All week I had been looking forward to
my Sunday evening meal at Indie Spice in
Stranmillis. Who doesn’t love a bit of spice
and flavour on a Sunday evening before
settling into the weekly routine? After
hearing wonderful things from colleagues
and friends and getting a sneak peek at
their new menu online, I was buzzing to
try it out. What I love most about Indian
cuisine is that it feels like a real treat but
isn’t unhealthy for you. It is a fantastic way
to ensure you get plenty of vegetables and
legumes into your diet - balance!
It was a rainy evening and our table was
booked for 9pm, it was just starting to get
dark as we arrived. I was thrilled at the
ample parking along the road, meaning
we didn’t get drenched en route and
I could dress up a bit and wear heels
without worrying about a long trek to
the restaurant. There was a chilled vibe
in the restaurant. On arrival my friend
commented on how clean and hygienic
it was. We were seated in the middle of
the restaurant in a comfy booth next to
the front bar area, the perfect seats to lap
up the relaxed atmosphere around us. It
also gave us the opportunity to chat to
the friendly knowledgeable waiters about
some of the tasty dishes on offer.
We both ordered Cobra which was
recommended to us by the waiter. It was a
toss up between Cobra or Tiger beer. The
perfect smooh companion for the spicy
treats which lay ahead of us.
The menu was brimming with delicious
dishes. There were so many to choose
from. I felt totally spoilt for choice but
knew what my favourites were from being
brought up on spicy curries as a child.
For my starter dish, I was torn between a
few of the vegetarian options, the classic
onion bhaji, the vegetable pakora and the
chana chaat (chickpeas tossed on a pan
with tangy, sweet sauce and served on a
fried pancake). I adore the fried pancakes
so decided to go for the aloo chaat dish
(chickpeas and potatoes with a fried
pancake) as my starter. The pancake was
cooked to perfection and complemented
the softly done potatoes beautifully. It all
melted in my mouth for a classic flavour
fusion.My friend went for the mixed tandoori
starter dish. This was a combination of
murgh tikka (chicken fillets), seekh kebab
(minced lamb with fresh garlic/ginger) and
jhinga tandoori (king prawns marinated
in lime juice). My friend was so impressed
with all the variety of meat on his plate and
commented on how perfectly cooked each
part was. He was blown away by how tasty
it all was.We were also treated to some yummy
papadums with dips to keep us going untilthe mains came out.
I love potatoes so for my main dish, I
asked them if they could cook me up the
aloo chana as a main instead of a starter,
to which they happily obliged! I was
delighted as this is my all time favourite
Indian dish. It was bursting with unique
and fresh flavours that worked amazingly
together.My friend is relatively new to curry houses
but loves spicy foods so he felt this was
a real treat. He opted for the lamb rogan
josh. It came out presented beautifully,
marinated in a blend of spices and cooked
with chopped onions and tomatoes in the
sauce. He was in awe of it and commented
on how tender the meat was.The portion sizes were great, we did not
go hungry that night, we didn’t even leave
room for dessert! We ended up taking
a ‘doggy bag’ home with us as our eyes
were bigger than our bellies and we
couldn’t stand the thought of wasting any
of the good food.Indie Spice is conveniently close to the
iconic Lyric Theatre, it would make for the
perfect dining spot before seeing a show
as they have an early bird / pre theatre
menu which is decently priced. The meal
went down a treat for both of us and we
left feeling very satisfied and excited to
return soon!Indie Spice
159 Stranmillis Rd,
Belfast
BT9 5AJ
T: 028 9066 8100
http://www.indiespice.com/belfastA SpIcy
SundAy
uLSTER TATLER’S
chLoE hEAnEy
vISITS IndIE SpIcE
In STRAnmILLIS.Restaurant Review
Restaurant Review225