Indian flavours over at Spice and Rice Restaurant and Bar

I have heard good things about Spice & Rice Restaurant and Bar but have never tried it. Numerous times, I’ve passed by the restaurant which is prominently located along Light Street but still, I did not really thought of going there for lunch or dinner. Perhaps the thought of trying to find a parking space is one of those reasons.

Anyway, I made my first visit there recently when a friend suggested we go there as we happened to be in the vicinity and my car is already parked somewhere nearby. So, here’s my review of what I found in this expensive restaurant.

I am going to include a lot of pictures to fully describe the food I tried here…

The restaurant has a contemporary style decor with some Indian decorations on the wall. The owner made full use of the heritage nuances of the building and the end result is a tastefully decorated restaurant. The environment is classy and yes, it has that expensive look around it compared to other Indian restaurants, especially those in the nearby Little India.

For drinks, I ordered Mango Lassi (RM8) (Mango yogurt drink) and I have to say, it is pretty good and not as sweet as I would expect (although I did mention to the waitress that I want it with less sugar). The drink has that rich yogurt flavour without being too sour and mix that with the fragrant mango flavour, absolutely delicious.

We ordered Cheesy Fish Cutlets for starters (the round meatball-like dish) but before our starter came, we are served with the Indian appetizer, pappadum with mint sauce.

We only get one piece each and the pappadum is not as salty as I expected because I’ve tasted quite a lot of salty pappadums in other Indian restaurants.

Then they serve our starter: Cheesy Fish Cutlet

As you can see, it is deepfried with oozing cheeze in the centre. It is served with the traditional sauces of mint, chili and a sweet and sour sauce. You can’t really taste the fish flavour here as it is overpowered by the mixed herbs that it was minced with before it was fried. Then of course, there is the cheese!

Next, are our ‘main course’. We ordered  quite a variety of food: Tandoori Paratha (RM6), Garlic Naan (RM6), Chicken Jalfrazi (RM18), Binjal Salan (RM14), Sambhar (RM10), Tandoori Chicken (RM14), Butter Naan (RM6), Chapati (RM3), and Vegetable Pilau (RM14).

The Tandoori Paratha which is made of wholemeal flour (in the second basket behind) while the Garlic Naan (in the basket in front) is made of plain flour and baked. I have to say there is a reason the restaurant is called Spice & Rice…their breads aren’t good at all. We regretted ordering so many types of bread (all four type!) the moment we tried these two. The paratha tasted like it was a prepackaged frozen one which they merely reheated and it has the consistency of a thin cardboard. As for the naan, it is supposed to be with a bit of crispiness but instead, it was a bit rubberized, very difficult to cut up to eat. The same goes for the butter naan and chapati.

Luckily the curries: Chicken Jalfrazi, Sambhar (mixed vegetables consisting mainly carrots and potatoes in a mild turmeric curry) and Brinjal Salan are good. In fact, the chicken and brinjal curries are exceptionally good! The chicken jalfrazi is a very rich and thick curry full of spices, onions and chillies. Be warned though, there are only several pieces of chicken in it and it is pretty spicy so it may have you reaching for the waterglass. The Brinjal Salan is almost the same flavour as the chicken but less spicy and though I don’t really like brinjals, I liked this curry!

Next, we look at…

Now, we know why the place is named Spice & Rice…the Vegetable Pilau (RM14) which is rice (Basmati rice) cooked with vegetables is really good. It is fragrant with the right amount of spices. Best of all is that it has a tinge of oil that was just the right amount as it gave the rice this rich flavour without being too oily.

The Tandoori Chicken (RM14) is seasoned with yogurt and spices before grilled and served with mint sauce and lime. Frankly, there is nothing remarkable about it, I’ve tasted better ones.

Now, for my verdict. Eating at Spice & Rice is a truely different experience as it is obviously a restaurant meant for the well-to-do with a beautiful setting and a high class feel to it. I have never been to an expensive Indian restaurant and this is a first for me. We all know how easy it is to find cheap and good Indian restaurants at Little India which is only about 15 minutes’ walk away from this restaurant. You can check out a few pages of Spice & Rice’s menu to see for yourselves:

It is a good thing that their curries are good or else I would have given this place a lower rating due to the highly overpriced food they have. Portions are pretty small and if you are a big eater, each dish is only enough for one person. So, if you in a big group, it is advisable to order a plate of rice each and then the several types of curries to share.

By far, it is the most expensive Indian food I have ever eaten in my whole life! For all the dishes above which is just nice for the three of us, it costs us RM132! That comes up to RM44 per person.

And another thing, their service is especially slow and food takes a very long time to serve. That’s why I have so much time to take so many pictures! So, if you are in a hurry or it is your lunch break, it is advisable not to go there as our meal takes us almost two hours. That’s because we spent most of the time waiting for the food to be served!

Rating: 7/10

Price: $$$$

If you want to give this place a try, here’s the map to the place and the restaurant contact information:

Spice & Rice Restaurant & Bar

Light Street

Tel: 04-2618585

Tagged: Asian Food, Indian food, restaurant review