Takeaway Time - Rice & Spice Review

Rice & Spice, Earlham House, Earlham Road, Norwich

Cuisine - Indian & Bangladeshi

Options - Takeaway & Delivery

Speed - 8/10 - Upon arrival I was very suprised to find the place empty on an evening on a Saturday, that being said more people did start to enter as we awaited. We placed our order of two curries, two portions of rice and also a naan after a brief look over the menu, then proceeded to wait. After a short while and what was heard to be people working hard in the kitchen within 18 minutes our food was ready. The fact that it was a short wait gave me the impression that it was made from scratch and fresh which I didn't mind too much, also that it wasn't a really long wait satisfied me, I felt that it was a justified time overall. 

Taste - 7/10 - The curry I opted for was a chicken tikka chilli masala with a portion of onion fried rice. After a read through the menu this one seemed to appeal to me most as I love my hot food. To start off with the chicken was well cooked as it was succulent, tender and juicy which fell apart easily. The rice was also pleasant as it was fluffy, moist and sustained a fragrant onion flavour, which can be easily lost when cooking; I liked the fact that there was small strands of onion within the rice. Finally the area where the curry fell slightly was the sauce, it did maintain a good, thick consistency and nailed the description of being a 'very hot' curry but lacked the real flavour impact a curry has the potential to have. It was an average flavour that could be repeated in most other indian takeaways but didn't have the real wow factor to be a must eat. Also their could have been more sauce as it was lacking slightly. One thing I did like was the spice and the fact that the long chillies had been left in the curry for a heat impact. 

Price - 7/10 - Indian takeaways' tend to be the high priced, one off takeaways' that you treat yourself to every so often as meals for two tend to hit £20 and upward. My meal itself without any additional sundries such as naan breads & poppadums came to a total of £8.70, with the curry being £5.75 and the portion of rice being £2.95. I feel this was fairly priced as other indian takeaways offer similar priced menus and liked I mentioned previously it's rare you do find a cheaper option. They also validated the price with the portion sizes as the rice was big, the chicken pieces were sizable and of a high quantity. 

Overall - 7/10 - Generally this was an okay visit to an indian takeaway. Not one of the best tasting meals I have ever eaten but it did satisfy the curry craving that tormented my tummy. The speed was impressive and the fact that the food is cooked from fresh by hard working chefs is fantastic, not to mention the fact they offer a free delivery offer of orders over £10 within a five mile radius. The food however is slighlty average as the mothership of the curry (the sauce) is lacking a tad, with the rice and well cooked chicken bringing it up a standard notch. With the price, your can't really argue much as for these guys to compete and make a profit on the Indian takeaway market they have to charge like the opposition. To sum up my visit I'd say this would be an indian you would visit If you live near by as you can just pop in and be out within twenty minutes but just don't expect nothing special compared to your average local indian. 

www.rice-and-spice.co.uk

Tel: 01603 503080 

      01603 504020

Takeaway Time - The Chip Shop Review

The Chip Shop, Stafford Street, Norwich

Cuisine - Fish & Chips 

Options - Takeaway Only

Speed - 8/10 - This place is renouned for it's big queue as it's reputation is at a great high. If you head here in the tea time period expect a wait but don't be put off by this as once you reach the till you're served and sent on your way within minutes. With the place only being small, the queue always looks disheartening but take my word for it, it's certainly worth it. 

Taste - 9/10 - As far as fish and chip shop go this one is hitting all the right notes. My meal was a delicious small cod and chips, by which I was somewhat impressed. First of all my fish was boneless, consisted of a pure white, flaky flesh and full of flavour. Not only that but it was moist but not too sloppy and also melted in my mouth, from this you could tell the freshness. The batter was golden and perfectly crisp on the outside with a smooth buttery underside which attached it to the fish, I always state that this is the best in the city. With the chips they could have been slightly less soft on the outside as I think a crisper skin would have worked better, that being said they were still beautifully fluffy and golden. A side note I'd like to state is that none of the meal had a greasy texture or hinted at any unappetising moisture throughout which some fish and chip outlets often suffer from. 

Price - 8.5/10 - With cod becoming more and more of a rarity by the years, I feel that chip shops are suffering terribly as the price of fish erupts, meaning increasing selling prices to gain a profit. A small cod and chips at £5.20 seems a fair price from The Chip Shop because of the sheer quality. Other chip shops may offer up a cheaper price, but for the standard of the food you recieve at Stafford Street you can't grumble; for example the use of genuine, fresh cod, where as other places may substitute it for white fish. Another key point is that the portion size is immense, leaving you happily full and treated without waddling with regret.

Overall - 8.5/10 - One of Norwich's most prestigious fish and chip shops, The Chip Shop never fails to disappoint and feels like a true takeaway treat everytime I use it. With the freshly fried fish and the constant cycle of chips pumping through the customer demand, you can guarantee that the food here is going to taste great. It's queues are a thing to look out for but once you've gone through that initial wait, grasped your food and left for home, you'll have a smile from ear to ear. A slight negative is the fact they don't accept card but that's no real issue as there is a cash point just minutes away. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good fish and chip shop in the city as I believe it's by far one of the best.