Review - Spice Merchants, Southsea: I went to a restaurant which broadened my Indian cuisine horizons

But when visiting a Southsea curry house this week, I found myself surprised and wondering why I had never before strayed from the classics. Here, I mean your chicken jalfrezis, prawn bhunas or lamb rogan joshes. All superb dishes, but at Spice Merchants in Southsea, I decided to sample a meal that can not be approximated from your average takeaway or (god forbid) your average supermarket ready meal.

The restaurant, in Osborne Road and a short walk from Southsea Common, came highly recommended to me by other members of our five-strong party. The restaurant’s ‘fine dining’ feel, as advertised on its website, was immediately on show when we stepped inside. Before this however, we were met by the looming presence of Ripper and Co, a serial-killer themed bar soon to open next door. Perhaps this outside spookiness added to the welcoming atmosphere within The Spice Merchants by contrast.

Back to ‘fine dining’. Regardless of how classy the room was, it was certainly glassy. We were surrounded by glass – crystal water glasses, glass candlesticks and a large decorative mirror at the room’s centre. On the table were artfully folded serviettes as we gave drinks orders and browsed the menu.

Almost everybody in our group – including me – went for a Cobra beer (£4.95), which is served on tap, but the restaurant has a well-furnished and rather ornate bar offering spirits, liqueurs and and wines.

To start, I chose the Crab on Puri (£5.95), spiced crab meat served on soft, thin bread. Texture was added by chopped onions and peppers and the whole ensemble was presented next to a handful of salad and a zig-zagged sauce garnish.

The crab was sweet and mild (another diner at my table ordered the same starter but pre-emptively asked for the chef to make his spicier) but for me, crab prepared with indian flavours was a novelty I relished.

For the main event, I ordered one of the ‘Chef’s Specials’ – the Royal Venison – which leapt off the page when I opened the menu. It’s definitely not a meat I’ve encountered before at an Indian eatery (full disclosure, I have never been to India), and the restaurant’s website claims the dish is ‘only at Spice Merchants’. Regardless, I found the rich chunks were a perfect consistency, being tender yet firm enough to truly sink my teeth into. Here again, the spices excited my tastebuds but were quite mild. I have only myself to blame for this, however, as the next option down was a spicier variant – Venison Karachi. A little bit more heat would have been the perfect counter-point to the coconut rice (£4.50), but like with my starter, I was thoroughly enamoured to experince something new in a curry and this was the dish’s lasting impression on me. Everything was presented to us in gleaming copper pots, which added to an overall aura of thoughtfulness created in large part by the attentive waiting staff.

Stuffed nan (£3.75) was the perfect accompaniment to my hearty main. It wasn’t too stodgy but had a slightly doughly crust, which I am quite partial to in anything bread-based.

I would certainly dine at Spice Merchant again in future, in large part to explore some dishes with more of a spice kick, and would recommend the experience to those who want to take their relationship with Indian food to the next level.

Spice Merchants, 44 Osbourne Road

023 9282 8900

Food 5

Value 4

Ambience 5

Child-friendly 4