Test driving Café Spice Namasté, the new and improved restaurant by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.
Moving from its home of 25 years in Whitechapel, East London, Café Spice Namasté is now settling into the beautiful surroundings of Royal Albert Wharf in the Docklands.
Decor & Atmosphere
The restaurant, with views over the dock and river looking as far back as Canary Wharf, is decorated in a minimalistic way. The open kitchen adds to the homely feel of the place. This is complemented by the warm and welcoming staff, most of whom have been with the restaurant from the beginning.
Food & Drink
The food at Café Spice Namasté is created for sharing, with plenty of small plates available, and a few mains. The menu also incorporates a lot of your Indian favourites, from paneer, saag, and even a lamb vindaloo for good measure.
Being a pescatarian, I ordered:
- Paneer Halloumi Shaslik
- Leei Chutney Ma Salmon
- Garlic Chilli & Ginger Prawn Balls
- Five Cheese Chilli Toast
- Goan Prawn Curry & Unpolished Red Rice
- Makki Saag
- Cheese Chilli Naan
The food is not what you’d find at your typical Indian restaurant. Think of your traditional dishes, with a lighter, more elegant twist. An interesting menu mention goes to the duck sausage on Keralan mash, which even though I didn’t eat, was told it was outstanding.
All of the food was full of flavour, and absolutely enjoyable. However the standouts for me were the prawn balls and the Goan prawn curry.
Price
Considering this is a restaurant belonging to a celebrity chef, I was prepared to spend more than I probably wanted to. I was pleasantly surprised.
The portions were small, so we ended up ordering 9 dishes (we were pretty hungry!). We also had two beers, and two glasses of prosecco. All of this, including tip, came up to just under £83. Pretty reasonable I’d say.
Overall
If you fancy a different kind of “curry night”, with a beautiful view, and delightful staff, head to Café Spice Namasté. It might be a little out of the way, but is definitely worth it.
Book your table here.
Chilli cheese toast making your mouth water? Try making your own! See Dishoom’s recipe here.
