Monsoon - Margate

A trip out to Westgate gave Bob & Phil the opportunity to pay a visit to a Curry House that Phil had spotted on a recent day out to Dreamland in Margate.

Located on the A28 in the Garlinge area of Margate - opposite the Hussar Hotel - Monsoon is a modern looking restaurant.  The theme continues inside with a strong red & black decor to the seating with a "american diner meets curry" kind of mix.  There is no nearby parking to speak of but Bob & Phil found a place in an adjacent side road.

The visit got off to a great start with the nicely cold (draught) Cobras arriving very promptly but the Papadums were rather disappointing.  They were not warm and had a slight chewiness to them so were rather on the stale side.  The pickles, however, were fine including an interesting zing to the mango chutney.

The curries were well presented and nicely hot but Bob was disappointed with the lack of flavour in his Korma.  Phil felt that his Dhansak had all the right elements for a good one but the flavour was overwhelmed by too much salt.

Both Bob & Phil really enjoyed the vegetables.  The Bombay Aloo and Sag Paneer had individual and distinctive flavours and the special fried rice, too, was nicely hot and what was expected.

The service was very good.  There was a large party already in swing when Bob & Phil arrived but this did not detract from the service that Bob & Phil received with one waiter in particular being very helpful and polite and an excellent sense of humour.

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

In total a reasonable 71 but some more points could have easily been won!

Monsoon is in a prominent location and evidently popular and has potential.  It just needs a little attention to detail.

Spice Lounge - Faversham

A delivery to Faversham gave Bob & Phil the chance to try a restaurant that they had not been to before, indeed, did not know that existed until they stumbled across it.

The Spice Lounge is located on Preston Street, close to the centre of town.  There is a large Pay & Display car park (free after 18:00) a short walk down an alleyway which brings you out next to the restaurant.  It looks to be quite modern and this is certainly reflected in their menu.  Bob & Phil were shown to a table near the water feature at the entrance which they found rather noisy.

The Papadums were nicely warm and were served with the usual 4 pickles although both the onion and the raita were quite minty which Phil didn't like too much.  The (bottled) Cobra's were served promptly and were cold but not very cold.

The curries, when served, arrived without a hot plate which was unusual and could have done so because they were not overly hot and going cold by the time the meal was finished.  Bob enjoyed his Butter Chicken but Phil was rather disappointed with his Dhansak as he felt it was unbalanced and overwhelmingly sour.

Both Bob & Phil enjoyed the rice but had mixed opinions about the vegetables.  Bob enjoyed them but Phil found them rather bland - a side effect of the Dhansak perhaps?

The service was OK, but nothing special and certainly not worth the £7 service charge added to the bill.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	7
Papadum	7	7
Curry	5	7
Rice & Vegetables	7	8
Service & Ambiance	3	2

In total a rather uninspiring 60 putting it down in the bottom 5 curry houses and leaving it trailing well behind India Royal in Faversham.

Twydall Tandoori

An evening of Sofa deliveries saw the final stop just around the corner from the Twydall Tandoori so it just had to be the venue for this evenings curry stop.

Located on Twydall Green at the end of a parade of shops - Phil could recall going into Woolworths which in its heyday was located 4 or 5 doors down - Twydall Tandoori is a traditional looking restaurant.  There is plenty of street parking available together with a large car park just across the road.  Inside, the Restaurant the traditional theme continues although the decor did look a little tired.

The Papadums when they arrived were warm and fresh but sadly the (draught) Cobras were not very cold at all.  The pickles were the usual selection.

The curries arrived after a short wait.  Bob enjoyed his Butter Chicken but Phil was dissapointed with his Dhansak which he described as very one dimensional - hot but not sweet and sour.  It felt more like a Chilli Chicken with added lentils than a properly made Dhansak.

The feelings were the other way around with the vegetables.  Phil felt that they were an enjoyable contrast to the heat of the Dhansak but Bob felt that they lacked taste.

The service was perfectly acceptable although nothing special - towels after the curry were conspicuous by their absence - but the strangest part of the evening was the TV in the corner of the room showing BBC News 24.

