The Mint Leaf, Teynham

Bob & Phil frequently drive past the Mint Leaf on the way to or from the Shop so, after an evening when deliveries ended with the van being parked back at the shop, the decision was made to give it a try.

The Mint Leaf is located on the outskirts of Teynham on the A2 - the Sittingbourne end of the village rather than the Faversham end.  Quite easy to spot as it is brightly lit, there appears to be only limited parking.


The Restaurant itself is fairly modern with its decor and makes use of many and varied coloured lights - too many and out of syn with each other!!  Whilst the Christmas tree was a nice touch towards recognising the time of year, the soundtrack of carols and other Christmas classics was a step too far and seemed out of place in an Indian Restaurant.

The Cobras arrived promptly and were served nice and cold, the Papadums took a little longer to arrive and Bob was put off slightly by the very bright colours of the bright red onion salad and the equally vibrant green of the raita.  Both tasted fine though if you could get past the colours!

Bob felt that his Butter Chicken was freshly made to order and enjoyed it.  Phil was rather disappointed with his Dhansak though as it was unsubtley hot.  The Sag Aloo was good and Phil didn't enjoy the Muttar Paneer as it was very coconutty in its flavour

The a midweek curry the service was a bit on the slow side and it was incredibly disappointing that they couldn't manage to serve both curries at the same time with Bob's arriving a good 4-5 minutes after the rest of the meal was served.  Also something we didn't notice until we left was that there were no napkins on our table - most strange!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	8
Papadum	8	6
Curry	6	8
Rice & Vegetables	6	7
Service & Ambiance	6	6

In total 70.  But a rather strange way to get there, hope and promise fading away on one hand versus a steady score deflected by strange colours and poor service.

Fusion Spice Lounge - Whitstable

After an evening of deliveries that ended in Seasalter we decided to pay the Fusion Spice Lounge a visit.

Located in Canterbury Road, with parking behind the restaurant (and a handy entrance direct from the car park too), Fusion Spice is at the opposite end of town to most of the other Indian Restaurants in Whitstable.  Most local residents will remember the location more for the Italian Restaurant - Giovanni's - that it was before Fusion Spice took over.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and served with the usual accompaniments.  A good start to the meal but the Mango Chutney tasted a little strange.  The Cobras were, sadly, rather warm and a warm Cobra does not taste too good.

Phil was very pleased with his Dhansak - a very good one - but Bob was disappointed with his Butter Chicken which, again, he felt tasted a little strange and not to his taste.  Bob also felt that his chicken was a bit tough and overcooked.

The Muttar Paneer was nicely sweet and flavoursome but the Sag Aloo, although nicely flavoured too, suffered from slightly undercooked potatoes.  A shame.

The service was everything that one comes to expect from an Indian Restaurant although we felt slightly that the waiter was going through the motions and would possibly liked to have been elsewhere but the evening was let down somewhat by the ambiance.  We can understand a restaurant being nearly empty midweek and this was no exception but the shelf near us was dusty and the music being played - and repeated as if on a short loop - was most offputting.  It felt like we were on hold on to a call centre somewhere!!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	5	5
Papadum	7	6
Curry	9	7
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	5	5

In total a rather disappointing 63.  The one highlight was the Dhansak in an pool of mediocrity.

India Royal - Faversham

India Royal has been around in Faversham for a long time.  So much so that we had almost forgotten that it was there although Bob used to get his takeaways there many moons ago!   Located on East Street there is plenty of parking nearby with a car park round the corner in Newton Road.


The restaurant looks to have been fairly recently refurbished with subtle downlighting and neat use of coloured highlighting of pictures.  Bob was pleasantly surprised as it was not how he recalled it.  It was fairly quiet - by the time of our main course we were the only ones in there - but looking at the layout it could a little overcrowded if all the tables were full.

The Papadums were warm and fresh when they arrived and seemed somehow a little thicker than most.  Only three pickles - no lime pickle but a very tangy mango chutney.  Bob thought the raita was excellent.  The Cobras were wonderfully cold.

The curries were served nicely hot and remained so during the meal - so often the hot plates don't do their job - with generous portions.  Bob decided to vary his curry so had a butter chicken (a trip down memory lane) and was very happy with it.  Phil stuck to his Dhansak and was not disappointed.

