Finding real South Indian food in the UK is a challenge. Some restaurants dabble, but are unfortunately not brave enough to "go the whole hog", adding more UK-familiar, but not South Indian, dishes to their menus. This encourages some guests to play it safe, and order what they know. This in turn affects demand for the South India selections. And before one can say "chicken tikka masala", the South Indian selections are culled. Amma's Canteen has taken the proverbial South Indian bull by its horns. The menu is unashamedly South Indian to its core, the owners proudly and rightfully not at all apologetic for the lack of dishes on the menu that might be more appealing to a non-South Indian palate. And I praise the heavens for the courage of their conviction. The dishes my wife and I ordered were not just South Indian, they were lovingly home-cooking inspired of the highest standard in execution and the most exquisitely tasting South Indian! And the owners' creative personal twist to some of the South India staples to provide more variety on the menu did not compromise the restaurant's promise of a South India meal. We will definitely return. We will definitely bring friends who are not that familiar with South Indian cuisine. And we most definitely recommend a visit to Amma's Canteen to anyone already familiar with South Indian cuisine. My wife and I have a healthy appetite, but we left the restaurant replete. Given the quality and quantity of what we ordered, the £70 we paid for two people (inc. 10% service charge and £12 of beer/wine) was good value for money, particularly given that we had very little bread and rice with our meal. If we'd wanted to be less greedy and instead fill up on those carbohydrates we could have easily slashed £15 off the bill. And on top of everything, the service was beyond reproach - attentive, patient and efficient. Thank you Amma's Canteen. Well done on all counts. We look forward to our next visit.
Amma’s Canteen – Chorlton