This used to be a good restaurant earlier, but now I would say its one of the worst one in Lake District. Expensive poor quality food served by indecent people.. i think that says it.....:-)
Akk
My husband and I have eaten takeaway's from The Spice Club for nearly a year. We have always been extremely happy with the food, prices and service we have had. We would highly recommend this restaurant to everyone that enjoys good honest food.
H Singh
Me and my family ate at this Indian restaurant this evening after hearing good things about the Spice Club. Although the decor of the restaurant is neat and having a nice atmosphere, there is nothing distinctly Indian about the interior or the vibe.
The starters were well presented and the meat/fish was well cooked. However despite being called the 'Spice' Club, there was no palatable spice or exciting flavours in the appetisers and we had to request some chillis to invigorate some sort of flavour.
However the starters were still at a decent standard.
One of the waiters proceeded to spill a glass of water over one of the members of our party. However, this was completely dismissed as an honest mistake on his part, it might have had something to do with the tables being such a small size.
The main course was brought out quickly (questioning the freshness of the sauces the food was cooked in). We ordered a chicken tikka masala, which was so rich and contained so much coconut (which I have never experience in this dice) that I felt like I was already eating dessert. The lamb biriyani and prawn bhuna tried to make up for this, but again they had no spice and flavour. We had also asked for some spices after having our starters but the mains were presented with just chopped green chillis over the top. Perhaps the reason as to why you can choose the meat accompanying the sauce is because the sauces are pre-made, which means they cannot alter the flavours.
When the host asked us if our meal was ok, I politely let him know that the chicken tikka masala was a bit sweet. Instead of apologising or telling me that is how they prepare it, he ranted on about how he was from Birmingham (which in his view is the major culinary centre of the finest indian cuisine) and that all chicken tikka masala dishes are meant to be prepared as sweet as possible with ridiculous amounts of coconut and that I was wrong. I was a bit confused on why he asked me if the meal was ok, when he couldn't take my opinion on it and wonder if anyone has ever explained to him that the customer is always right.
Personally, I won't be going back to the Spice Club anytime soon. I presume the reason they enjoy reasonable success in the Cockermouth area is because they are the only presentable Indian/Bangladeshi cuisine in the locality. However, this restaurant would certainly be very average in comparison to the top Indian restaurants in the country.