Sahebs, Northiam

When Bob and Phil heard that a delivery on a Friday to Northiam was required there were mixed feelings.  They had reports from a rep visiting the shop that there was a good curry house there but were aware that Friday nights are usually busy and that curry houses can be Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to midweek and weekend curries and the last trip to East Sussex resulted in a very bland curry in Herstmonceux!  Exceedingly reassured by the very friendly customers on receipt of their furniture, Bob and Phil soon found the restaurant and in they went.....

Formally known as "The Station House", Sahebs is close to Northiam station (on the Kent & East Sussex Railway).  Easily spotted from the A28 and with a good sized car park, Sahebs is nicely decorated with subdued lighting in a more traditional style than some of the more modern "fusion" type restaurants which err towards coloured LED lights for effect.  It is also worth noting that Sahebs appears to be very wheelchair friendly as there were several customers in wheelchairs.  The Restaurant itself has several distinct areas which, at a guess, were separate bars in previous times.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and lightly salted and came with the traditional mix of 4 pickles served in nice porcelain dishes.  Phil liked all 4 but the Lime and Onion pickles were not to Bob's taste.  The bottled beers were nicely cold but could have been colder for they were getting warm towards the end of the meal.

The curries were, quite unusually these days, served on candle heated hot plates and were generous portions and beautifully garnished.  Phil's Dhansak was excellent with a subtle heat which allowed the peppery-ness of the lentils to come through.  Bob's Korma was very good too but was a little too mild.

The Bombay Aloo and Sag Paneer were both very good too - the different flavours went well with both curries with the sweetness of the Paneer sauce an excellent foil for the Dhansak.

The restaurant was very busy but was well staffed.  From being served with their napkins on arrival through having their beer glasses refreshed to the aniseed sweets with the chocolates with the bill neither Bob nor Phil could fault the service received.

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

In total 86 - second only to Bob & Phil's favourite restaurant in Faversham

Saheb's is undoubtedly an excellent restaurant that can cope with a busy service.  Both Bob and Phil were regretting the distance from Whitstable but hoping the customers will come back to the shop and buy more furniture.....

Cinnamon Lounge, Bethersden

An evening trip to Tenterden saw Bob & Phil heading back down the A28 towards Ashford at around Curry O'Clock when there it was.  The Cinnamon Lounge.

On the site of The Royal Standard, public house and previously an Indian Restaurant known as the Royal Spice, The Cinnamon Lounge opened for business in May 2013.

We were politely greeted on entry and shown through to the restaurant area where a waiter took us to a table and served us with our napkins before taking our order for beer and papadums.

The papadums arrived with an slightly different selection of 4 dips.  Phil was a little disappointed by there being no onions but Bob enjoyed all 4 and was happily experimenting with taste combinations.  The draught beers were nicely cold but Phil thought that it didn't taste quite right somehow.

It is worth noting that, although not on the menu, the restaurant was happy to cook a butter chicken to order and, when they arrived they were beautifully served and generous portions.  Bob felt that his curry was acceptable but not what he has come to expect.  He rationalised this down to it not being on the menu.

The vegetables and rice were the only disappointment to the meal.  Although Bob didn't notice it, Phil felt that his rice was not hot and both felt that the Aloo Gobi and Sag Paneer were rather bland - although Phil found that the Sag Paneer was a nice foil for the heat of his Dhansak.

The service was exemplary.  From the greeting through to the complementary Brandy at the end of the meal nothing could be faulted.  The attention to detail in the cutlery, crockery and condiments as well as the lighting and general ambience makes the Cinnamon Lounge a very pleasant place to eat.

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

In total 74 - Above average and only let down by the rice & vegetables.

The Cinnamon Lounge is very nice venue and could have been a table topping evening.

Fusion Lounge - Whitstable

It was a fairly local evening delivery which saw Bob and Phil end up in Whitstable at the end of the day.  Whitstable has many curry houses and this evening they chose Fusion Lounge.  Fusion Lounge is located on the way out of Whitstable (or the way in!!) on Canterbury Road and for those that know the town it is on the site of the old Giovanni's Italian Restaurant.  From the road it doesn't look the most inviting and we were initially worried that it may have been closed when we got there.

Having been to the Restaurant when it was Giovanni's, both Bob and Phil felt that nothing much had changed.  The decor seemed the same and the lighting and layout too - very 1970's (when Giovanni's was in its heyday!!)

