Indian Restaurants

Restaurants reviewed on this page:

* Passage To India
* The City Spice
* Jewel of India
* Spice Paradise

20th April 2007 - Spice Paradise

41 Magdalen Street, Norwich, NR3 1LQ
Tel: 01603 666 601

Smoking: No

Parking: No - Can be found on Magdalen Street or Anglia Square

I was recommended to come here by my friend and fellow foody, Paul. He'd been here earlier in the week and really enjoyed it. If it's good enough for him, then it's good enough for me.
This restaurant has had various names - The Jewel of India and then Aubergine, which specialised in vegetarian Indian dishes, and now its present guise.
Apparently, this is the only Indian restaurant in Norwich that specialises in Southern Indian food. I had never eaten food from this region before so I was really intrigued and excited about trying it. It didn't disappoint.
We had a wonderful evening and had probably the best value meal we'd ever paid for.
The service was excellent, from our greeting when we arrived, the help we got choosing the food, explaination of all the dishes and just their general politeness throughout the evening.
I really liked the ambience and the decor of the restaurant, I felt very comfortable and relaxed here.
The menu, although being plastic with pictures (one of my pet hates!), is excellent with a good choice of traditional Northern and Southern dishes. There is an option to pay £18.95 for a vegetarian or non-vegetarian feast, which included 3 starters, 3 mains and dessert. We couldn't decide what to have from the Southern menu so we decided to take up the 'feast' option and let them surprise us. My God, when they said feast, they really meant it. There was so much food and it was all excellent. Unfortunately, we couldn't eat it all and had to leave some. This wasn't a problem as it was promptly put into take away containers and into a bag for us to take home! Overall, we had a really superb evening and will definitely be returning with friends in the near future.

I had: For starter we were both given the same selection of starters. Mysore Bonda, which were potato balls flavoured with ginger, curry leaves, coriander and black mustard seeds. Delicious. Really moorish and we could have eaten more of them. Squid fry, which were fresh squid rings in a batter made from garlic paste, cornflour, chilli and black pepper. We also got chicken butter fry. Chicken pieces marinated in spices and then fried. It was all fantastic, but maybe a little filling. Especially as we didn't know what was to follow!
For main course we shared: Kerala fish curry, which apparently is the 'most famous dish in Kerala'. Kingfish cooked in a sauce made from onion, fried chillies, tumeric, ginger and kokum (fish tamarind). This was really tasty. So many flavours at once. Really delicate fish, a bit like salmon steak, that went fantastically with the spicy tangy sauce.
Kovalum Chicken curry. This had so many flavours. Really moist chicken that was flavoured with cardoman, coconut and other spices. This was my personal favourite.
Spicy lamb fry. Cubes of lamb with Indian shallots, curry leaves and coconut. To be honest, this was ok but neither of us really got that excited about it. The lamb was slightly overcooked and a bit chewy.
We also got three sides with our food and bread, if we didn't have enough food already! We were given a Dosa, which is a thin pancake filled with curried potato and spices. It was absolutely delicious but absolutely massive. It was a meal in itself. It was served with a bowl of Rasam (for dipping possibly - it's what we did anyway!), which is a lentil broth laced with ginger, tamarind and tomatoes. Again, this was superb.
We were also given some curried chickpeas, which were amazing. They went with everything and we couldn't get enough of them.
We were also given some cabbage that was steamed with coconut. This was really good. It was a prefect accompaniment to the chicken curry and the fish.
For dessert we were given something quite light, thankfully! Semiya Payasam - vermicelli cooked with natural milk, sugar and spices. This was gorgeous. A bit like rice pudding but thinner and with more flavours. A perfect way to finish our banquet.
Luckily we didn't bring the car, so we were able to walk off all the food we'd just eaten. We almost had to be rolled out the door.
I would definitely recommend coming here but I would definitely advise skipping lunch so you have a good appetite!

Rating:

Food **** Service ***** Atmosphere **** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks ***

OVERALL = ****

17th September 2006 - Jewel Of India

41 Magdalen Street, Norwich NR3 1LQ
Tel: 01603 666 601

Smoking: Yes (At time of visit)

Parking: No- nearest parking Magdalen Street

Expect to pay: £20 (approx) a head for two courses with drinks and £25 (approx) a head for three courses with drinks

We were out with friends who we hadn't seen in a while and we all really fancied curry. Because they'd been on a diet, Karen and Dave hadn't had a curry in over a year. This called for an emergency!!!
I'd never been to this restaurant before but I'd heard very good things about it and was really looking forward to it. It didn't disappoint.
The first thing that struck me was the decor. It wasn't your normal Indian restaurant. This one had lovely 'moody' red lighting, modern art on the walls and really interesting modern furniture. I really loved the chairs with their curved backs. Also the music was Indian 'rock' or at least modern up to date music instead of the constant sitar-playing that can sometimes grate a little.
The service was excellent. Sometimes the service in Indian restaurants can be very serious, standoff-ish but always very profesional. The people here were polite, talkative, friendly and fun. I really liked them. Our waiter was very helpful. I wanted to try something new, as I always have patia or dansak, and he help me choose something from the special's menu that suited my taste.
The food was excellent. And there was lots of it. The only complaint I could have is that the side orders were quite small. Apart from that, we all really enjoyed our meal.

