Spice Merchant

I’d never heard of the Spice Merchant when a friend of mine took me there after a few early evening drinks.
I love currys and with my preferred favourite being a chicken tikka masala, I thought I couldn’t really go wrong by ordering my trusty favourite. According to the menu, it was the chefs speciality that even came with cashew nuts which I’ve never had in a curry before.
Although it was a tasty combination, I was really disappointed with the amount — or should I say lack of chicken — in my curry.
It was quite busy in there so maybe they were running low on the tikka masala but even so, for £6.95 not included a side dish I expect more than 3 small pieces of chicken although I did enjoy dipping my peshwari nan in the bowl of sauce!

I like Spice Merchant, it provides a more traditional twist on the typical Birmingham favoured curries that tend to consist of poppadoms followed by a spicy gravy and meat dish of some sort.
It’s an intimate but pleasantly sized restaurant with a bar and frosted windows (so you don’t get disturbed by any curious curry-​peepers). The staff are very welcoming and colourful characters who make the experience all the more pleasant.
Now to the food. Starters vary between 4 and 6 pounds, main dishes are priced around 6 pounds. So you eat a satisfying curry for around 15 to 20 pounds per person.
I had the Tandoori chops to begin, which were exquisitely flavoured and wonderfully succulent. I had a chicken and garbanzo bean dish to follow. It had quite a rich sauce however it was a pleasing sight seeing something other than gravy and meat in my dish. The appearance of some beans in my dish differentiated it from a lifetime of bean-​less curries.
A nice restaurant and another place to visit if you’re inclined to curry consumption.

Around 8 of us visited the Spice Merchant recently for a friend’s birthday and we all had a wonderful evening. The restaurant has had a wonderful refurb since I last visited and this also seems to have impacted on the food as it was one of the best curries I’ve had for a while.
Most people had starters and the paneer shashlik was delicious. For main I ordered lamb methi chana which is a curry cooked with chickpeas — it was wonderful and at just the right spice level. All the accompanying rice and naans were also perfect. A great meal for both veggies and meat eaters at a very reasonable price. With drinks the bill came to around £15 each but most main dishes are just £6.
The décor is modern and welcoming, they stock a full bar (I like a g&t with my curries) and the staff are friendly, funny and. .. unforgettable!