Spice is the second restaurant at the Gilpin Hotel and offers a different experience from the Michelin starred Hrishi. It’s more casual, for a start, in a nice modern space in a separate building, with an open kitchen. And, as the name suggests, the food runs across Asia, although majoring on dishes from the Indian sub-continent, from where the hotel’s executive chef, Hrishikesh Desai, originates. It’s all “small plates” intended for sharing, although some of the small plates are bigger, intended as something approaching sharing main courses (although you are still only likely to get a piece of protein).
We were advised to order three or four dishes from the “small plates” and two or three from the larger plates. We’re never knowingly underfed and, when it comes to food, do not hold to the creed of “less is more”. So, four starters and three mains. Plus rice.
First up was a pani puri (which the restaurant manager said would be on the house as he knew we were celebrating - but we only noticed very much later that it had been charged). That whinge aside, this may well have been the finest example of pani puri that we’ve eaten. Crisp pastry shells, filled with a version of “Bombay mix”, and served with a thin tamarind and chilli sauce. Top up the shell with the sauce and eat as a single bite. Perfect balance of texture and flavour.
Then aloo tikka. Soft, spiced patty of mashed potato with a crisp exterior, served on a yoghurt and peanut sauce. Next, a lamb shami kebab. Tasty moist meat with a nice bit of charring. Lovely coriander chutney giving it a bit of zing.
And a final starter of chicken skewers, marinated in ginger and chilli and served with kimchi and a peanut sauce. It sounds simple but a lot of skill and effort had gone into this – and it’s gone in a couple of bites.
The first of the “larger sharing plates” was a vegetable makhani. This was light and fresh with summer vegetables in a sauce made from Isle of Wight tomatoes, enriched with butter and garam masala. Sea bream Pollichathu – it means grilled – was a perfectly cooked bit of fish right down to the crispy skin. It keeps to the fairly mild theme with curry leaves, coriander and just a hint of chilli. Nothing to overpower the delicate fish.
The last dish was Cumbrian Saddleback pork belly, given an Asian BBQ spice rub and slow cooked till it was meltingly soft. It came with a Chinese style sweet and sour sauce, enhanced with spring onions and peanuts. And we’d eaten excellent fried rice with the mains.
At first, you think the portions might be a bit meagre but it does creep up on you and we had no room for dessert. Service had been exemplary. And, we were staying at the hotel, so there was only a short waddle back to our room.
