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And no-one spoke and no-one smiled

“Here we go again. FGV is complaining about a vegetarian restaurant. Why can’t vegans just take what they get?”

Indian Melody was the scene of one of the most disappointing dining experiences I have ever had in the UK. I thought I was onto a sure thing when I discovered an almost entirely-vegan Indian restaurant in the city of Southampton, but I was rudely awakened to a different reality.

Indian Melody

Indian Melody

Maybe I won’t talk about the owner greeting us with no shoes on, just socks on his feet as he walked in and out of the kitchen. I’ll not focus on the drunk, passing people shouting out to diners through the front window or the cigarette smoke wafting in from the street. I suppose I can overlook the never ending speech given by the owner about his food being like nothing else served in the country and how it is not anglicised, rather it is made from ancient recipes. I will even forget about being given a bowl of yoghurt despite my multiple reminders of our vegan status.

Yes, I can move past all of that to give you the opinion that should really count here. The food was average to sub-par.

Nothing tasted fresh, as if everything was made previously and heated up for our order. Every dish was bland. The three of us at our table could barely stop screeching with laughter as each dish was more intolerable than the last. Coupled with the bizarre and passive aggressive service, the terrible food was like a bad joke.

Here are the photos.

Of course, please comment if you have enjoyed Indian Melody. This review is just my opinion and I don’t profess to speak for everyone who dines there.

Pani Puri - dry & tasteless

Pani Puri – dry & tasteless

Potato balls - dry & uninteresting

Potato balls – dry & uninteresting

Gobi Manchurian - not very nice

Gobi Manchurian – not very nice

Aubergine Masala - disappointing

Aubergine Masala – disappointing

Dosa - huge but lacking

Dosa – huge but lacking

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Written by fatgayvegan

14 Comments
  1. What a shame! For what it’s worth, I’ve never had a good pani puri, I just don’t get their appeal. What was lacking with the dosa? I didn’t think you could go wrong with a huge pancake and a spicy potato filling!

    • Like everything else we were served, the filling had little discernible flavour and didn’t taste freshly made.

  2. We went at Christmas and the manager was screaming at a table next to us and then wouldn’t let them leave it was terrifying! I was 7 months pregnant and was scared of a full on fist fight! We left as soon as we could I don’t even remember the food! Never again!

  3. Wow pity, and yet the photos look pretty appetising! Particularly the gobi manchurian.

  4. What a shame, I had a rotten time in Noori’s in Brighton, disappointing when it goes like that…
    http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186273-d1316187-r123215221-Noori_s-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

  5. Oh what a shame,I had a lovely meal here with a Sri Lankan friend who said he thought the food was very authentic. I have seen other bad reviews so this can’t be a one-off,and I have to say I did rather enjoy the comic appeal of the manager,but it’s such a shame that the level of experience isn’t consistently good.I will go again and see whether the service/food was as good as the last time!

  6. We went to http://www.kayalrestaurant.com in Leamington Spa, it is South Indian cooking at it’s finest. Some of the best Indian food I have ever eaten. And it is my favorite cuisine. It is not a vegetarian restaurant, but the do the best dosas, they curries are out of this world. Most are vegan. They have spoilt me now and I can’t eat anywhere else.

  7. Hmm, I went a few years back and loved it. I do remember the manager being a bit overbearing, going on and on about how he flew out to India himself to pick the best lentils or something, but we were really impressed with the food, the helpfulness in selecting vegan dishes, and the price. However, I have eaten at way more Indian as well as veg*an establishments since, than I had before visiting, so maybe I would view it differently. Thanks for sharing, I would have rushed back there but might think twice now!

  8. the best Dosas I have ever come across are at Hare Krishna’s in Bristol on the Zetland. The food is all Kerala (southern India) based and is made with coconut – they have about 15 vegan dishes on the menu and the house dosa really is immaculate. http://harikrishnanskitchen.info/ Bristol has several really good Indians but this is the best IMHO
    I’ll be going to Southampton for the football later in the season when Everton play there , will make sure to give this place a swerve. any other suggestions for somewhere decent to eat in Southampton?

  9. We used to live in Southampton and we still really miss The Art House, I’m pretty sure it was all vegan, definitely all veggie. They have epic cake and it’s really friendly, good live music too. Our fave Indian place was Jehangir, they had an amazing vegetable korai that I haven’t found a competitor for yet!

  10. We ate in an Indian in Luton and all the staff looked like they wanted to die and instead of music they had those “Help dying children in Africa” adverts on repeat on tvs everywhere! So bizarre!

  11. I second the guy who said the Art House was great. I ate there twice in two days. what a haven!

    hilarious how a fusion food such as manchurian could be handed down from an ancient recipe!

  12. […] then, I have seen that Indian Melody received some shockingly bad reviews so we avoided that. I knew I wanted to go to The Art House as I hadn’t spent nearly enough […]

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