Another week, another curry house for the CCB as we visited the highly rated Spice Society in Beckenham. Established in 2000 and recently expanded, the restaurant has a relaxed ambience and understated glamour.
We were impressed straight away with the good range of poppadum dips, including their tamarind chutney, an unusual sweet and very spicy accompaniment. To start, I had Mirch Kebab, which is charcoal grilled minced lamb mixed with green chillies and herbs and spices. It’s served with a hot sauce and the menu warns that is ‘not for the faint hearted!’. It lived up to its billing, beautifully spiced with a great chilli kick. My favourite starter for a long time.
Cheese Pakora
I was coming down with a bout of man-flu and decided chilli could be my best weapon to fight it off, so I continued with the hot stuff, ordering an ‘Ultra-Hot’ chicken balti. Confusingly described in the menu as ‘fairly hot’. It was actually somewhere in between the vindaloo and phaal heat range, very hot of course but not as searing as other ‘ultra-hot’ dishes I’ve ordered before. Despite being aimed at ‘chilli-head’s’, it was still well flavoured and had a lovely smokey taste. Balti’s here are accompanied by a plain naan and I also ordered Chana Masala, chick peas side dish, which I would also recommend.
MENU
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Spice Society
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MAIN:
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Ultra-Hot Balti was great, although not everyone was as happy with their choices.
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17/20
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STARTERS/
SIDES: |
Highly recommend Mirch kebab, Haryala Chicken & cheese pakora starters.
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9/10
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VARIETY:
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A vast menu with a great range of interesting dishes.
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10/10
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HEAT:
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Most of the dishes were slightly lacking in chilli punch it has to be said.
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2/5
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DRINKS:
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The usual range of lagers plus a comprehensive bar.
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4/5
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VENUE
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ATMOS:
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Fairly busy even midweek. Stylish and relaxed ambience. We enjoyed the Authentic Asian music.
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17/20
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SERVICE:
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Mostly fine, although we did have a long wait for our starters.
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6/10
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VALUE:
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Slightly above average price but I would say still good value for money.
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6/10
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LOCATION:
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Near several bus routes. Car park in the back.
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3/5
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BONUS:
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No complimentary drink was offered.
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0/5
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FINAL_SCORE
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75%
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Booking Name: Jean Pierre La Beast
Pubs: William IV in Elmers End which is just a short walk.
Pubs: William IV in Elmers End which is just a short walk.
Highlight: The huge and varied menu. Almost too many to choose from!
Lowlight: There were a few errors by the staff and we were kept waiting at times.
Verdict: There were mixed feelings amongst our group. A few curry clubbers had minor issues with their orders but overall, I still rate Spice Society as one of the better Indian restaurants in the borough.
Spice Society
139 Croydon Rd
139 Croydon Rd
Beckenham
BR3 3RB
020 8650 1007
020 8650 1007
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