Randomness Guide to London Menu

Small Indian restaurant on the High Road in Lee. They also do takeaway.

Kake, bob, doop, secretlondon, her welshness, and three others visited on a Sunday evening in November 2008. We hadn't booked, and there was a little worry when we arrived over whether they'd be able to fit us in - the place really is very small, seating fewer than 30 in all - but they very kindly rearranged things and sat us very swiftly.

Disappointingly for somewhere listed in the 2007 Good Curry Guide, the food was strictly average; the choices no more interesting than you'd expect from any local curryhouse, and the quality quite acceptable without being notably good.

The menu boasts that you can "enjoy a unique selection of seven condiments with your Papadoms". There were indeed seven different condiments, including a fresh-tasting tomato salsa and a smooth, tangy tomato and chilli dip. The poppadoms were also fine, no trace of staleness in the oil and not overly greasy. This may, however, have been the high point of the meal.

Kake's starter of tangri kebab (tandoori chicken drumsticks, £3), though otherwise fine, was dyed a rather startling red colour. My main of prawn dansak (£6) was unpleasantly sweet, and side dishes of brinjal bhaji (£3) and courgette bhaji (£3) were mushy and unremarkable, respectively.

On the upside, the service was welcoming, friendly, and efficient, and it was good to see a few specials (of which the courgette bhaji was one) listed up on the wall.

In summary, this is not to say that the Spice of Life should be avoided; indeed, for what they're trying to do, they do fine. It's just that there are a hundred other places doing exactly the same thing, and unless you live in Lee, there's almost certainly another one more convenient to you.