The Papadums were warm and fresh and served with a good range of pickles and the (draught) Cobra was not warm - but not that cold that both Phil & Bob have found suits Cobra best.  A slight disappointment.

The curries were nicely served and generous in size.  Bob found that his Butter Chicken (which was quite red in colour) was a little unusual and felt that the chicken was a little overcooked.  Phil enjoyed the Dhansak but found that it was quite peppery and this tended to overpower the other dishes.

Both the Sag Aloo and the Muttar Paneer were good and nicely seasoned.  The peas were, perhaps, a little on the too sweet side.

The service was faultless - very polite.  Phil found the background music somewhat grating though.  Not your normal music and somewhat louder than normal (but not as loud as to stifle conversation) it made him feel like he was in a cinema waiting for a film to start!

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

In total 72.  Not a disaster but quite a way short of some of the better curry houses around.

There are many curry houses in Whitstable and this isn't one of the stand out ones - we can see why it isn't the busiest.

Maharaja at the Bandstand - Herne Bay

It was an interesting evening with deliveries in Bearsted, Tilbury and Herne Bay.  The decision was made to end the evening close to home and the Maharaja was the chosen destination.

The Maharaja hasn't been open very long.  This time last year it was a bar.  It occupies one half of the historic Bandstand on Herne Bay's seafront which was built in the 1920's.  From the outside the decoration is sympathetic to the history of the building but inside it has been tastefully modernised and, for those long hot summer evenings(!), there are even tables available outside in the courtyard.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and served with the ususal dips although the Mango chutney had a very distinctive flavour.  The beers were nicely cold and served with chilled glasses.

A point to note is that, before we were served our main courses we were asked if we were ready - a nice touch. The curries were very good indeed.  Phil was intrigued with his Dhansak and how it moved from sweet at the front of the mouth to a full blown heat kick at the rear.  The heat of the Dhansak was beautifully neutralised by the sweetness of the Muttar Paneer and Bob was particularly pleased with the flavour of the Bombay Aloo and its contrast with his Butter Chicken.

The restaurant was quite busy for a midweek - nearly half its insided tables were being used and it seemed quite noisy.  Phil noticed that the waiters had seemed to crowd one area of the restaurant leaving a second area empty and wondered if a quiter atmosphere would have resulted had the customers been space more apart.  Both Bob and Phil were intrigued with a little party trick when the napkins were delivered at the end of the meal.

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

In total 83 which puts the Maharaja up there near the best we have experienced.

All in all a fine end to a long evening!

Zarda Indian Cuisine - Yalding

A further delivery to Robertsbridge was called for.  The traffic reports were not good so Phil decided to plot a scenic route cross country that took us through the village of Yalding.  Right next to the bridge that crosses the River Beult is Zarda.  Stopped outside the restaurant waiting for oncoming vehicles to clear the bridge, the decision was made to return there once the delivery was completed.

Zarda is the custodian of a Grade II listed building known as Swan House.  The restaurant has been tastefully integrated into the open plan ground floor with its wealth of ancient oak beams.  The effect is light and airy.  It is not a large restaurant but was, for a Thursday evening, quite busy.

We were greeted at the door, shown to our table and served our napkins by one of the very attentive waiters.

The Papadums, whilst not warm, were fresh and lightly salted.  They were served with 5 pickles, the 5th was an extremely moreish tamarind dip which Bob in particular liked.  Whilst enjoying the Papadums and the nicely cold beers we were treated to complementary mini-samosas which were very nicely presented and most welcome.

The curries were excellent.  Bob in particular thought that his Butter Chicken surpassed that in his favourite restaurant although Phil felt that his Dhansak was slightly overpowered by garlic.

The vegetables lead to the only slight disappointment of the evening.  The Sag Aloo, whilst pleasant, lacked any real flavour;  the Muttar Paneer, however was excellent and the freshness of the peas shone through.  Bob did feel too that his rice was a little overcomplicated.

The service could hardly be faulted.  From the greeting onwards we were well attended in a polite and friendly fashion.

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

In total an excellent 86 a very close second behind our favourite restaurant in Faversham

Having been so disappointed following their last trip to West Kent/East Sussex, Zarda has given Bob and Phil a reason to look forward to their next delivery to that part of the world.