A piece of India in Elm Park (Restaurants in Greater London in general)

Member Name: jammaker49

Product:	Restaurants in Greater London in general
Date:	04/01/02 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Service good, Food hot and tasty, Reasonable price

Disadvantages: No cuppa!

A few months ago, a chap came to the door selling tickets which would give you a B.O.G O F. (buy one get one free) offer at a new Indian Restaurant which was to open in Elm Park. Together with this offer was a voucher giving £30 off the entire bill (drinks included) on one special occasion. The tickets cost £20, so theoretically you would get that back with the one visit. As my family is quite partial to the odd Indian, we purchased!

The restaurant, Le Spice, is inconspicuous in location. Situated down the hill and round the corner from Elm Park Station, and away from the main shopping area, it would be easy to miss. But if you live in or near the area, don't miss it; give it a try.

Parking after 6 is no problem. Many a time we have parked on the road, right outside Le Spice. If that fails, there is a parking area just down the street by the Post Office, or down one of the many side streets.

Inside, the restaurant is quite small, with a mixture of round and rectangular tables. The round ones comfortably seat six, and the staff will soon push more tables together for a bigger party.

Booking is advisable, due to the many of us with B.O.G O.F tickets, who, having sampled, regularly return for more!

Portions are large. We found that out very soon! So don't go there only half hungry! You won't be able to do the meal justice.

The restaurant is fully air-conditioned. One hot summer's night last year, we went, expecting to cook, and dressed in as little as possible. It was very pleasant after melting all day to actually feel goosebumps! In fact one of our party put a jacket on, whilst outside the world fried!

And now to the food!

My husband will eat anything edible, whilst I tend to stick to things I know I like. So when we go for an Indian, my side of the order usually remains more or less the same, while he always tries new things. The rest of the family will also have a go at pretty m
uch anything. For the purpose of this op I will just focus on the two of us.

We had popadoms while we perused the menu, which is pretty extensive for a small place. The sweet and sour dip was one of the best I've ever had, while the curried vegetable dip took your head off! There was also a mint and yogurt dip, and a salad bowl.

As a starter I ordered the tandori chicken, and hubby had a sheek kebab. When they arrived, they were like meals in themselves; mine accompanied with a salad garnish and fresh lemon, and his likewise. The chicken was a full breast, cooked in a charcoal oven, and the taste and smell of the tandori spices came through beautifully. Hubby's kebab was tender and spicy. We washed it down with a coke and Kingfisher lager respectively. The wine list was fairly comprehensive, but as I don't drink, we opted for the long drinks. A jug of water was available, but you had to ask for it.

For the next course we ordered just one pilau rice between us (thank goodness) which was light and fluffy. I plumped for the Chicken bhuna, which is pieces of chicken cooked in tomato with a hint of garlic and ginger, and is fairly dry. Hubby had tandori fish, which arrives still sizzling on an iron platter. We chose sag aloo (potatoes in spinach) cauliflower bargee, mushroom bargee and he had a garlic Naan.

The chicken was lovely and tender, spicy without being overpowering, but there was so much of it! Hubby's fish was nicely cooked, large meaty chunks of white fish sizzling away in tandori spices, and served with a side salad and fried onions. The potatoes were cut into bite sized chunks, and cooked with a good amount of spinach. I haven't a clue what the cauliflower and mushrooms were like because I just didn't have enough room to try them! Hubby said they were very nice, so I take his word for it. The Naan was large and fluffy; maybe just slightly overcooked.

Now came the decision. Could we manage
a sweet or could we not? On this occasion we decided not to, but have subsequently foregone the starter in favour of a desert. There is absolutely no way I could manage 3 courses! The menu is the usual sort of Indian restaurant desert menu; various ice creams, sorbets etc.

Hot flannels accompanied by slices of fresh orange are brought to the table after the main course. The orange on this occasion was just enough to round off the meal nicely.

One thing I was disappointed with was the fact that the restaurant did not serve tea, only coffee. I don't drink coffee at all, although my husband does, so I had to opt for another coke. And I do so like a cuppa after a meal! Hubby's coffee cup was replenished as many times as he wanted, and the jug of cream was also refilled without fuss. And we both got a chocolate, even although I didn't order coffee.

Having presented our B.O.G.O.F. voucher when we ordered, we were pleasantly surprised when the bill came to around £27.00. Not bad at all for the amount of food we had consumed.

Le Spice is a nice place to go for an Indian meal. The service is quick, the waiters very attentive and pleasant, and the food is ample and tasty. You do need to be careful what you order however. On one trip my daughter ordered a different fish dish, and was not impressed at all. But in the main, it makes for a pleasant night out, and with the money off, not an expensive one.

It's worth a visit.

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