Spencer Williams, Contributor
I felt like I wuz back on Brick Lane luv! Drinkin' me lager and scoffing down me curry! Wot bliss! (Cockney accent).
Planning a trip to the United Kingdom? Don't forget to take a walk down this East London road, where you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to Indian cuisine. But for those of you who will not be leaving Jamaica any time soon, just drive to Market Place on Constant Spring Road and have a seat inside, or out, at Jewel of India.
The menu is extensive, so do take a bit of time to absorb what's on offer. Andy, the gem of a manager, will only be too happy to help out and make suggestions which match your cravings. Honestly, out of all his recommendations (and we ordered a ton of different things), only one fell short - the Kashmiri vegetable curry. It was just a tad boring in flavour and the veggies were a little too soggy for my liking. Other than that, I tell you that I think the food there rocks!
Crunching on papadoms, while you read through the options, stave off the serious hunger pains, but beware of their 'heat' if your tongue can't handle it. Actually the restaurant ought to offer home-made chutneys to accompany it (at the moment you have to pay extra for a store-bought one). Ask for an array of dishes which you can all share (the more people in your group, the more variation you can have. Unless of course, you have a stomach the size of a truck)!
Slight trace of freezer
For starters, I can absolutely recommend the pyramid-shape vegetarian samosas, shortcrust-like pastry which has been fried just enough to give a crisp and crumbly edge, with a delicious potato filling. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if these generous delights had been baked - not an ounce of grease was seeping through. And the jhinga pakora is a must if you like shrimps to be perfectly battered and served with a tasty tamarind sauce. However, I did detect a slight trace of the freezer. Perhaps the source of these ought to be investigated!
As far as main courses and accompaniments are concerned, there are four pages to tantalise the senses of pretty much everybody. With me ordering, you're going to get the hot and saucy options (food that is!).
The lamb pepper fry is top of my list. Quickly cooked onions, peppers (or was it chilli powder?), remarkably supple pieces of lamb, and other spices like coriander, will leave you mopping up the remaining gravy with chunks of lightly-oiled and grilled soft nan bread.
Rogan Josh is the champion of Kashmiri dishes - lamb which has been slow cooked in a blend of fragrant spices and a fiery yogurt sauce. The meat could have done with another half hour on the pot though, just to ensure its tenderness.
The goan chicken curry, which is actually a vindaloo (very hot) sweet and sour southern Indian dish, was intense and clearly the chicken had been added at the last minute to guarantee that it remained juicily salacious!
The chicken tikka masala does not disappoint with slices of heavily spiced griddled chicken swimming in aromatic tomato-based gravy. It's the fail-safe of curries for Western palates.
The prawn chilli masala - large succulent king prawns, bathed in a delicately rich sauce and finished off with sprinkles of sweet-smelling cilantro leaves should be eaten with plain basmati rice and spicy slivers of fried okra (Bhindi Do Piazza). Trust me, my friends who hate these normally slimy fingers were stuffing them down in spoonfuls!
And lastly, but certainly not least, shrimp angarry far from makes you leave angrily! The chef knows how to prepare and cook his shrimps that's for sure. "Just one more," I kept telling myself. I simply could not resist them.
