Not knowing where to go Saturday night I looked for inspiration from the Express & Star Insider Column. Sure enough there was a recommendation for the Spice Barrel and as I recalled a few other mentions I thought it must be worth a try and booked a table for 6.45pm.
We arrived early and parked up on the car park. In all honesty our first impressions was so poor that we nearly didn't go in but as we were there we might as well look inside. We were expecting to have to make a hasty retreat on the pretense that our baby sitter had just called with a problem at home.
What a surprise, we had stumbled upon a very smart "contemporary" restaurant. I am not normally a fan of "contemporary" but they had softened the finishes by adding carpet to the laminate; relief on the walls; LED lights in the ceiling and white table linen. It all looked very clean & smart with a quiet relaxed atmosphere that it maintained as it slowly filled up.
We were obviously first timers and received a warm welcome. There is a decent choice on the menu with a few specials, the drinks are reasonably priced. No complaints with the house red wine and top marks for having Holden's Golden Glow.
We started with popadoms, nicley done which came with a pickles tray albeit two were the same mint yoghurt. Because I have been let down so many times by my favourite sheek kebab I decided to share an onion bhaji with the wife. It came after a short wait complete with an extra plate plus a generous portion of salad from a serving tray - nice touch. I will try a sheek kebab next time.
Main course for both was CT Sagwalla mine Madras hot. Perhaps a fraction salty but we both agreed that it was one of the better curries we've had in a long time. No problems with the fried rice although it seemed short grain rather than basmati; the garlic & coriander nan was very good. Frozen chips but at least they were of the chunky variety and cooked until brown.
It was such a pleasant evening that unusually for us, we had another round of drinks and a desert. The wife had one off the now prevalent bought in desert menu but on the back was the added bonus of banana or pineapple fritter. I enjoyed the former with ice cream.
The bill duly arrived and considering we had extra drinks & deserts the bill seemed reasonable.
There could be a few little improvements but this in my opinion is easily a 4 star restaurant and one of the best of its type. The folk of Tipton are lucky to have Spice Barrel on its door step.
My only disappointment is that I feel the external appearance would deter a lot of passing trade and that would be a big pity. Unusually for someone who likes to try new places, I will be back and next time with friends & family.
Update,
As promised, we did go back in a party of 8 and as expected the evening was enjoyed by all. read more