He might be saving for a mortgage, but Bristol barber Adriano Pucarelli simply cannot go without his weekly takeaway.

Luckily, his favourite Indian restaurant has a solution for customers strapped for cash – the curry crunch.

The New Taj Indian Takeaway on Gloucester Road recently introduced the £5.95 meal deal – which includes a choice of curry, pilau rice, naan and a poppadom – and it has proven very popular.

Adriano, 27, is a manager for a mobile phone company and also works at his father's barber shop, Matteo, in Westbury-on-Trym, to bring in extra money.

He is saving to buy his own barber shop with a flat above it next year.

But he has been going to the New Taj for about eight years, and does not want to give up his weekly curry.

"I don't really go out for meals anymore because I can't afford it. I used to go out every now and then but at the moment a takeaway is as far as I can stretch," said Adriano.

"I usually get one on a Friday night – me and a few friends tend to get together."

The New Taj, a family business which has been open for more than 20 years, made a name for itself when it introduced the "flu-indaloo" in 2006, a curry to help customers ward off flu.

Owner Mofizur Rahman Choudhury said the curry crunch has become very popular and they get about 20 regulars asking for it.

"There is a saving of nearly £2 on this deal compared to if ordered separately from the menu. So you're spending just over a fiver for a high quality Indian meal.

"We were aware of the global crisis and knew that sooner of later that would affect our local community.

"We wanted customers to still enjoy their curries, especially the students and young families, and our curry crunch meal has proved a popular hit with everyone who is feeling the financial pinch," the curry house owner told the Bristol Post.