Item: Spices County Derby
Rating: 4
Author: Ria Ghei

Standing out from other restauants, Spices County serves a wider range of dishes including beef, plus desserts of Oreo Cookie Bash and Belgian Chocolate Bombe

It may be a relatively mild December that has seen us ditch our coats - albeit temporarily - but we all know colder weather is on its way.

Tandoori paneer tikka at Spices County Derby was loaded with chargrilled soft paneer | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

placeholder image — Tandoori paneer tikka at Spices County Derby was loaded with chargrilled soft paneer | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

When it gets so cold that you feel even your eyelashes are freezing, it is time to hunker down and get some spicy food down to warm your cockles.

We went to visit one of Derby’s newest additions to the dining scene, Spices County which is 10 minutes away from Derby city centre.

Based on busy Stenson Road, the venue’s previous occupants were Mumbai Chilli, another eatery serving Indian cuisine.

Spices County are drilling down to focus on Keralan dishes and because I am always intrigued by masala dosa, we found ourselves checking out the restaurant one blowy Saturday night.

The first thing that hits you upon entering the premises is the giant wooden chalet hut which appears to be the hub where orders are taken and where the till resides.

Wood appears to be a key feature of the restaurant, as intricate wooden carvings can be seen dotted around the restaurant.

It’s a compact menu but there is something for everyone, from chilli paneer and chicken Manchurian, to lamb coconut roast and prawn biryani.

They even have an interesting dessert menu featuring 'Punky Penguin' (which I wish I had ordered because it sounded wonderfully cute), pistachio kulfi and strawberry cheesecake.

We were served complimentary poppadoms in a rolled shape, something which I have never seen, so this was a nice touch.

Poppadom rolls were served with some dips | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

I really appreciated chefs taking time to do this, because they became a talking point at the table - it is rare that a restaurant serves free poppadoms these days, whilst the shape elevated the dining experience from casual Saturday night dinner to hints of 'some place nice.'

And that is the beauty of this restaurant, it feels comfortable with flashes of it being high-end, thanks to leather-bound menus and actual cloth napkins, of which I am a fan.

We dived straight into mains and I ordered tandoori paneer tikka.

Tandoori paneer tikka chunks were soft and wonderfully juxtaposed with crunchy pepper | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

Chunks of soft paneer was given the tandoor treatment and came piled high on a bed of chargrilled onions and peppers.

The menu said this would come with mint sauce and salad, but we didn’t see this.

Perhaps it was a miscommunication, and because I wanted something saucy, I asked for some other sauce instead.

Having tasted and fallen in love with my dining partner’s curry - more on this later - I requested a side bowl of rogan josh curry sauce instead which was so beautiful, I quickly forgot about the missing mint sauce.

I enjoyed the paneer even more by dunking it into the fiery rogan josh sauce packed with onions, tomatoes and fragrant cinnamon.

I mopped up the saucy dish with chilli cheese naan, which I found quite potent, so next time I will be trying the garlic naan instead.

Dining partner had lamb rogan josh with tandoori roti.

Lamb rogan josh had succulent pieces of meat and a divine sauce | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

The curry was a highlight at the table and of course I snaffled a few bites.

The mouth-feel of the sauce was luxurious whilst its onion-heavy profile was rich and wonderful, proper hearty fayre for a tempestuous evening.

Another dish ordered at the table was masala dosa.

Magnificent masala dosa had a generous filling of spicy potato | Image Ria Ghei | Ria Ghei

There is something so theatrical about this dish, which is a giant crisp pancake whose fermented grains render a moreish yeasty tang.

Spices County’s version was very good, boasting a generous potato mixture with tasty accompanying chutneys including a light sambhar soup.

The food offering at Spices County Derby is good and service with a smile is warm.

The price of Cobra beer does need to be updated on the menu (£5.50 instead of £4.95) to reflect receipt, but overall Spices County is a welcome addition to Derby’s dining scene and I look forward to trying that lamb rogan josh curry sauce again.