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.