The vegetables and rice were equally hot and we were pleased to see a second hot plate to keep them warm too.  The Muttar Panir was creamy and sweet and an excellent counterpoint to the Dhansak.  The Sag Aloo was a little bland though - could have done with a more salt.

The service was excellent.  It is little things like the plates being arranged with the pattern synchronised, the hot plate for the vegetables, the napkins after the meal and the door being held open as you leave that make a real difference to the experience.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	9
Papadum	8	8
Curry	9	8
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	9	8

In total 84 - which puts them joint top of the leaderboard

Having had a disappointing experience the last time out in Faversham we walked away wondering why we hadn't thought of India Royal before and Phil was trying to work out if a takeaway would still be warm and as good given the distance home.

Jalsha Revisited

A delivery that saw us coming back up the A2 towards Canterbury meant that it was a simple job to park almost outside the Jalsha on the way home without any detour whatsoever!  Last time we reviewed the Jalsha the curry was fantastic but it was let down by poor service.  Would this evening be any better??

For those who may not have read our previous review, the Jalsha looks to be a converted pub in the Wincheap area of Canterbury.  It is nicely decorated, modern looking without being too garish.  Just one little bug bear for Phil was that the colour changing LED uplights were out of sync but hey ho he gets upset by light switches not being level on the wall....

The Papadums were warm and fresh served with an excellent combination of pickles.  The beers were served promptly and we were pleased to see two waitresses serving this evening.

The curries were every bit as good as we remembered from before, with generous portions.  The rice and vegetables the perfect accompaniment all nice and hot with an excellent combination of flavours.

The only downside was again the service.  Admittedly better than before but still lacking one or two little subtleties such as towels after the curry and even the farewell as we were leaving.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	8
Papadum	8	7
Curry	8	9
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	6	6

In total 76 but it could easily have been higher if they paid a little more attention to service.

The Ancient Raj - Canterbury

The Ancient Raj is located on North Lane in Canterbury, about 2 minutes walk from the Westgate Towers.  A converted pub, this was one of the venues where the concept of this blog was first discussed but, strangely, we had never been back.  With that in mind, and with other halves coming along for a Saturday night out, off we went.

The Restaurant is a very popular venue, it was nearly full when we got there and certainly full during the course of our meal.  Rather than the traditional background music there was a live musician playing a guitar and performing acoustical versions of British chart hits from yesteryear.  He was, however, swimming against the tide as the lively atmosphere meant that his efforts were largely ignored!

The Papadums were served warm and fresh and served with a pleasant range of pickles and the Beers (when they arrived - the start of a recurring theme) were nicely cold albeit bottled rather than draught.

The curries were rather disappointing when they all finally arrived.  They were not very warm and seemed almost like reheated take-aways.  The rice portions were rather small too.

The Muttar Paneer was not at all creamy - rather watery - and the Sag Aloo was bland and all in all the meal was not the best!

The service too was sadly not up to much.  The beers took ages to arrive, the plates were brought out far too early and were cold by the time the food was served.  The food itself was served in stages rather than all brought out at once.  A second glass of wine requested when the plates were brought out was not served until the meal was nearly completed.  Very poor!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	7
Papadum	7	6
Curry	5	3
Rice & Vegetables	4	4
Service & Ambiance	4	4

In total a very mediocre 52.

When we first went there some time back we had pleasant memories and thought of the Ancient Raj as a potential yardstick to compare others against but now we are not so sure.  Whether it is the difference between a midweek curry and a Saturday night or whether it has changed hands we are not sure.  We certainly will not recommend this restaurant to anyone who asks!

Spices, Whitstable

Some deliveries that Bob and Phil do are very enjoyable, almost sociable occasions.  After one such delivery this evening near Rochester Airport the decision was made to head back to Whitstable to visit one of the many curry houses, Spices.

Spices is a converted pub on Canterbury Road in Whitstable.  It has the advantage of a car park to the back and has a modern, brightly lit decor.  Its location is at the other end of town to most of the other Indian's in Whitstable.

The Papadums were fresh warm and buttery in texture.  Enjoyed very much alongside the Cobra's which were lovely and cold, the lime pickle in particular was not too hot as is often the case and the onion salad was served with chopped coriander leaves which was very nice.

