The Spice Lounge

OK … so let’s get this started and say that while the review is for Club Rafiki, this venue ceased to trade under that name a little while ago. This is now The Spice Lounge!
That in itself is not as confusing as the fact that within 200 yards is a takeaway by the very same name and they are no relation to each other. So this review is for the Spice Lounge .
I am very much an afficionado of good Indian/​Pakistani cuisine and it usually takes a restaurant of some calibre to offset the bland mediocre curry-​by-​numbers offerings of most restaurants and take-​aways. Some do it by specialising in a particular regions cuisine or creating fusions. Others do it by just serving good and very tasty food. This one falls into the latter category.
Let’s face it, the area has a wealth of competition as there are numerous Indian restaurants and take-​aways within spitting distance of this place and it hardly exudes a welcome from the outside. It still retains it’s ‘club’ feel but you get a feeling that something is going right when the clientele is predominantly Indian/​Pakistani but also business oriented. This can feel a little intimidating but taking the chance reveals just why they are there.
The staff are very welcoming, friendly efficient and attentive. They can err on the side of too attentive at times but that is not necessarily a fault. The food is what sets this place apart. Our starters, which were seafood and vegetables spiced beautifully, were cooked to perfection and so tasty it was a temptation to forego the main course and order another plate. Succulent, not too greasy and perfectly spiced so that the vegetable and prawn textures were not drowned. Delicious.
Having been spoilt by the starters I felt sure that they couldn’t keep up the standard. However a Goan Fish Curry was on the menu and I hadn’t eaten a good Goan dish since I had last been in Goa! I was not disappointed at all and really enjoyed the meal. It was clear that the ingredients were fresh, of excellent quality and cooked really well.
The restaurant itself has been laid out in rows of tables, a bar along one wall and the rest of the restaurant space reserved for customers. Owing to the intense sun, the blinds were closed to the high street giving a rather lovely dimmed atmosphere but usually the blinds are open. At one end of the restaurant is, rather bizarrely, a television that shows B4U which shows it’s ‘Club’ origins. Unfortunately our table was right near the TV but the volume was down low enough for conversation to occur without strain. However the content of the channel was a source of amazement and amusement during the meal.
The downside of this is that the restaurant is not cheap. Even given the quality of food the place does have equally good quality competition that is not quite as pricey. The menu isn’t hugely diverse but that is absolutely to its benefit. Reducing the amount of dishes required to be cooked increases the quality as the chef can concentrate on making the best of them rather than a mediocre smattering of all.
This is a restaurant that I shall go to when I want to impress, when I am willing to pay the price for somewhere locally that has an upmarket atmosphere and high quality food. In short, I will certainly be back