Back to test the waters after a recent bout of Indian restaurants. The verdict, it’s still above the rest.
Food
Of course we have to start with Slokky’s favourite Papadoms (£4.20) + chutneys (£2.70) , which tasted pretty much the same as last time. Since we tasted quite a few of the starters last time, we decided to skip them in favour of mains. The Patra Ni Machchi (£14.95) - On a special occasion "Patra ni Machchi" is perhaps the one dish of which most Parsees dream. "Pomfret", the fish with which it is always associated, is not always easy to find, especially the one we use from the west coast of India. Whole pomfret is slit over the top and the central bone removed, stuffed with green coconut chutney, rolled in banana leaves and steamed. Served with salad and chapatti. was really really good. The fish was quite firm and really soaked up the excellent sauce, with a real depth of flavour. I tried my best to scoop up all the sauce from the banana leave, and the chapatti were a revelation. Fluffy and fresh…I could eat these plain. There was none of the mentioned salad, but I didn’t remember it was on the menu at the time. The Galinha Xacutti (£14.75) - I do not know how often this classic amongst the world’s greatest curries has been glorified on our menus. But for those new to us, this is the very greatest and intricate of all grand curries of India, with more than twenty-one ingredients. Each of the many spices and condiments need individual pan roasting before being puréed with roasted coconut. Hot? Yes no doubt! But full of flavour and gusto. Cooked this time with chicken, and served with garlic palav. Hmmm…. I don’t know about that long description, but the curry was certainly tasty….maybe it was the 21 ingredients doing their work. Café Spice sure know how to spice things up.
Apart from our normal lassi, we decided to test out other aspects of the menu by trying the Cheese, Chilli & Garlic Naan (£2.95) -Back by popular demand! It has a kick, and is quite addictive too. I agree, this was one of the best naans I have ever tasted. Even though we only ordered the mains and the poppadoms, we were still really full and had to yet again skip dessert. Now I can vouch, Café Spice this time around was even better than the last, except I still don’t see what the big deal is with their poppadoms.
Rating - 8.5
Atmosphere
Not as busy this time as last. The usual group of burly businessmen, maybe if you can handle the hottest curry you can succeed in business? Who knows.
Rating - 2.5
Service
Our waiter was charming and really nice. When I first ordered, I asked for a Garlic and a Keema naan. He was nice enough to inform us that since the fish came with chapatti and we already get nice, we probably don’t need so much naan. I like waiters with integrity.
Rating - 4.5
C-factor
Still expensive, but this time we used the Taste London card to get 50% off, so we could even come back again…
Rating - 1
Brownie Points - 16.5
Info
16 Prescot Street
London
E1 8AZ
Phone +44 (0) 20 7488 9242
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