters, mains, side dishes.


SAMPLE PRICES: Curries from £5.20 for a chicken rogan josh to £10.90 for a king prawn jalejule. Side dishes such as bombay aloo cost £2.50 and naan breads cost from £1.70.


SPECIAL OFFERS: Enjoy 15 per cent discount on main menu prices for takeaway orders.

Mela, 122 Victoria Road, Old Town. 01793 522558/534072. www.mela-swindon.co.uk.