I had. For starter I had the king prawn puree. I never normally have a starter in an Indian restaurant but as everyone else was having one, I thought I would too. Lots of nicely spiced meaty king prawns on delicious deep fried 'puffy' bread. It was excellent. A really wonderful appetiser and had my taste buds ready and excited for the main course.
For main course, Catherine and I shared two 'Chef Specialities'. I chose the Naga Chicken. Fairly hot chicken that had been charcoal-grilled and cooked with different spices, chilli and garlic. I have to say it wasn't as good as a patia but it was utterly superb. There were so many flavours going on in my mouth with a hot kick at the end. Superb. I'd definitely have it again.
Murgh Taka Tak was also very good. It is a more 'traditional' dish apparently. The pieces of chicken were much smaller in this curry, thus letting the meat take on more of the flavours. It was really tasty. It's not a very hot curry so this meant you could taste all the flavours and spices. Again, I would definitely have this again.

We all declined on dessert. Overall, a really enjoyable evening and I would like to go back in the future.

Rating:

Food **** Service ***** Atmosphere ***** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks ***

OVERALL = ****

Guest review!!! 10th March 2006 - Jewel of India (Catherine Monsey, Norwich)

Magdalen St, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1LQ

Tel: 01603 666601

Smoking: Yes (designated areas)

Parking: No - nearest parking Magdalen Street or Anglia Square

Expect to pay: £20 (approx) a head for two courses with drinks and £25 (approx) a head for three courses with drinks

Normally when I go for a curry I head straight for City Spice so when a friend said a group of us were going to The Jewel of India for her birthday I automatically thought it wouldn’t be as good as normal – I was wrong! Everything about this restaurant impressed me; the menu, the price, the wine, the service, even the décor!

I normally stick to lager when having an Indian but tonight I fancied wine. The wine selection was very good and reasonably priced. We started with the obvious pappadums and chutneys and then it was straight to the mains. I’m so predictable when having an Indian meal and normally have either a Patia or Dansak but tonight I thought I’d try something different. Most dishes on the menu are half price at the moment so I thought I’d try one of the chef’s specialities. I opted for the Murgh Taka Tak and it was GORGEOUS! The meat is grilled first so had a lovely smoky flavour and the sauce was spicy but not dangerously so. I also shared pillau rice, a garlic naan and an aloo gobi which were all equally as good.

The only down side is that it’s cash transactions only so if you’re used to just pulling out the credit card you need to be prepared – unlike me! This is probably how they can keep the prices so low though. Overall, it was an excellent evening and even though it’s the wrong side of the city for me I would definitely go the extra distance when I fancy a curry next.

Rating:

Food ****1/2 Service **** Atmosphere **** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks ****1/2

OVERALL: ****1/2

11th November 2005 - The City Spice

8, Dereham Rd, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 4AY
Tel: 01603 621621

Smoking: Yes (designated area)

Parking: No - nearest parking near Toys R Us/TK Maxx. Would suggest walking or taxi

This must look like I haven't had a curry in exactly a year! I have had countless take-aways but just haven't had a curry in a restaurant (in Norwich at least) in that time.
Anyway, now I work from home I just needed to get out of the house. I don't drink on a Friday because I manage and play for a local football team so we decided to go out for something to eat. Curry was what we both fancied so off we went. The City Spice is only 10 minutes walk away and suited it's purpose. It was out of the house and it sold curry.
We always get our takeaway curry from here so we knew what to expect. It didn't disappoint. Excellent service, a quiet and comfortable atmosphere, excellent food and a pint of Kingfisher. What more could you want on a Friday evening?

We shared: Chicken Jalfrezi - A fairly hot curry with tender chicken, fresh chillies, tomatoes and coriander. Really good.
Chicken Rogan Josh. we both fancied trying something different and neither of us had had this before. A medium hot, fairly dry curry cooked with tomatoes, onions and garlic. The chicken was nice and tender again and we both really enjoyed it.

We shared side orders of Pilau rice, sag aloo (potato and spinach) and a garlic naan.

No room for pudding.

Rating:

Food ****1/2 Service ***** Atmosphere *** Menu ***** Wine/Drinks ***

OVERALL ****

For older review(s) of City Spice, click here

11th November 2004 - Passage to India

45, Magdalen St, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 1LQ
Tel: 01603 762836

Parking: No. Nearest parking Magdalen Street or Anglia Square

Smoking: Yes - at time of visit

Expect to pay: £20 (approx) a head for two courses with drinks and £25 (approx) a head for three courses with drinks

Catherine was going away for a couple of days so we thought we'd go out for a nice meal before she went. We both fancied curry and Catherine highly recommended this place as she'd been there lots of times before.
We were met at the door by a very friendly man who shook our hands and showed us to our table.
Like I've said before, I'm a bit of a 'curry amateur' so I had to read the menu carefully. We had so much food, it was great. We left with very rosy cheeks and extremely full stomachs.
The service was excellent, the food was superb, the atmosphere was nice and the Kingfisher Lager went down a treat. What else would you drink with a curry?

We shared: Chicken Dansak - a quite hot but very flavoursome 'thick' curry. Absolutely gorgeous. Really tender chicken with a great sauce.
Chicken Patia - a pretty hot sauce that was just right. Again, beautifully tender chicken.
For sides we had Allo Gobi, Bombay Potatoes and a garlic naan bread, which were all excellent.

Rating:

Food **** Service ****1/2 Atmosphere *** Wine/Drinks *** Menu ****

OVERALL = ***1/2