The curries were very generous servings. Bob varied tonight and went for a butter chicken which he thought was very buttery.  Phil's dhansak was rather too sweet

The Vegetables were a bit of a disappointment.  The potato in particular was very bland and needed salt.  They were also rather on the cold side.

The service was friendly - the waiter reminded Phil of one of the lemurs from Madagascar - but very slow.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	8
Papadum	8	8
Curry	7	7
Rice & Vegetables	6	6
Service & Ambiance	5	5

In total a rather average 68.

A bit of a disappointment after a good start but there are still a few more restaurants to try in Whitstable.

Spice of Bengal - Charing

Another trip over to Charing and so we went to the Spice of Bengal, located at the top of Charing Hill.

There has been a restaurant on the site for many years and the Spice of Bengal is the latest incarnation.  The venue seems very popular and was quite busy for 7:30 on a Thursday evening.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and served with the usual accompaniments which slightly let things down - the lime pickle was very salty and the mango chutney very sharp.  The beer was also a disappointment as Cobra was not available and Kingfisher was served - simply not the same!!

The curries were excellent albeit hotter (spice wise) than normal the portions were very generous and filling.

The Sag Paneer was a very good contrast to the curries but the Bombay Aloo seemed bland by comparison.

The service was a little on the slow side - it was a good ten minutes before the plates were cleared after the meal was completed and unusually we were not asked if everything was OK during the meal.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	5	6
Papadum	7	7
Curry	8	9
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	6	7

In total a rather disappointing 69%

A bit of a shame really that a good curry was let down by things around the edges that nevertheless make for a good meal.

The Raj - Faversham

A couple of deliveries "on the way home" found us in Faversham, close to the Brewery.  Time was on our side so we decided to give the Raj in West Street a try.

The buildings in West Street date back a long long time and the restaurant is adorned with beams and decor as befits a building of that age.


The Papadums were fresh and served with a nice looking selection of pickles but sadly the beers were not as cold as they could have been.  The pickles, however, gave an inkling of what was to come....blandness!

The curries could have hotter - they were lukewarm - and whilst Phil's Dhansak was spicy hot, it lacked a depth of flavour.

The Vegetables were again bland - the potatoes in particular lacked seasoning and were very disappointing.

The service was OK - nothing to fault but again nothing to write home about.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	8
Papadum	6	7
Curry	5	5
Rice & Vegetables	5	5
Service & Ambiance	7	7

In total a fairly mediocre 62.

Some things were quite nice but others seemed to let the side down.  We left with an overwhelming feeling of what could have been if the meal lived up to the premises....

Kerala Spices, Charing

We all judge a book by its cover - but should we??  If you drive past two restaurants that are close together and one has a full car park and the other empty, which would you choose?  We chose the empty one......

Kerala Spices looks and feels like a converted nightclub. The building very unpretentious and tired, bordering on having a run down feeling.  Look past the covers, though, and wonders await you.

The Papadums were undoubtedly fresh although cold when served.  A little greasy but presented with 4 very nice dips that were individually introduced to us - a very nice touch.

We by and large choose the same curries each time so we have a standard by which to judge - the curries this evening have completely broken the mold.  It is hard to describe but I guess we have become accustomed to "homogenised" or "fast-foodised" Kormas and Dhansaks.  Tonights curries were very different!  The flavours were there in abundance but you could tell that the curries had been freshly cooked from scratch rather than from a pre-prepared pot.  Ethnic as opposed to Anglicised?  Homely as opposed to factory made?  They reminded Phil of curries experienced in the early days of the Lahore Kebab House in the East End of London.

The vegetables again had their own blend of spices and the whole meal worked well as a combination.  The portions were very generous but somehow not overly filling - enough so that there was room left for a gorgeous rice based desert!

The service was impeccable and we were left wondering why the restaurant is not a lot busier as the food certainly deserves to have more people eating it.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	9
Papadum	7	7
Curry	10	10
Rice & Vegetables	9	9
Service & Ambiance*	7	7

* 5/5 for the Service but let down by the venue itself

In total 84%  The best yet.  If they put a little more effort into the surroundings then Kerala Spices would be unbeatable

The Lateef Revisited

Our last visit to the Lateef was before we introduced our objective scoring system so, with deliveries in Sittingbourne complete, off we went.

