River Spice

not the cheapest place in town, nut not expensive at all. we ended up paying 25pound pp for starters, mains to share and 3 beers per person and sat tehre for 2,5 hours. Very happy with the food and nice staff. def recommend!

Great meal, very reasonable price! Service was excellent as well — The Chicken Korma (SP?) was really great, the various naan breads (Lamb, regular) were cooked to perfection. Great selection of wine, quiet atmosphere — So great and would come here again!!!

Indian food isn’t in my catalog of cuisines I tend to eat, but a good friend made plans to eat here when we spent the day at Brighton. The day was rainy and the restaurant was quiet (we were the only ones in there), but luckily the servers were at our beck and call and the food was delicious.
We ordered some appetizer… I don’t know the name of it but I’ll try to describe it as accurately as possible. There was a giant crunchy thing that you could break apart along with 3 different pastes/​sauce that you could spread on it. Whatever it was, it was good and I just kept eating it because it was in front of me. As for my entrée, I ordered the Spicy Chicken Tikka Masala and it suuuuure delivered. Perfectly spiced (quite spicy actually) and very tasty. I was only able to take down half of it before I called it quits and asked for a take away.
The menu is quite extensive so I’m sure you’ll find whatever you need to fulfill your curry needs. The restaurant is clean and don’t be alarmed if nobody is eating in there, at least the service will be on point. They do watch you the whole time but at least it’s from a distance. Thank you, come again!

I am ashamed to say I was in England for four days before I had my first Indian food. When I had been planning out my itinerary, nearly all the restaurants in London I picked were Indian, given how much I love the food. Yet, I never managed to get to one, and by the time I was in Brighton, I was long overdue.
On recommendation from a friend who is from Brighton, who orders take away from River Spice on a regular basis, we stopped in after a walk along the shore, and found ourselves the only patrons. This should not deter you if you notice no one else inside; River Spice is fantastic. I had the Chicken Tikka and Chicken Madras, and loved every bite of it. The flavors took overy my mouth and ranged from sweet to spicy and all the best in between. The portions were generous, and the price was reasonable. The atmosphere was charmingly warm and modern while still giving a strong indication of it’s traditional roots. The staff was attentive, friendly and quick to serve. Unlike many American meals of Indian food where I’ve often found myself wondering about the quality of the food, there was no doubt here about how good it was.
River Spice really takes the cake in my book. If I were from Brighton, like my friend, I’d probably order from them all the time, like my friend. As is, I’ll be sure to make it a regular spot on my tour de World.

Whow! Essen war hervorragend und außergewöhnlich lecker gewürzt mit einer perfekten Schärfe, die Spaß machte ohne das Essen zu übertönen.
Sehr, sehr gut.
Dazu ein Interieur, was aus meiner sicht ungewöhnlich für ein Indisches Restaurant ist — frei von jeglichem Kitsch und sehr modern in Rottönen eingerichtet.
Einziger merkwüriger Punkt war, dass die Tische sehr eng zur Seite geschoben waren, so lange niemand dran saß und jedes Mal, wenn Gäste kamen oder gingen abgerückt wurden.
Sehr empfehlenswert und keinesfalls ein Imbiss, sondern ein Restauarant.

If you’re walk down Preston Street, you’ll find yourself presented with an extremely difficult choice over where to eat. This small strip of buildings is like a quick tour around the world of cuisine.
If like me you’re prone to a bout of indecision, let me tell you River Spice is certainly a worthy choice. This small Indian restaurant is a balanced combination of traditional and modern Indian food, all at a reasonable price.
The menu is limited; you’ll find there are a number of regular take away favourites that won’t be on the menu. The unfamiliarity is however probably a sign of the authenticity of the food on offer, and is also an excuse to branch out and try something new.
I found this to be one of the most satisfying meals out I have had in quite some time.

Update: January 2010
We went here again a few nights ago with a friend and had a perfectly good meal. Service could have been a little more attentive, given that they weren’t that busy, but the food and overall experience were fine: we just ordered mains and beer, which came to £15 including tip.
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Situated slap-​bang in the middle of Preston Street (West Brighton’s main restaurant area), River Spice is a fusion Indian restaurant which stands out as a little more interesting among the other eateries.
The exterior is rather dull, but the interior is much classier, decorated in warm oranges and browns, with modern furniture — the antithesis of old-​fashioned Indian restaurants.
The menu is sensibly limited, and includes a section for the modern Anglo-​Indian ‘Fusion’ dishes. We opted for rather more traditional fare for our mains, the Vegetarian platter (basically a Thali) for me and a Chicken Chill Masala — a spicier version of the traditional favourite — for my other half. Both were well executed — none of that ‘swimming in oil’ which mars so many Indian restaurants — and my basmati rice was simply perfect (it rarely lives up to its ‘fragrant’ label, but here it did).
More interestingly, we started with the mixed veggie starter platter, which included pieces of papri chaat, aachari paneer tikka, and pani puri crisp wheat flour shells filled with chickpeas and pomegranate and spicy mango chutney and mint water dips. This made for a light and interesting starter and, although it seems a bit pricey at £7.50 for two sharing, you get five pieces each.
We had a very decent Vin du Pays red for £12, and overall really enjoyed the meal: we felt satisfied without feeling bloated, and with a tip and wine it came to £20 a head.
Service was OK, although one waiter seemed a little taciturn, and when they got busier things slowed up a bit — other review sites have commented that service can be a little variable when busy, so maybe not a good choice if you are on a tight timetable or want a quick take-​away.
The other problem was that we had a rather voluble group of half a dozen diners nearby — the sort who lubricate the conversation with four letter words and the odd racist comment. We were, unfortunately seated a little too close to them, but thought they’d be leaving as they’d finished their meal and were in the process of paying. I realise the conduct of other customers is not easily in the staff’s control, but for some reason they decided to give the group complimentary drinks, so they stayed for another 30 minutes, much to the disbelief and irritation of us and several other diners. A bad error of judgement, in my view, and it detracted from our enjoyment of the meal.
Nevertheless, it’s somewhere we’d happily return — we’d be a little more choosy where we sat, next time…