July meeting - Spice Lounge, Petersfield

We had a great turnout for our meeting at Spice Lounge, Petersfield, on Wednesday 8th July. The restaurant was very busy, and possibly this meant the staff were under pressure. We even struggled to get some hot pickle with the papadums, though to be fair, service picked up towards the end of the evening.

We enjoyed a mixed starter, comprising chicken chat puree, lamb kebab, chicken tikka, bread-crumbed chicken and onion bhaji. Then the main courses arrived. At our end of the table, we had lamb balti, CTM, lamb dhansak, prawn dhansak, chicken bhuna, vegetable curry. At the far end of the table, lamb jalfrezi and chicken chilli massala were briefly seen but never made it to us. Kulchi lamb came as promised, and was as tasty as ever. Sadly, my overall impression was that there was not much variation between the dishes - most things were suspiciously the same sort of deep red colour, mild to medium (not what we wanted) and very little spice.

All in all, the social side of the evening was far better than the food, and we'd rather have fewer dishes with a focus on doing the cooking right.

Reminder: Bryan Frost and the Ravons are doing a gig in aid of MND charities at the Festival Hall, Petersfield, on 1st August.

Tiffin - Canon Street, E1

Tiffin has a ringing endorsement from the Cobra Good Curry Guide, and though of late my faith in The Good Book has wavered a little, it deserves praise. I actually ate there, which is more than the editors of The Guide are sometimes capable of, and so can pass reasonable judgement - not that I am in anyway Pontius Pilate.

Yes, Tony and I enjoyed a good meal, ordered plenty (Tony drives an ice cream van during the day so he's dying for something savoury come 9pm). BYO Kingfisher washed well and starters included smokey Chicken Tikka, gristle free, savoury Sheekh Kebab's, great persuasively cumin flavoured Lamb Chop's, Veg Samosas and Aubergine Bhajia's - fatty batter tends to make these somewhat predictable.

In between planning a Nineteen Thirties themed party with new Grammarphone as the centrepiece (it has one volume: LOUD), main courses were eagerly set upon. Dahi Murgh comprised chunks of Chicken in a fresh, light, paprika orange yoghurt sauce, Tandoori Vegetables, two delicious skewers, ever so slightly charred, the pumpkin exhibiting an extraordinary raw, sweet, yet tart lemony flavour, as well as rice and a doughy desert bread, doused in toothsome organic honey, proved highly satisfactory.

The owner was very personable and kept assuring us they were usually much busier - they are only about six tables so presumably an orderly Saturday-Night-In-Tower-Hamlets queue forms on such occasions. He also apologised several times for the fact they'd run out of After Eights, I didn't think it fair to tell him I prefered Ferrero Roche. But Trifles and Eton Mess aside, I will pop in again, forgot to mention the food is cheap.

FOOD (& DRINK): 3.5
VALUE: 4
SERVICE: 4
AMBIENCE: 3

Willp2328 score: 7/10

Sea Raj has closed

Grayshott's innovative Sea Raj restaurant is now displaying a notice saying that it has gone out of business and that the restaurant is closed. Whether that's down to the recession, or to a lack of people wanting to try Indian fish cuisine, is a moot point, but it was an interesting experiment. No idea whether the owners have persisted with their larger premises in Farnham, but the lack of any web presence suggests not. Shame.

Elephant Walk - West Hampstead, NW6

Too hot and humid for a preamble today, so I'll get straight into the review, sweat running from brow, feet in a bowl of ice, and so on.

Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurants used to be thin on the ground in London but not anymore, indeed there are several, most a cut above average. Elephant Walk is run by a husband and wife team and three or four very sweet and lovely waitresses. It is small but light in a cafe like way, easy to find - and yes, it is better than average, good to very good.

Starter options appeared a little unremarkable with the exception of Idli's and Dosa's, so we went straight into the mains. Eight of us, three Thali's - meat and vegetable curries, rice, Gothamba rotis (similar to Paratha's but more chewy) and sambol - much enjoyed, just as authentic King fish curry with coconut and tamarind and vegetable sambar were. There was a lot of food, too much to sample, even if portions were sensible.

I thought Ooru Mus, a Pork curry in a thick treacle coloured gravy was strongly reminiscent of a stringent and savoury roast chilli dominated Madras, while mushy Pumpkin registered mellow coconut but lacked a mustardy bite. Still both were comfortably above par.

