3 South Place, London EC2M 2AF www.southplacehotel.com
Maybe times are tough, but I have a real hankering for a deal at the moment; spending my nights scrolling through menu after menu, looking to maximise the quality (and quantity) delivered for my pound.
But hold on, what’s this? South Place hotel are offering up a set-price dinner for two, at the weekend?! That’s rare and, at just £18.50 a head, their 3 Spice Place menu is very welcome.
3 Spice Place is a neat little idea from a neat, and not so little, hotel. You’re getting quality for your pound here, before you even eat. The restaurant is a cool, chic, modernist slab of black tiles, highly polished floors and sparklingly clean glasses.
The meal itself is a set-menu, but with some choice. Poppadoms and condiments – we were offered more of the latter, when I really wanted more of the former – share a wooden board alongside your two starters of choice, each well presented in a round brass dish.
While the lamb on a stick (shami kebab) was a bit bland and a bit raw-oniony (is that a word) the sweet potato roll was delicious – lightly spiced, moist in the middle and crisp on the outside.
What more is there to say? A mention to the beer? A bottle of Meantime Pale Ale, refreshing, flavourful and far better than the usual watered-down lagers they serve up at high street curry houses.
It’s a decent idea, a deal like this. You know how much you’re going to pay before you’ve sat down – and it’s reasonably priced enough to fit in the post-work ‘can’t be arsed to cook’ dinner category.
Check out the full menu here.