Update: January 2010
We went here again a few nights ago with a friend and had a perfectly good meal. Service could have been a little more attentive, given that they weren't that busy, but the food and overall experience were fine: we just ordered mains and beer, which came to £15 including tip.
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Situated slap-bang in the middle of Preston Street (West Brighton's main restaurant area), River Spice is a fusion Indian restaurant which stands out as a little more interesting among the other eateries.
The exterior is rather dull, but the interior is much classier, decorated in warm oranges and browns, with modern furniture - the antithesis of old-fashioned Indian restaurants.
The menu is sensibly limited, and includes a section for the modern Anglo-Indian 'Fusion' dishes. We opted for rather more traditional fare for our mains, the Vegetarian platter (basically a Thali) for me and a Chicken Chill Masala - a spicier version of the traditional favourite - for my other half. Both were well executed - none of that 'swimming in oil' which mars so many Indian restaurants - and my basmati rice was simply perfect (it rarely lives up to its 'fragrant' label, but here it did).
More interestingly, we started with the mixed veggie starter platter, which included pieces of papri chaat, aachari paneer tikka, and pani puri crisp wheat flour shells filled with chickpeas and pomegranate and spicy mango chutney and mint water dips. This made for a light and interesting starter and, although it seems a bit pricey at £7.50 for two sharing, you get five pieces each.
We had a very decent Vin du Pays red for £12, and overall really enjoyed the meal: we felt satisfied without feeling bloated, and with a tip and wine it came to £20 a head.
Service was OK, although one waiter seemed a little taciturn, and when they got busier things slowed up a bit - other review sites have commented that service can be a little variable when busy, so maybe not a good choice if you are on a tight timetable or want a quick take-away.
The other problem was that we had a rather voluble group of half a dozen diners nearby - the sort who lubricate the conversation with four letter words and the odd racist comment. We were, unfortunately seated a little too close to them, but thought they'd be leaving as they'd finished their meal and were in the process of paying. I realise the conduct of other customers is not easily in the staff's control, but for some reason they decided to give the group complimentary drinks, so they stayed for another 30 minutes, much to the disbelief and irritation of us and several other diners. A bad error of judgement, in my view, and it detracted from our enjoyment of the meal.
Nevertheless, it's somewhere we'd happily return - we'd be a little more choosy where we sat, next time... read more