To summarise: it's decent value, one could get stuffed and get out for £10 if a herbivore, £12 if a carnivore. Beers include Lion lager, apparently ubiquitous across Sri Lanka. The Wine List is mercifully concise, and despite a rather anaemic complexion, the Rose was very palatable. Phew!

FOOD (& DRINK): 3.5/5
VALUE: 3
SERVICE: 5
AMBIENCE: 3

Willp2328score: 7/10

Planet India - Brighton

If you can find Planet India, you are in for a treat. A real treat. The kind you'll want to have all over again. But first a proviso: do not rely on Google Maps, listen to the directions given by the staff, and it helps if you're a fan of Baz Lurhmann - outside, inside it's very 'strictly ballroom'.

Once one has gotten over the cheap day glo splendour, the dancing waiters* and the fact the restaurant is v-e-g-e-t-a-r-i-a-n / v-e-g-a-n (no BYO meat allowed) one can really begin to enjoy oneself. Paul Mercurio would eat his purple heart out here!

I've never been served by a man in a nightie and flip flops before but he was so warm and kind, bluestockings such as I were able to overlook this. There are all sorts of unusual beers to be had - including Trashy Blonde - but the food is simply excellent. Big, simple, direct, delicious flavours. Large portions too.

We consumed with relish (ho ho), homemade Mango chutney and a wonderfully spicy, acrid pickle, then shared (almost) two bowls of chaat - the best, topped with sensationally fresh coriander leaf, sweet and tangy with tamarind yoghurt, and creamy with filling, fibrous chick peas. Taking the option of two half portions for the main course - constituting more than a whole - I delighted in a preperation of buttery little potatoes in a coconut rich tomato sauce and ochre yellow-orange daal, thick and hearty, reminiscent of the most wonderful veg stock. Chris had Sag Paneer, not quite so fulfilling, and Claire a gorgeous, perky Aubergine yoghurt curry. Cumin rice, moist and toasty, proved bountiful.

As I gazed out the window at the sea the following morning and spied a lone pink sail, I thought, only in Brighton! I imagine Planet India will remain hip in a kinda lo-kool way for some time, possibly until the inevitable death of our sun.

FOOD (& DRINK): 4.5
VALUE: 5
SERVICE: 5
AMBIENCE: 4

Willp2328score: 9/10

*only yoking!

Parveen - Islington, N1

Parveen has been around since 1977 - you could call it a 'stalwart'. In appearance the place is no regular curry house though, more resemebling a deep continental restaurant, the kind you find crammed full of sweaty french sophists on a hot summer evening a travers de la mer.

The only sweats you'll get here are from the curries, if you order a Vindaloo in particular. Al, opted for Ginger Chicken, and when it arrived, after regulation pappads, dips, ok Chicken Tikka (with thick red crust of paprika and chilli powder), our waiter announced it to be a Vindaloo...Vindaloo! Yes, the very hottest, dirtiest dish in the world! An awkward minute followed as, stammering in true Brit fashion, we tried to ascertain whether the kitchen had made a terrible mistake. They hadn't. T'was all a humourous jape! Ah! The laughs they must have back there...and the waiter was in on it too!

Anyhow, Al quite enjoyed his Ginger Chicken, although the meat was 'a little dry'. For my part, I felt the Lamb Saag was actually pretty lovely, possessing a savoury aroma yet tasting sweet with plenty of cinnamon, while a stewed Aubergine dish carried an odd but not unpleasant ketchup-like aftertaste. The small portions of rather dry pilau were a bit inadequate mind.

In summary: fair.

FOOD (& DRINK): 3
VALUE: 3
SERVICE: 3
AMBIENCE: 3

Willp2328: 6/10

Gurkha Chautari - Liphook

We had an excellent June meeting at the Gurkha Chautari. The restaurant was quite busy for a Wednesday night, and though our numbers were lower than usual, we were warmly welcomed.

Starters were delicious - lamb, chicken livers and momo dumplings. The restaurant chose the main courses for us: lamb and spinach, a hot and a medium version of khursani kukhura (chicken), hot prawn curry, monkfish, and 'Katmandu kukhura' - a mild chicken dish. All of these tasted really good, and were complemented by some vegetable curries, rice, chilli potatoes (sauteed rather than cooked in a sauce like Bombay potatoes) and dhal.

Some of our members' comments:

"some of the best flavours we've tasted"

"one of the best curries I've had"

"I usually find this place a little mild, but tonight - perfect"

"next time I eat here - monkfish"

"best food, best service, best music"

To summarise - a very good evening, enjoyed by all, excellent service. Highly recommended.