The Spice Carriage

The unusually named “Spice Carriage” in High Barnet has been a host to fine Indian cooking for many years. Its quirk, setting it apart from any other Indian restaurant in North London is that it has been modelled to look like the inside of a train carriage. The effect manages to hide that fact that the restaurant is so small and narrow by providing comfortable booth seating, themed shelving above the tables for hats and scarves and bright, back-lit scenes of India posing as windows for each compartment. The service is polite and friendly but the food doesn’t always reach standards expected of fine Indian (something easy to come by in Suruchi Indian restaurant over the road). The tough lamb curry, the under-strength Phaal and the poor attempt at providing a Sunday buffet mean that this Indian restaurant is really only for those after a different eating experience, not the regular Indian eater.

Overall the spice carriage has let its standards slip over the years, it now remains as a shell of its former self, providing the same great table service and layout without the product to match - 4/10