Indian Melody

I couldn’t check in here when I was in there. Thanks to my phone’s battery.
I must say this place has excellent staff. They gave us the best options to choose from. We went for lunch and chose the buffet. Authentic Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka cuisine. The buffet was unlimited. You get to have dosas, two types of rice, plain boiled rice and vegetable biriyani and plethora of curries and dishes with ‘paayasam’, ‘raitha’, ‘poppadam’, sambhar, rasam and what not.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.

My girl friend and I had been coming in and out of Southampton from the cruise ship we were working on when we randomly discovered this place! We went in for lunch and had the buffet. The buffet had about 6 – 8 items with a couple of the items being curries. I have to say that every bite of food we had here was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! The food was very authentic and very fresh. The very nice woman who was serving us was really wonderful! She just kept bringing different foods and gave us advice to try certain foods together. She was super nice and very helpful. I also loved that you could make the food as spicy as you like on your own. If you’re ever in this lovely little city… GO HERE! Its better food than some of the over-​priced Indian restaurants and you’ll leave this restaurant happy and full!

In Southampton overnight we fancied Indian and from reviews thought we’d give this place a try, and very glad we did.
The outside dose not do the inside justice, it’s got a nice feel and the owner is indeed very welcoming and helpful. As others have said we went with his suggestions and for both starters and mains were very happy with the choice.
This isn’t a normal Indian the dishes do seem less oily and more traditional, but most importantly they are very tasty.
Reasonable prices and good size portions.

Coming to Indian Melody was a nice surprise sprung on me during a trip down to Southampton to see our research collaborators. On arrival, I thought we were in for just a normal, run of the mill, curry (which I love, but it’s not dinner at the Ritz). On entering, it was clear the place was a little special, decked out in nice heavy wooden furniture, with intricate adornments and a fantastic antique grandfather clock. No textured wallpaper, no ceiling fan, it looked swish and atypical of the usual setup. We were shown to our table and our drinks order was swiftly taken and menus presented.
The owner was, as others have noted, keen to introduce the menu. Note that he offered to do so, and I was glad he did. He suggested five starters, including a 14^th century dish he’d apparently resurrected. We went for 4 of those, swapping out a paneer dish for a masala dosa, since my colleague was keen to let everyone try one of his favourite dishes. The help with ordering was useful, even for a spice veteran like myself, as the restaurant specialises in home cooking rather than dishes specifically tailored to the UK market. The starters were cooked in an open kitchen behind us, with fresh ingredients and when they arrived, they weren’t swimming in ghee. The Manchurian dish was delicious, a kind of dumpling covered in a sauce whose main flavour was fresh peppers and onion. The cashew padora was fantastic, I’ve never thought of cooking cashews in batter, it felt a little naughty, like a trip north of the border to sample everyones favourite battered major brand bar. The dosa was sensational, a pancake as long as my arm with a rich and spicy filling.
I opted for the Southern Indian Thali, snubbing the advice of the restauranteur, since I fancied a taste of the menu as a whole. I wasn’t disappointed, the plain dosas were rich and soaked up the sauces of the 6 little pots of curry that came with it. Others, on sharing the dosa for starter, when for a whole one as a main, this time with a mushroom curry filling, which they assured me was equally delicious.
All in all, the meal was lovely, the atmosphere charming and the owner clearly cares about his food. Well worth a visit!

I really enjoyed the food in this lovely vegetarian restaurant. The owner is indeed very proud of his cuisine and loves to talk to his customers, I personally prefer that extrovert attitude to the hyper-​attentive or even humble service in other Indian restaurants. Still, if you want to enjoy you meal in silence or with that special someone, I guess you could be annoyed.
The food: I chose mushrooms, Dhal and lemon rice, which all tasted wonderful. The desserts were also very tasty, although they did not offer any vegan options. Unfortunately, when we asked for a jug of water, they served us undrinkable Southampton tap water. Still, you should really give it a try, especially if you are interested in vegetarian dishes.