Spice Merchant

Came here last night. it was quiet for a Thursday night, maybe one third full. The food was good; i made the mistake of asking them to spice up a dish (lamb chettinad) and it was searingly chilli-​hot on arrival. But not their fault! we also had chicken karahi and saag aloo, both of which were fine. Service was good, if a little obsequious, and the dishes arrived quickly. Wine was alright as well but the problem was the place itself. It is a cavernously large, high-​ceilinged restaurant with dark panelling and bright lighting. As i was searching for an appropriate adjective, my companion came up with it: sterile. No atmosphere leading to a kind of flat dining experience. maybe it’s better for lunch. Hopefully they do take-​away.

Just had the lunch buffet, so I didn’t get to sample many of the items that my friends said were their favorites. The dal was really tasty (I went back for seconds) and the tikka masala was bomb-​diggity (Do they use that phrase in the UK? Probably not in Henley. Probably nobody uses it in the US either, except maybe Coolio).
I wish the buffet had offered more items, but what they did have was pretty good. One cool thing was that they have a boat parked out front on the Thames that you can apparently reserve for a private dinner. Sounds romantic.

Worth the trip from London just for the food.