Away from the trendy hotspots of suburban south Manchester, in a row of Ladybarn shops, Sanskruti offers vegetarian and vegan Indian food at prices that encourage exploration. The surroundings are simple, enlivened by flashes of folk-art colour, and the menu is flexible, with standalone vegan dishes alongside those that can easily be converted – plus enough gluten-free options to reassure wheat-intolerant diners. Street food includes crisp puris (try the piled-high sev puri), snacks and pav bhaji; starters are big on paneer. Southern specialities also take the limelight: lots of dosas, uttapams and idli sambal served with coconut chutney and a flourish. Punjabi and Gujarati dishes dominate the main courses, and in the middle of the week a selection is combined to form the house thali. Breads include a design-your-own-naan option. To drink, flavoured lassis and sharbats, salt-sweet lemon juice and imported soft drinks make the boozy choices look decidedly unimaginative.