The Lateef is quite a modern looking restaurant, very clean and bright and, tonight, was playing fairly modern indian music.

The Papadums were warm and fresh but disappointingly served with only three pickles - no lime pickle in sight.  The onion was unusually in a bright red sauce which, colour aside, was very pleasant.

The beers arrived after the Papadums (strangely) and were disappointingly warm.  To our minds lager should be served quite cold.

The curries were good and served piping hot.  Phil felt though that his Dhansak was more like a Pathia as it was hot, sweet & sour and didn't have the earthy taste often associated with lentils.

The vegetables and rice were again served piping hot.  The rice was nicely presented and the vegetables were fine.

The service, sadly, was not that good.  Speed was by and large fine if slightly slow but to be asked "is everything OK lads?" and "You fellas up for another beer?  No? - well how about a dessert?" just isn't the sort of service that you would associate with a restaurant.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	7
Papadum	8	8
Curry	7	7
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	6	5

In total a rather disappointing 69%

In summary a reasonable curry let down by very poor service.

The Spice Lounge, Hadlow

On the way to a delivery to Tonbridge we spotted this restaurant which is on the A26 on the outskirts of Hadlow.  A decision was made and, delivery completed, in we went.  What a great spot!

The restaurant itself is a converted pub - The Rose Revived for those who mourn the passing of pubs - and the conversion has been nicely made.

The Papadums were served quickly and were warm and fresh with a selection of five pickles - including an interesting Onion and Coconut combination.  The beers were nicely cold.

The curries were very good indeed, the rice was served beautifully hot but the meal was let down slightly by rather bland vegetable dishes.  The Sag Aloo could have done with more seasoning and the Muttar Paneer whilst full of sweetness from the peas lacked a little spice.

Such was the quality of the meal, however, that an unusual decision was made to have a dessert - which although not counting towards the overall score must be mentioned.  Phil's  Gulab Jamun was absolutely fantastic and Bob was very jealous that he only chose a boring Ice Cream.....

The service was friendly and attentive without being overpowering and Phil was delighted to see Terry Towel  napkins at the end of the meal.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	8
Papadum	9	9
Curry	8	8
Rice & Vegetables	7	7
Service & Ambiance	9	9

In total a very good 83% and it was no surprise to see so many people choosing the short drive out of Tonbridge to an excellent restaurant.

Our only complaint is that it is too far from home to be our regular curry haunt!

Jalsha, Wincheap, Canterbury - Fantastic Food but Sorry Service

Not ones to let the Summer Holidays stop a good curry, on the way back from a delivery in Dover we decided to give Jalsha a try.  Jalsha is in the Wincheap area of Canterbury on the A28 itself on the right heading out of Canterbury towards Ashford.  Despite the A28 being a busy road, parking is easy with plenty of bays on the road and the restaurant has its own car park.

The restaurant looks to be a converted pub but is nicely set out without being too garish. The beers were nice and cold as were the papadums - fresh but not warm.  The range of pickles was good with the Lime being particularly spicy.

The curries were excellent as were the vegetables.  A delightful range of flavours and textures that blended together well.

The only downside to the evening was the rather overworked waitress.  We were greeted by an Indian host who told us that Alex would be looking after us.  Alex was an eastern european girl who, although very good, clearly had too much work to do.  Beers were served nice and quickly, as were the papadums but it took several minutes for us to be able to attract here attention to order our curries.  We felt forgotten.

The plates were nice and hot when they arrived but sadly they arrived much earlier than the curries and so were cold by the time the food was actually served.  And no towels (terry or otherwise) at the end of the meal!!

All in all a good curry let down by poor service.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	7
Papadum	8	7
Curry	9	9
Rice & Vegetables	9	10
Service & Ambiance	6	5

In total  78% - with a bit more staffing it could have been so much more!

The Prince of India - Faversham

Located on Preston Street, a short walk from the Railway Station, the Prince of India is a fairly small restaurant but size isn't everything!

Nicely lit with interesting art on the walls, the decor isn't your typical Indian flock wallpaper.

