Venue: 55 Church St, Twickenham TW1 3NR
Phone: 020 8892 1096
Indian tapas, anyone? Richard Davies discovers a new take on traditional Indian fare at Twickenham’s Tsaretta Spice...
OUR VERDICT:
Robert Scriven
Put the words ‘food’ and ‘Twickenham’ together, and I think of front garden braais and burger stalls on rugby match days. But since my last visit, Church Street has become a pedestrianised zone that now throbs with trendy shops, restaurants and bars leading down to the riverside, and that’s where you’ll find Tsaretta Spice.
When my wife and I visited one balmy Saturday evening, the courtyard dining area was definitely more packed than inside. But neither in nor out do you get much sense of ‘India’.
The main room is more like a European cocktail diner with modern furnishings, pine floors, and a framed picture of Méribell to match the air-conditioned chill. This is a nod to a sister restaurant, Tsaretta Spice Méribell, which opened in 2016.
The ‘fusion feel’ continues when you discover that Tsaretta Spice is an Indian Tapas Bar and Restaurant. What exactly is Indian Tapas? There was nothing visibly Spanish other than the concept. So how does it work, we wondered?
But first, a confession.
Robert Scriven
As long-standing fans of Indian food, we now almost always order the same meal. Doesn’t everyone? It’s predictable, yes, but the rare times we don’t usually result in instant regret. Sharing is also unwelcome because then you only get half (or less) of what you really want.
So with that in the open, Tsaretta Spice encouraged us to get out of our comfort zone, and surely that’s a good thing?
The menu offers an enticing selection of meat, fish and vegetarian tapas, the wonderfully-named ‘naanwiches’ and a choice of salads. (Who’s heard of a salad in an Indian restaurant?) There’s also a regular menu with a more familiar selection of starters and main courses.
Whereas in a standard Indian restaurant, we’d have ordered in 30 seconds flat without even opening the menu, here we had some questions.
Do you mix and match tapas with the regular menu? How big is a ‘2-3 to share’ tapas portion? Can you share an ordinary size portion? Our friendly waiter struggled to enlighten us. So we perhaps erred on the side of ordering too much.
Robert Scriven
To start
StarterTapas - Chef’s Tasting Platter (2-3 to share) £28.50
Chef’s Tasting Platter was enough for three people as a starter. Chicken 65 (named for the year it was invented in Hotel Buhari, Chennai), Prawn Tokri, Punjabi Fish Fingers made with tilapia and Lamb Goli Kebab. It was all hot, spicy and delicious.
The mains
- Lamb Banjara £17.95
- Kolapuri Duck £17.95
- Katrika Masala side dish £8.50
- Saag Paneer side dish £6.95
- Saffron Pilau rice £3.75
- Beetroot Naan £3.75
I had Lamb Banjara with shallots, tomatoes, ginger, curry leaf and cumin for the main course. My wife had the Kolapari Duck fillets marinated with fennel, pepper and ‘stone flower’ sauce - (no, we had no idea either but apparently, it’s an edible lichen.)
The lamb was tender and tasty, and the duck was perfectly cooked.
Robert Scriven
The sauces, despite their different ingredients, were more alike than not.
For vegetable sides, we had Saag Paneer, which was under-seasoned, and Katrika Masala (aubergine), which, by contrast, was bitter. We shared a fragrant saffron pilau and a delightful beetroot naan.
Dessert
- Mango Falooda £7.50
- Gajjar Halwa Vegan £5.95
Despite the more than generous portion sizes, we found room for dessert. I had Gaijar Halwa, accurately described by the waiter as ‘mostly carrot’ but well worth a try. My wife had Mango Falooda, a sweet explosion of mangoes, chia seeds and kulfi ice cream.
Co-owner and Head Chef Yousuf Mohammed learned to cook from his Dad back in Hyderabad but now boasts Dishoom, Tamarind and Bombay Brasserie on his CV.
Tsaretta Spice offers an inexpensive yet refreshingly different take on Indian cuisine inspired by dishes from across the continent.
Perhaps it lacks a Maitre D who can host and explain the excellent food on offer to anyone accustomed to a more ‘standard’ Indian cuisine.
Robert Scriven
