Indie Spice Sandymount is the latest culinary venture from experienced Indian restaurateur Tariq Salahuddin, who runs successful sister restaurants in Belfast and Indie Spice Naas & Indie Spice Swords.
The restaurant in Dublin 4 is located upstairs above a row of shops overlooking attractive Sandymount village. The dining room is stylishly decorated in vibrant jewel colours, offset with warm honeycomb wooden window panels, striking light fixtures and other elegant, contemporary touches.
There is also a generous bar area beside the restaurant where you can enjoy a pre-dinner drink, and the staff, under the direction of manager Arijit Mitra Mustafi, are all extremely courteous and attentive.
The menu at Indie Spice favours Bengali Cuisine with its subtle spicing and mild flavours, but also offers dishes from all over the Indian Continent. The menu is very easy to navigate with dishes usefully categorised by cooking method, and a series of chilli symbols indicating the heat of each dish.
To start, you might choose from Lazeez Ribs (tender and moreish spring lamb marinated in papaya and garlic-ginger paste) from the Tandoor grill; Murgh Tikka (succulent breast of chicken marinated for a minimum of 12 hours in garam masala, lemon juice, garlic-ginger paste and natural yoghurt) from the Tandoor BBQ; or an array of delicious fried pakoras, prawn and chilli cakes or samosas.
To follow, you choose from dishes under the headings: ‘from the tandoor’; ‘Indie chef recommendations’; ‘all time favourites’; ‘seafood’; ‘biriyani’ or ‘vegetarian’. The ‘Jhinga’ gigantic warm water prawns are something of a speciality at Indie Spice so if you’re a shellfish fan make sure to seek them out.
Try, for example, a mild and creamy dish of Malai Chingri (jumbo prawns cooked in coconut milk and aromatic sweet spices, about €22) and a robust dish of Lamb Rogan Josh (marinated lamb slowcooked with tomatoes and onions, about €16).
Accompanied by pilau rice and naan (sides about €2.45), these dishes complement each other wonderfully, with the sweet, creaminess of the coconuty prawns offset against the baritone flavours of the spicy lamb.
Indie Spice also offers some unusual options such a traditional thali-style meal (about €18– €23); this is the way most people at home in India would enjoy their meals. The Indie Spice thali includes a selection of dishes to include a dahl, rice, riata, naan, one chicken dish and one lamb dish (or two vegetarian dishes).
For lunch you can also have a bento-box style meal to include a starter, main, pilau, naan and fresh fruit for under €12. There are lots of other great value offers too, including a three-course meal on Sunday, and they also offer a take out and delivery service.
All round, this Dublin Restaurants a wonderfully stylish and very welcome addition to the local Sandymount culinary scene.
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