If you find yourself in the culinary desert of Camberwell Green, fear not, for sustenance is at hand in the form of great curry, duvet-sized naan breads and ice-cold Indian beers. Welcome to the Spice of Life.

The Venue
Spice of Life is the sister branch of the well-established and ever-popular Spice of Life in Battersea. This shiny new branch is situated on the siren-squawking Camberwell Church Street where there’s no end of entertainment to hand. Once inside, the restaurant is a cool, calm haven with a complete lack of chintzy trappings and zither music. The decor here is stylish, with white walls dotted with monochrome images and some beautiful deco-esque lighting. The polished blonde wood floors plus verdant green palms scattered around the room all add to its comfortable and relaxed image. There is a small service bar in the centre of the dining room and plenty of well-spaced tables which can seat from two up to six or more.

The Atmosphere
Despite Camberwell’s lively acoustics the atmosphere here at the Spice of Life is very relaxed. Friendly and attentive waiters whizz around dishing out ice cold beers and platters of fresh poppadoms and dips to hungry customers. The clientele is a blend of local residents in for their weekly curry or out-of-town guests from the nearby Church Street Hotel. As with many establishments of this nature, the Spice of Life perks up later in the evening and at the weekends. The piped music is along the lines of chilled modern house which can just about be heard over the symphony of sirens from outside. Don’t let the outside clatter put you off, the food and genial atmosphere all make for a very nice evening.

The Food
The menu includes many of the typical dishes you would find at any standard high street Indian restaurant, plus a whole host of fancy surprises. For starters, rather than opt for the standard prawn puri (£3.95), try the calamari with fresh herbs (£4.95) a highly flavoured dish of finely sliced fresh squid, fried with herbs, garlic and curry leaves. Its fragrant, spicy flavour and distinct squid-like texture makes a delicious change from the battered rings which so many menus favour. For the more meatier palate try the Spice of Life platter (£8.95 to share between two) which offers a tasty selection of char grilled spiced tiger prawns, fiery but a little dry, an almost perfect chicken tikka and some lightly spiced lamb shish kebabs.

For the main course you’ve got your usual suspects, chicken tikka masala, jal frezis and the mild and creamy kormas (all from a very reasonable £5.95). In addition, there is a selection of some of the lesser-known Indian dishes such as the Kerala chicken khadi (£6.50), a mild-ish dish flavoured with mustard seeds, fresh chilli, ginger and coconut milk. Tender chunks of chicken are smothered in a creamy ginger sauce which is ever-so slightly spiced with mustard and chilli, topped with fresh curry leaves, like a mash-up between a Thai and Indian curry. Seafood lovers should try the jumbo chingri (£9.50) a rich, tomato-y garlic sauce with more than a hint of chilli and brimming with stripy pink king prawns, it’s absolutely delicious. Both saucy curries need a good puffy naan to soak up all the flavours and the duvet-sized garlic naan (£1.75) does not disappoint. Its warm crisp bottom and buttery, pillowy top is just heavenly.

The side dishes are also well worth a try, the sag paneer is packed with creamed spinach and dotted with cubes of deliciously salty cheese and would wholly stand up as a main dish on its own. There’s a small dessert selection including a traditional rasmalai or milk cake (£3.50). However, after a spicy curry you can never go wrong with a pistachio kulfi (£2.95), a creamy Indian ice cream is cooling and delicious with a real nutty flavour.

The Drink
The wine list here at the Spice of Life is remarkably reasonable and with several pleasant surprises. For instance you can get a nice, dry Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc for a mere £17.95 a bottle or even a rich hearty Croze Hermitage for the same price. However, for those on a budget the house wine is a very drinkable vin de pays sauvignon and is an absolute steal at £9.95 a bottle and £2.95 a glass. The all-essential beers, Kingfisher, Cobra and Bangla come very nicely chilled and are again a bargain from £2.50 a bottle. All the non-alcoholic varieties of beverage are available including a tongue-cooling lassi in salt, sweet or mango flavours for £1.95.

The Last Word
The Spice of Life brings some welcome new flavours to Camberwell Green. For reasonably priced, well-executed Indian food in a pleasant, relaxed environment, the Spice of Life is well worth a visit.

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