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

In total a rather mediocre 65. Not the lowest score but unfortunately down in lower reaches of the blog scores.

Clearly from the people in the restaurant this evening the Twydall Tandoori has a local following but there are better restaurants not that far away..

Meopham Tandoori

Tonight saw Bob & Phil called upon to deliver a Parker Knoll recliner to Meopham.  The SatNav duly directed them to the delivery address but, en-route, took them past Meopham Tandoori and thus the destination for tonight's curry was set.

Meopham Tandoori is located in The Parade, just off the A227.  There is parking on the street outside the restaurant or there is a car park just around the corner.  It is modernly decorated and looks to have been recently refurbished.and, according to their website, claims to be specialists in Balti.  As they entered, both Bob & Phil noticed a very positive review posted on the door!

The (bottled) Cobra's and Papadums arrived very promptly.  The beers were nicely cold and the papadums nicely warm.  Bob in particular was very pleased to see a 5th pickle served - a chilli dip - along with the usual 4.

The curries, when delivered, were very well received.  Both Phil's Dhansak and Bob's Kurma were generous in portion and nicely presented.  Phil was extremely impressed with the texture and flavour of his Dhansak and Bob very much enjoyed the flavour of his Kurma.

The vegetables and rice were excellent.  All, again, in very generous portions and the vegetables in particular, well seasoned and individual in character.  Phil very much enjoyed the contrast between his curry and the Muttar Paneer and Bob found the Sag Aloo to be very full of flavour.

Initially Bob & Phil felt that they had caught the restaurant by surprise.  They arrived quite early and, to begin with, were the only diners.  Surprise over however, the waiters and chefs ensured that an excellent experience ensued.

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

In total an unprecedented 90 - the first restaurant to score that high and the first to score 3 tens!!

Bob & Phil spotted this restaurant by accident and are very glad they did.  It now sits proudly as the highest scoring restaurant the they have blogged.

India Royal - A view from down under

Phil's nephew Paddy is staying with him at the moment.  Having read the blog from down under Paddy was keen to visit the India Royal  so Phil & Bob took the opportunity to take him out for a curry.  Here are Paddy's thoughts....

I arrived at the ‘India Royal’ with an empty stomach and keen appetite, especially after two rainy deliveries of furniture. This was my first time. After having just one curry in the UK (Birmingham), my expectations were reasonable and my mind was open.

First impressions were good, the lighting and décor of the restaurant was modern, simple and clean (a refreshing change from what you tend to expect from a dated Indian restaurant). We started off with an ice cold Cobra each, accompanied by papadoms and their usual compliments (onion, chutney etc)… These were crisp, warm and tasty. 

After ordering our mains, we sat patiently and enjoyed our beers, soaking up the restaurants atmosphere for some time… Maybe too much time…


20+ minutes went by and our beers had vanished, not a good sign. Finally, the mains arrived along with their sides (some vegetable dishes). These were well worth the wait. The curry was sizeable and rich yet mild and subtle in flavour. A hint of coconut shone through a moderately creamy base and was not overpowering as some tend to be. Although the chicken may have been slightly dry (overcooked), the curry was bold and very tasty.


The vegetable dishes (Mottar Panneer, Bombay Aloo) were excellent. Potatoes were soft and complemented the curry well alongside a cheesy mix of peas, again subtle and not overpowering in taste. Its worth mentioning that these dishes (often subject to neglect) were finished if you disregard our full stomachs. My only criticism is that the dishes were warm and not hot, a minor flaw nevertheless.


Overall, the main course was excellent and well worth a disappointingly large wait.


I’d like to make note that I ordered a garlic naan (customary when I have an Indian) which was disappointing. This was bland, slightly burnt and too large.


BEER 10/10
PAPADOMS 8/10
RICE AND VEG 8/10
CURRY 9/10
SERVICE + AMBIENCE 7.5/10


The ‘India Royal’, for the most part was excellent. A culmination of a friendly and relaxing environment, tasty curry and helpful staff made for and enjoyable and satisfying meal, a meal which this Aussie and his palate would happily re-visit!