Rayleigh Spicy is located on the High Street in Rayleigh at the end of a modern parade of shops. There is a large car park behind the parade about two minutes walk away. It is nicely decorated and has a warm, welcoming feel.
The (draught) Cobras arrived very promptly and were nicely cold, The papadums were not far behind and were served with an interesting red, onion based, pickle rather than the usual lime. Bob is not an onion fan so, initially, was not keen but having worked out how to leave the onion chunks behind enjoyed the sauce. The papadums themselves were warm and fresh and nicely crumbly.
There was quite a pause before the curries appeared and were a bit of a mixed bag. Phil's Dhansak had the right texture but, flavour wise, was somewhat lacking as it seemed to be too tomato based and was certainly one of the milder Dhansak that he had encountered. Bob's Butter Chicken was rather chewy and, again lacked flavour.
It should be noted that the portions served were very generous throughout and this also applied to the rice and vegetables. Both Bob and Phil enjoyed the rice. Phil thought that the Sag Paneer was very good although Bob felt that the Bombay Aloo was a little on the bland side. Hidden between the three was a little aniseed hit that kept recurring - they couldn't work out where it was coming from!!
The service was a little on the slow side but this could be down to how busy the restaurant was on a midweek evening. The waiters, though, were very friendly and affable and looked after Bob & Phil well.
Area
|
Phil
|
Bob
|
Beer
| 8 | 9 |
Papadum
| 8 | 8 |
Curry
| 7 | 6 |
Rice & Vegetables
| 8 | 7 |
Service & Ambiance
| 7 | 7 |
In total a very respectable 76 - above average but not quite in the top 20.
Bob & Phil could understand why Rayleigh Spicy was busy - it was Thali night and that seemed very popular. Should another delivery to Rayleigh be called upon then Bob & Phil will be back!
