Bengal Spice

Sunday evening, time for another curry. We normally resort to takeaway in front of the TV but, having been inside for most of the day, R and I decided to make the trip to Bengal Spice, another Holloway curry house. We arrived at about 9pm and the place was pretty empty, with only two other tables busy. I don’t particularly like eating under the scrutiny of the staff (ok, this may be my paranoia, but the hush of a dead room is pretty disconcerting) but we’d got this far and weren’t about to turn back.

More white tablecloths, gently abstract art on the walls and a television playing Bollywood tunes, waiters propping up the bar. Unfortunately, R sat facing outwards which meant he spent most of the meal transfixed by the dance routines, while I got the wall. Two more poppadoms to start, slightly thick but fresh. Service was as discreet as it could be, given that by the time our meals arrived we were the only ones left. R opted for the green chicken massala which was impressively fresh looking with a strong chilli kick, and lemon rice on the side. Feeling greedy I ate my way through most of amchoor lamb (cooked with mustard seeds), dall, pilau rice and a nan bread. The nan was great, part blackened and crunchy, part soft and chewy, while the rice did what it said on the tin. The lamb was a bit fatty but tasty enough.

We had a small bicker when R headed outside for a cigarette after he’d finished his meal, leaving me alone and blank, but he came back in quickly to avoid a fight that was brewing down the road. Together with a glass of wine and a beer, the bill came to about £30. The place suffered from my experience at Indian Ocean the night before. Food was fine, if unexciting, but the restaurant really lacked atmosphere and needed more people in it. A decent staple if you’re in the area but in future I’d walk the extra ten minutes for a really good curry.