» Bit of a Goa
Andrew Kay returns to see a friend at an old favourite, Goa Spice Of Life in Brighton
Living in the suburbs has its ups and its downs. The peace and quiet of suburban life is a joy, the nights are darker, the stars brighter and the neighbours, in my experience, more friendly. On the down side there is not the choice of places to pop into for a casual drink or a meal, even take-away food is limited. I suppose that having lived for three years in Preston Street spoiled me for choice. There were many evenings when my neighbours at Nishat Tandoori would ring the bell late, offering trays filled with new dishes for which they wanted an opinion. I sat up in bed many times eating new aubergine or fish dishes from the foil containers.
It was through Nishat that I first met Mohammed. When he decided to branch out on his own and open Goa Spice Of Life, we of course went along to lend some support. It was good, we even had our Latest Magazines Christmas party there one year, an excellent affair in which the production director was given a set of sex dice in the Secret Santa. How we laughed.
“I love it here, it’s never the same two times in a row, but that adds to the excitement”
Years along the line and Mohammed and Goa Spice Of Life are still going strong. He has worked hard and his efforts have paid off as his unassuming restaurant at the bottom of Hanover’s steep streets has a loyal clientele and strong sense of community.
I decided to pop along and see him and one of my nice new colleagues from the magazine joined me. Mohammed knows that I have little desire to choose dishes when I visit and that I am happy to let him put together a balanced meal. It’s a method I often use in Indian and in Chinese restaurants and any good one will put together a meal that is varied but not over-expensive, matching costly dishes to economical ones.
He remembered this and we arrived to find our meal ready for us, plus two creamy salt lassis which he knows I also love. He was slightly disappointed that we did not want wine, it was lunch time, but happier when we accepted a beer.
We started with a crisp patty of spinach and cashew nuts. I love both, so I was bound to like this, and I did. We followed that with huge king prawns in a rich tomato-based sauce flavoured with fresh spices as well as dried ones, again excellent.
Next, we tucked into some rather ingenious lamb koftas, spicy minced meat that had been wrapped around boiled eggs. What really impressed was that when cut in half, the yolks of the eggs were still soft and runny. They were like Indian Scotch eggs in a way, but actually far better than your average Scotch egg.
Next, we set about eating a large talapia, I guess grilled or roasted and dressed with sliced runner beans and fresh tomatoes. It was particularly good, as was a dish of creamed mustard leaves and a plate of tamarind-drizzled rice on the side.
A lamb caldine, an old favourite of mine, proved that Goan dishes are a cut above your average high street Indian, the meat simply falling apart at the touch of the fork.
We finished by nibbling on those delicious Indian sweetmeats that so many people find too rich but that I would kill for. How they ever discovered that boiling carrots and mixing them with condensed milk would be a good idea I do not know. But it is. Mr H was impressed with all the food but found the sweets a bit too rich for his palate, odd as he then went on to drink a few shots of Amarulha, a slippery cream-based spirit, and rather a girly one if you will forgive me for the borderline sexism of that comment.
Goa Spice Of Life is something of an institution and Mo is passionate about it. His delightful girlfriend is now involved and helping to move the whole place on, a great idea as more and more people should pop in and discover what a fun and inexpensive place this is to eat.
Students are even allowed to take along their own drink on early weekday evenings, making it an ideal spot if you are young and strapped for cash. I love it here, it’s never the same two times in a row, but that adds to the excitement. It’s relaxed and fun, like eating in a family home, and more places should learn from Mo’s approach.
Goa Spice Of Life, 4–5 Richmond Parade, Brighton, 01273 818149.
See www.goa-spiceoflife.co.uk for more information.
