River Spice

Do not expect river views at River Spice. Do, however, expect excellent food at an excellent price.

The food is described as “pan-Asian” but pan-Asia is a very big pan: it’s actually predominantly Indian sub-continent with Thai influences.

We started with Cod Khela – cod steamed with mustard and green chilies and served wrapped in banana leaves, and Chingra Tava – spiced prawns with ginger and garlic. The cod was excellent, succulent and tasty but not overpowered by the other ingredients. The spiced king prawns were a masterpiece of culinary engineering but, unfortunately, the taste had lost out to the aesthetics.

Elsewhere, the food lives up to the visual promise. Murgh Dhall, chicken cooked with lentils in a sweet and sour sauce, is a Persian dish given a Bangladeshi makeover. At first taste it was deceptively mild but had a slow-burning and deeply satisfying hot kick. Gausht Saag was melt-in-the-mouth lamb cooked with spinach, chilies and garlic in which, despite the medium hot sauce, you could actually taste the freshness of the spinach and the spices.

Veggies are well looked after too. Shobzi Mix – seasonal vegetables with fenugreek and chilli – and Noya Aloo – new potatoes cooked to crunchy perfection with mustard seeds, green chilli and turmeric – were outstanding, light, fresh, flavorsome and seemingly stir-fried rather than slow cooked.

One false note, many good points. Who needs a river view anyway?

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