ONE road in Swindon should fast become a mecca for the town’s foodies.

No other street boasts as many different and interesting shops, cafes, takeaways and restaurants as Cricklade Road, which runs through the centre of Gorse Hill.

Residents could sample a different cuisine every night of the week if they had the inclination and cash to do so . . . all within a short stroll.

From balti and Chinese takeaways, kebab houses and pizza-to-go to Brazilian barbecue, Swindon’s only vegetarian restaurant, Indian and Italian eateries and the new kid on the block Gurkha Village selling Nepalese cuisine, there really is something for every palate to savour.

But to keep them all going they are going to need visitors from other parts of town.

I was prompted to visit by a call from a worried reader who told us there was a fantastic new Nepalese restaurant there and asked if we could help spread the word to ensure it became successful and stayed open.

After checking it out for myself, I’m happy to do so.

I wasn’t sure exactly what Nepalese food was before I arrived at the restaurant, which has taken the place of Planet Bollywood.

On the menu are lots of recognisable curry dishes which wouldn’t look out of place at the average Indian (Nepal borders the sub-continent). But there are also lots of new, intriguing things to try.

Everything is done with a light touch. We started with a couple of popadums (60p) which came with dips that had me hooked immediately. There was a cool mint sauce, a spicy one which still retained the taste of fresh tomatoes and what I took to be mango chutney at first glance but turned out to be a delicious carrot pickle. They all appeared to have been freshly made, retaining crunch and flavour.

For starters my son went for sheek kebab (£3.10) and said the lamb was quite fiery. I can’t vouch for that as it didn’t stop him polishing off the lot.

I tried something new - mushroom choila (£2.75) - mushrooms, lightly pan-fried and chopped with red onion, tomato, peppers, green chilli and spices which included what looked like black peppercorns but were fried fenugreek seeds. I loved it - just writing about it makes me want to eat it again!

For mains we tried a couple of the house specialities - Momo (£6.95), a traditional Nepalese dish of steamed dumplings filled with marinated mince, sliced raw garlic and served with salad and a spicy sauce and Chatamari (£7.95), lamb mince with egg sandwiched between two pancakes. Rich and filling, we scarcely got though half the dishes and barely nibbled on the Gurkha aloo Nepalese (£3.25) of pan fried potatoes.

That was nothing to do with the quality, which was top notch, but the quantity. It was hearty fare.

There are plenty of other interesting dishes to try, like Bara (£7.95) made with skinless black lentils and served with lamb or chicken curry, along with a host of more familiar curries from £5.95.

On the Thursday night we went there, there were only three other tables occupied in the smartly decorated dining area.

I can see why our reader was worried . . . and it would be great if Gurkha Village was here to stay.

  • Gorse Hill offers limited on-street parking but there’s a large free car park accessed from Chapel Street (near the Swiss Chalet pub) with a handy cut-though to Cricklade Road.