Spice Village in Southall is ‘consistently better’

By Shahid Qazi

HALAL STATUS Fully Halal

I tend to consider only seven places to eat with the family when in Southall: Kababish KO, Giftos, Watan, Spice Village, Mirch Masala, Dawaat, and TKC – and all HMC approved.

And I have to confess that my favourite over the years has been Spice Village. The reason being, that they epitomise the meaning of word ‘Spice’ far more than the others, which I tend to prefer.

About Spice Village, then it’s packed in the evenings, especially on Saturdays, so be sure to book ahead, or be open for a pick-up takeaway, because the chances that you won’t be able to even if calling well ahead of time (don’t ask me why; they’re not that good).

Anyway, I’ve eaten here many times before, always returning for my fix of favourite Pakistani dishes.

I prefer to start simple with a portion of their poppadom starters, as they not only come out crispy and dry as the should, but are accompanied by a trio of complementary dips and very basic salad.

Most restaurants in Southall have this obsession with presenting their grilled meats on a bed of onions all served up in these black, sizzling hot plates.

Out order of two portion of good ol’ Pakistani-style kebabs were served in this way, except that the darn onions were caramelised.

I mean, what’s the point of serving em in these hot skillets and not caramelise them? Bewildering! As usualy though, the kebabs didn’t fail us.

Just look at the masala in this no nonsense lamb karahi served straight from the stove.

Hitting all the right notes with the chilli, ginger and garlic, the soft meat demads to be had with either rice or naan/ roti.

If you do find yourself at Spice Village and don’t have the stomach for all those strong spices, fret not, for there is a solution.

The Fish Tikka Karahi offers a mild tomato-based sauce, which is quite generous in size too, making it enough for two adults.

I ended up ordering three tandoor naans, which came out straight and plenty crispy.

Of course, if you prefer yours buttered-up, then I’m thinking just request it when ordering. Next time I’ll go with that option.

Trust me, there is lamb under that rice; not much, but that’s Southall for you!

Now I love my biryani, and my family and I agree that the quality of this isn’t like it used to be. Still, it’s good without being anything outstanding. Sadly, and quite ironically, Southall still doesn’t do outstanding biryanis.

Spice Village is our go-to place in Southall, because it’s well priced, with everything coming out either good or great, and where, truth be told, I’ve never had a bad dish or experience.

So while Giftos is the most expensive, but does the best chaat; TKC the best saag paneer; Watan the best grill; and Afghan dishes – Spice Village, for me, is consistently better all round. But then again, what do I know!

---

Spice Village Southall
185-189 The Broadway, Southall, London, UB1 1LX.

T: +44 (0)20 8574 4475 | W: spicevillage.co.uk | E: [email protected]

Opening Hours: Sat-Thur 12:00-00:00 | Fri 14:00-00:00