Indian Deli, Hounslow, London

I've been eating at the Indian deli for years now, and it never fails to impress me.
It's a no nonsense, great value eatery which reguarly envokes cravings in me.
The dosas they serve are delicious and cost very little (£3.50 I think) and taste just as good as the dosas I've eaten in Sri Lanka. All the food they serve is delectable and the buffet they offer always forces me to gorge myself silly.

A few months ago my husband and I felt a craving for dosas - a typical South Indian dish. The British perception of Indian food is of curries and naans, which is North Indian cuisine. South Indian food is very different and sometimes nothing else will do!

Though our neighbourhood (Hounslow) has an Indian restaurant at every corner, we had never seen a South Indian one so we turned to the internet. We found some in East Ham and Wembley and Central London but the only one in our neck of the woods was Indian Deli. We checked the location and realised it was right opposite Hounslow West tube station - a place we pass quite often. So we decided to take a chance and check it out, though being the sceptics we are we couldn't believe there was a South Indian restaurant so near our home that we didn't know about.

As it turned out there was and after going there we wished we had found it earlier. Indian deli is a small cafeteria-style restaurant that serves all kinds of vegetarian Indian food. Seating arrangements are basic and tables are placed close to each other. However, the food makes up for everything. Their a la carte menu has a variety of Indian snacks – from the North Indian samosa to the South Indian bonda. Though they have a number of regulation curry dishes, their speciality is South Indian food – dosas, uthapams, idlis, bondas etc. The taste and flavour is original but not too spicy for British palates. Though most of its clientele is Indian, there are several regular British customers who seem to enjoy the food a great deal! I’ve also seen people eating vegetarian burgers so if not everyone wants Indian food, there are options. They also do an all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet for approximately 4 pounds. This is great value for money and has 4-5 vegetable dishes, a rice dish, salad and a couple of desserts.

I would highly recommend all the South Indian dishes and the lassis. This place is fabulous for a heavy snack and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended!