Cafe Spice Namaste
About Cafe Spice Namaste
A superb Indian restaurant. The decor hits you in the face the minute you walk in...lots of deep purple and sumptuous fabrics draped from things. Whereas eating in old-fashioned Indian restaurants...flocked wallpaper and pictures in dubious taste...was rather like sitting in someone’s badly-decorated sitting room, Cafe Spice is how one imagines a Hollywood director’s house might look. The food is equally a million miles from bright orange chicken tikka masala. Service is friendly and attentive, and you can buy jars of the pickles to take home. The outdoor area, the Ginger Garden is open from midday to 9pm, Monday to Friday, weather permitting although there are sufficient heaters.
They have also made great efforts to educate customers about how the correct wine can complement and enhance the delicious cuisine and have produced a Wines and Spice Guide which helps guests to choose an appropriate wine...
Sample a la carte
Starter
- Squid dynamite (baby squid rings, marinated in fiery Goan peri-peri masala and flash pan-grilled.We use the word 'dynamite' simply because of the palatable heat they exude. Not recommended for the faint hearted) £6.75- Guizzado de chorise javali (Crushed peppercorns, toasted cumin and coriander, nibbed Kashmiri chilli, all go into making our very own wild boar chipolatas at The Denham Estates in Suffolk. Cooked in a rich vindaloo masala for that extra zing and served with toasted Greek pitta) £6.95
- Papeta nay kheema na pattice (A classic starter or snack extremely popular in Bombay and Goa (where it is served in the bars with drinks such as Bolinhas). Potato cakes filled with curried Scotch beef mince blended with green peas and fresh chopped coriander, rolled in semolina and fried. Served with hot fresh tomato chutney) £5.95
- Beetroot & coconut samosa (A South Indian style filling of diced Cheltenham beetroot blended with diced potato, tossed with freshly grated coconut and sizzled with mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin and chilli. This may sound unusual but, when cooked with coconut, the beetroot is an entirely different beast and tastes delightful. The potato here is primarily used to hold the beetroot dices together) £4.95
Other starters are available.
Main Course
- Water chestnuts & sweet corn masala (water chestnuts known as 'Singhada' in Hindi have long been used in ancient Indian medicine as a tonic for weak backs. Sweet corn kernels can be seen sold by street vendors simply boiled and sprinkled with spices as a midday snack. Combined together both of these make an excellent Bhaji simply tossed with shallots, garlic and tomato and flavoured with cumin & curry leaves with a hint of asafetida) £4.75- Beef curry a' la dada ('Dada', our grand tandoor master of the past decade, created this Scottish beef curry in his typically Darjeeling style. It stings a bit on the tongue but is full of the flavours of blended spices combined with yoghurt and puréed onions. So popular, it's impossible to remove from our menu, it is served here with steamed rice) £15.25
- Ostrich bhuna (I know that the Ostrich is not a native to either India or Britain but it is indeed a fabulous meat, extremely lean and lower in saturated fats, cholesterol & calories than chicken & turkey, though expensive. Strips of ostrich fan fillet are tossed with the ever so classic of sub-continental Indian preparations the Bhuna. Ours is a classical sauce and is not necessarily hot. Served with pulao & chunks of fried potato to complete the dish) £15.75
- Murgh tikka saagwala (char grilled chicken tikka simmered in part puréed, part chopped baby leaf spinach tossed with chopped garlic, roasted cumin and snipped red chilli, and seasoned with crumbled roasted fenugreek. Served with saffron palav) £14.25
- King scallops balchao (king scallops from either Loch Fyne in Scotland or Falmouth Bay in Cornwall, pan grilled and tossed with the classic Goan Balchão masala. Balchão is an ancient art of pickling seafood and is made with a painstaking process which involves slow grinding and roasting spices with minced shallots and curry leaves until cooked through. Flavoured with crumbled dried roasted shrimps and served with garlic palav) £15.95
- Badak kay tikkay (breast of Barbary duck, marinated very simply in extract of garlic and ginger with yoghurt, chilli and spices) £13.95
Other main courses are available.
Dessert
- A selection of desserts are available.Additional Information
Address:
16 Prescot Street, Aldgate, E1 8AZNearest tube:
Aldgate EastTasting menus are available - This experience will gently guide you through the myriad types of dishes we have to offer.
However, if you would like any course repeated, please ask
Average Price:
£35 - £44Opening times:
Mon - Fri: 12:00 - 3:00pm, 6:15pm - 10.30pmSat: 6:30pm - 10:30pm
Sun & Bank Holidays: Closed