I came to Scene in Spinningfields on a Friday night, and was surpised at how busy it was. Those eateries at the bottom end of Spinningfields are so tucked away, its rare you see them this packed out!
Friendly staff greeted us and took us to our table. Lovely interior - a lot of work has gone into it to give that authentic Indian feel, yet with lots of expensive decor and props around the place. Huge painted walls with intricate Indian designs. Such a lovely place to just gawp around at!
The menu is extensive, and I was happy to see lots of street food inspired dishes which could be great for sharers or starters. Our waiter took some time out to recommend some options for us, and we actually ended up going with them. I went for a vegetable 'Samosa Chaat' starter, with potatoes, peas and chickpeas topped with yoghurt, mint and tamarind chutney. It was absolutely delicious! It looked like a open lid pie when it arrived! This tortilla base and sides packed with the yummiest filling. Not too spicy but full of taste and flavour.
My guest had chicken and red pepper samosas- crisp savoury pastries stuffed with chicken
and red peppers; accompanied with chana masala. Although he said they tasted great, he said they were slightly 'too much pasty' and not enough filling. However, the combination of meat and veg for a samosa filling instead of just having the separate fillings was refreshing to see.
For my main, I opted for a king prawn dish called TIKHEY JHINGHEY (£14.95), which featured King prawns cooked in a tomato and onion masala with mixed peppers, spring onions and coriander. It was super tasty, although maybe a little hot for me, but my fault!
My guest went for the SHAHI MURGH TANDOORI (£11.95), which contained pieces of boneless chicken breast marinated overnight in fresh yoghurt, ginger, garlic, garam masala, chili powder, fenugreek and lemon juice, seared in the tandoor served Hyderabadi sauce. This was a really nice dish, not too spicy but with a good kick, and also came with rice, whereas I had to order mine as an add on.
The one disappointment was the cocktails, which although sounded fancy, just came in a regular tall glass with no garnishing or anything 'special'.
Can't really fault this place other than the cocktails! read more