Spice Valley

We have seen Spice Valley on our trips to the movies and to the other two restaurants in The Valley. It kind of looks like a chain and we never see very many cars out front. At one point I actually wasn’t sure that they were still operating. However, looks can fool! We went to an early movie and decided to have dinner afterward. Being tired of the other two places, I suggested we give Spice Valley a go. We could see the ‘open’ sign on and there were a number of people in having dinner.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but we were willing to try it. Service is very quick and they are quite friendly. Our drink orders were taken very quickly and I was excited to see Pineapple Juice on the menu. The restaurant is bright and quite minimalist inside. You can tell by the table settings that it is meant to look upscale. Mr. Snarky and I were thinking that the place must be relatively new because of how new it looked, but we saw an award from 2003!
The menu is quite large with two pages of starters with all of the items divided into vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. They do use the little chilis next to items to indicate level of spiciness, but I have quickly learned that they mean very different things between each Indian restaurant. For all of the non-​vegetarian items you can choose your meat: chicken, lamb, or prawns. There are also a lot of side options as well as options of rice and naan. There is definitely something for everyone and looking around, it certainly seems as though the restaurant is geared towards groups. We decided to order a vegetarian platter for two to start (onion bhajis, vegetable samosas, and Hara Bhara Kebab… a spinach, potato, and cottage cheese cake that is fried). I decided to have the Chicken Lababdar while Mr. Snarky went with the Lamb Rogan Josh. He had plain rice and I decided to go with the rice spiced with cumin seed and coriander. We also decided to try a Garlic and Coriander Naan.
As we waited we were reading some of the signs, like a lunch Tiffin delivery service as well as a buffet on Wednesdays. We did notice that there were people picking up takeaway orders, but still wasn’t sure why the place never looks particularly busy. Our starter came and I have to say the Onion Bhajis were my favourite and while I liked the Hara Bhara Kebab, I didn’t want to eat too much because of the cheese. To be honest, I like the spice of the samosa, but the outside kind of felt a bit stale. If you are in a bit of a hurry… trying to get to a movie or on a timed lunch, I think Spice Valley would be just as good an option as the other restaurants.
I was worried that we had ordered too much food as we have done at other Indian restaurants, but to be honest, the portions were just right. I would have liked more rice, but I get that not everyone was used to eating rice at every meal as a kid. The Lababdar was a light reddish curry topped with grated coconut and fresh coriander. On the menu it had two chilis next to it, but I don’t remember it being remotely spicy. In fact, with the coconut it had some sweet notes which was refreshing. I had a bite of Mr. Snarky’s Lamb Rogan Josh and it was quite nice, but also not very spicy. So for those of you worried that their curries will burn your mouth, no need. Overall, we were really happy with our dinner and decided to grab a takeaway menu.
I was reading the menu on the way home and realized they have added an incentive for ordering takeaway… 15% off of your order. No wonder we saw more people picking up takeaway orders than sitting in. In fairness to Spice Valley, I don’t actually think their menu is very expensive at all. Sure if you add loads of additional items it can add up, but considering we spent about £30 on a starter platter for two, two mains, two bowls of rice, one naan, and two drinks… I think that is a pretty good value.
About 6 days later, we may have ended up ordering a takeaway… yup a wedding night curry :). We hadn’t planned to do this, in fact we were just going to go to the store and pick up some cold items and have a little indoor picnic. We walked in, they handed us a menu and we ordered a Chicken Saagwala and a Chicken Tikka Masala with two orders of plain rice and two Garlic and Coriander Naans. Our total was £22 and… we didn’t wait very long at all. Everything is packed nicely in little containers (and yes I have washed them out and they are great for packing lunches). Still not a fan of the Chicken Tikka Masala (not just Spice Valley’s but in general), but my Chicken Saagwala was absolutely delicious! It was a bit spicier than the curry I had previously, but you could see red bits of chili, but it was quite nice. I think we know where we will be having our dinners when we go to the movies or if we want to have a takeaway!

Please, please don’t judge this place by the slightly «car showroom» look! I’ve eaten Asian meals all over the Uk (and a few around the world) and this is one of the best anywhere.
Outstanding freshness, choice and taste. Great prices, too.
Just book it and enjoy!

Agree with Elliott! From the outside it does look very corporate however you are drawn in by the amazing aromas! The staff are freshly and welcoming and as for the food, out of this world. Although pricey this is definitely an Indian I would recommend