Mango Spice

The aromas of Mango Spice had haunted me for years so a few weeks before my wedding I broke my healthy eating routine and used meeting up with some friends as an excuse to book a table.
It was booked for 6pm so there were only a few people in the restaurant when we got there. We were welcomed and offered a large table near the window (the only window in the whole restaurant). It was warm and gave us some privacy to talk about our girly stuff. As we were seated I eyed up someone’s food and noticed that their naan bread was the biggest I had ever seen! Bring it on…
The menu had the general selections of a curry house as well as their own signature dishes, but as a newbie I felt I had to go with something I was confident with, so a Lamb Jalfrezi and pilau rice was ordered.
The Jalfrezi was nice and yes, the naan bread was huge but it was nothing to write home about. As the night went on it got busier and our service became less and less. They didn’t seem to have the staff for a busy Friday night. Everything was just a bit too boring and average; the food, the people, the prices.
They need to add a bit of spice to attract me back again. If they made it a bit brighter, livened up the music and started smiling a bit more then I’d go back to try a signature dish.

What seems to unite most reports I get about Mango Spice is people’s sheer surprise that it’s very good. There is nothing to suggest the experience could be disappointing, it’s just that from such an unassuming spot, formerly occupied by a range of ventures which seemed to struggle, a particularly good curry is unexpected. The reality lives up to the word of mouth.
The interior can seem a bit spartan (and perhaps it is that which puts diners on a backfoot right up until their food arrives), but really this is the only negative. Dishes are generous and seem to find new spin on familiar fare… even the normally rather tame Brit fave tikka masala packs punch. To top things off, it’s licensed… and a cool pint will usually be offered to you while awaiting takeaway orders — portions of which are huge.
Despite that location, set back from a largely residential road and sandwiched between a chippy and convenience store, people really should give it the benefit of the doubt. Central Sutton diners blessed with curry choice should consider making the trip a couple of miles to the north.

I first visited Mango Spice a couple of years ago when I thought, because of the name, it may be a Caribbean restaurant. Although initially disappointed, I have become a fan of this Indian restaurant. Indian cuisine is my all time favourite food and this place is one of places on my list of definite revisits.
To start I went for the Misrithi Machli. King-​sized prawns and salmon, cooked with generous helpings of ginger and garlic, lightly spiced and served on a bed of creamy mushroom sauce. Simply delicious. Main course Bhuna Kathi Gosht. A delicious, medium spicy dish of tender lamb. Roasted in the tandoor, cooked with onions, fresh tomatoes, a touch of fenugreek and coriander. I asked for extra chillies as I like it hot. The service is excellent, the atmosphere in relaxed and comforting. I would place Mango Spice within the top five of Sutton’s premier Indian restaurants but don’t take my word for it, try for yourself.