The beers were served nice and cold - although the glasses seemed warm and were unusually shaped for a lager - but sadly the papadums were not very fresh at all and the dips not up to much either.

The curries, however, were much much better and Bob was delighted to find no prawns in his special fried rice.  Phil thought that his Dhansak was a little too sour and more Pathia like than he would have expected.  The vegetable dishes both had individual flavours and were a great accompaniment.

The evening will probably be remembered, though, for the 8 girls celebrating a birthday who couldn't agree how to divide a bill between them.  Did it really matter that the one who didn't have a papadum had an extra glass of wine??  To the credit of the restaurant, the staff handled the situation perfectly!

Finally Phil was delighted to be presented with Terry Towel flannels at the end of the evening!

This evening marked the start of a scoring system to try and provide a degree of objectivity.  Both Phil & Bob rated the restaurant out of 10 on 5 different topics giving a maximum score of 100 marks.

The Prince of India was rated as follows:

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	9	7
Papadum	4	5
Curry	7	9
Rice & Vegetables	8	9
Service & Ambiance	7	7

In total a very creditable 72%

Salma, Wingham

Set in the little village of Wingham through which the A257 passes, is a gem of a Restaurant.  The Salma.

Our visit was following a trip to Sandwich and was recommended by the customers that we were delivering to.  A great call!!

Papadums fresh and warm, Bob was disappointed about a lack of raita amongst the dips but found that was soon forgotten.  Bob is also not a fan of seafood so has made a note not to go for the special fried rice next time around as it contains prawns - and after this curry there will be!  Phil felt that this was probably the best curry for two or three weeks.

A little pricier, perhaps, than some others we have visited but well worth it!

Star of Bengal

Located in Whitstable, opposite the Library, the Star of Bengal has recently opened at the site what was once Whitstable's first Indian Restaurant but had been closed and empty for several years.

The restaurant is smaller than it used to be - only room for about 30 covers.  And 30 covers was 28 too many when we arrived to find ourselves as the only guests (although a couple did come in a bit later).

The menu is standard fare - although to Bob's dismay there was no Korma on the menu and even worse there were prawns in the rice - but the curry's were uninspiring and the vegetable dishes very bland.  On the plus side though the towels at the end of the meal were real Terry-Towels and not the microwaved "J-Cloth" type that are handed out so often these days.

Sadly though that was all that was worthy of note.  This new venture has a long way to go to compete in Whitstable!!

Lateef - Sittingbourne

It was late in the evening - nearly 22:00 - by the time we got to the restaurant and, although it wasn't too busy there was a big and fairly noisy party already in swing.  Happy birthday Alex, whoever you are!!

Whether it was the hour or the party, the meal wasn't as good as previous curries we have experienced here - and there have been quite a few as the Lateef is just down the road from Bob's shop after all.....

The poppadoms were fine.  Phil still hasn't figured out the red sauce/pickle mixed in with the onions and tonight the lime pickle was conspicuous by its absence!

The rice, as ever, was piping hot but Phil's dhansak seemed sweeter than usual and Bob found that his korma seemed too coconutty.

All in all a slightly below par 7/10 for this visit to our Sittingbourne haunt.

The Shad, Herne Bay

After an evening of deliveries ending in Herne Bay, we went to the Shad in William Street.  The Shad is close to the Seafront, just across the road from the Bun Penny pub (which is sadly derelict following a fire last summer.

It had been a busy day and we had a guest with us - Clyde - a fellow curry-head who can also be found at the shop from time to time.

The Papadums were on top form, warm and fresh, with an interesting and unusual selection of pickles including a chilli jam and two different raitas amongst the usual suspects.

In addition to the usuals, Clyde sampled a Chicken Madras and Pillau Rice with a Keema Nan.

Although the restaurant was very quiet, the service was quite slow and the English waiter didn't seem in any hurry.  The food was OK but not as good as on previous visits.  Overall a 6/10

Welcome to Bob & Phil's Curry Blog!

Having chatted about the concept of this blog over many curries it has finally come to fruition.  The plan is not to backtrack over the curry houses already visited but to blog visits going forward providing an ordinary guy's (or two's) views of the curry houses of Kent!