LCB

Introduction

Our last outing was to one of Tooting's newest additions; this time it was the turn of a Tooting legend.

Despite a brief hiatus, and a move down the High Street, Spice Village has long been a stalwart of the local scene. Ever the reliable choice, I hadn't visited since it made its move to occupy the former site of Khas, and Masaledar, however, I was a regular of its earlier location, with two reviews posted in 2012 and 2019.

Keen to see how things had changed, and to undertake the blog's first third-time review, I took Caroline, and local LCB virgins Steph and Jack along.

Venue

Spice Village was unmissable when it used to sit next to Chicken Cottage, near the Tooting Bec end of the High Street. However, a departure from the franchise saw that location rename under Royal Mahal (or so I believe). Not content to have departed South London's buzzing scene, Spice Village - also available in Southall - re-emerged to replace Khas on the corner opposite the mosque and Tesco Express.

Occupying this central and memorable site, Spice Village has adopted the famous waterfall of its two predecessors. Sadly, this once novel feature is in need of a bit of a clean, but the rest of the venue dazzles with all the bling of the bazaar. But the decor here is a little more tastefully executed than at similar rivals Dawat and Royal Mahal. 

The marble effect table tops and borders to the bar and walls mix a tasteful blend of geological golds and topaz blues to match the similarly styled furniture. This, offset by the classy black and white chevron flooring creates (probably) the best curry dining experience the area has to offer. But book ahead as it's popular and not always easy to walk-in, as several previous attempts by me testify to.

9/10

Sides and starters

Poppadoms

Pakoras

Onion Bhajis

Keema Naan

Roti

Pilao Rice

With some preferences leaning away from lamb, the mixed grill was off the cards this time, particularly as it's now £35(!). It was  substituted insubstantially by some rather dry finger pakoras and flat bhajis. These mirrored the poppadoms that also felt a little stale.

Fortunately, the keema naan redeemed the starters and sides a little with its moist meaty centre and sesame sprinkled top to match the very best. But overall, we were left a little underwhelmend, meaning it's only a 6/10.

6/10

Curry

Afghani Chicken Karahi

Achari Lamb

King Prawn Karahi

Chana Masala

The curries at Spice Village have long been, in my humble opinion, the most consistently good in Tooting. Many rave about Lahore Karahi as being Tooting's best, but I've found greater inconsistency in my time here.

A favourite of mine is the Afghani chicken, a sweet and spicy number that's served on the bone for extra tenderness and flavour. Another is the chana masala - a dense melée of saucy chickpea goodness with a gooey nuttiness amidst the spicy sauce - probably the best around (although my recent sample of Naan Staap's iteration gives it a good run for its money!).

The achari lamb was also great, with deliciously tender, non-gristly meat that is generally the order of the day at Spice Village. The prawns though were a little over done and not that many in number, so a little disappointing, despite the beautiful rich tomato sauce. This was enough to knock down scores from a 9 to an 8 this time, but nevertheless, Spice Village proved its curry credentials once again.

8/10

Service

Befitting of the stylish decor, the waiting staff and crockery were also well turned out. Gold cutlery, and insignia marked plates set the bar high for other local establishments. This is despite Caroline complaining that the plates' textured surface isn't conducive to mopping up all your chutney.

Smart staff have always been par for the course at Spice Village and is, again, something others could learn from. The waiters come in racing green waistcoats, like a restaurant version of The Masters golf, but sadly the wait times weren't up to the same standard on our visit, and our dirty plates took a while to be cleared (another bug bear of Carolines, apparently!). 

7/10

Value For Money

I'm seeing a worrying trend of mixed grills jumping up to £30+ which stretches value for money a little too far for me. Yes, the meat maybe better quality and more expensive, but come on! Likewise, some may baulk at the strict no alcohol policy here, however, given the surrounds and high quality curries at around the £10/£11 mark, the overall VFM is still very good. But, our experience was tainted a little by the starters and slowish service, so it's only a steady 7 for Value For Money on this occasion.

7/10

Summary

Spice Village remains an LCB favourite, not least due to its reliability and consistently good curries. The starters seemed to have declined a little, which I hope is just a temporary blip, but the overall experience is a little more elevated than some of the more rough and ready establishments nearby (although this is improving all-round). Likewise, it still represents decent value for money despite the lack of BYOB. 

As always, highly recommended. I just hope to try the Southall branch sometime soon. 

37/50

Click here to read our old review of Spice Village from 2012, or 2019