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EATING
OUT
Jerry
Lebens simpers at Goa Spice of Life
 You
may not have noticed Goa. It's tucked snugly away behind
Richmond Terrace. Not the most picturesque bit of Brighton,
but that's not a bad thing, it means that Mohammed Asad,
the owner, doesn't expect to earn a living from tourism.
Too many Brighton and Hove restaurants rely on there being
a plentiful supply of fresh grockles every day, so the food
can, and often does, suffer. Restaurants need regular customers
- it keeps them on their toes and helps them to maintain
standards. Mohammed has a loyal band of faithful customers.
Anyway,
reviewing a restaurant devoted to the ancient culinary traditions
of Goan culture isn't straightforward. There are troublesome,
and for some, deeply contentious social issues to be considered.
Here, at The Insight, we know it's absolutely critical that
such an onerous task should be approached in a serious frame
of mind. So the hired hand and I crashed into The Richmond,
around the corner, to neck a few first. And, having achieved
a tantric mental state, we levitated across.
Seriously,
the à la carte GBH that I self-inflict in 'Indian'
restaurants wouldn't wash today. It was time to do things
differently, and so , ignoring every rule in the reviewers
handbook, when Mohammed said, "leave the food to me,"
we said, "Yes, sir."
In a
flash a pile of crispy poppadoms arrived with all
the trimmings (50p each), alongside them two, venomously
cold, bottles of Cobra Lager (£2.25) .
No sooner
had the above found a loving home when four crunchy Onion
Bhajis took their place. They were followed by: Chicken
Peri Peri (£6.50) a spicy Goanese recipe with
cheese and fresh coriander; Lamb Caldine (£6.50)
made with fresh chillies, but with coconut and lemon juice
to cut the heat; Saroon Ka Saag (£3) an unusual,
tangy, dish, from the Punjab, made with spinach and mustard
leaves; and complemented by delicately flavoured Jeera,
Lemon & Coriander Rice (£2.50) and Mushroom
Rice (£2.50).
By now
the hired hand and I were at the point of no return. Mohammed,
though, had other ideas. Sizzling hot, straight off the
plane from Bangladesh, and direct to our plates, arrived
a huge portion of pan fried Pomfret (a flat fish
a little like plaice) in a rich Bhuna Sauce (£8).
Deep joy.
We decided to pass on dessert and ordered an extra large
taxi to take us home.
Goa represents great food and excellent value for money
- go during the week, when it is a little quieter. Try the
3rd Thursday of the month when 10% of takings go to Amnesty
International.
Essential
Info
Open 7 days 12 noon - 2pm/5.30pm-midnight.
Take-Away & Delivery 5.30pm-11.30pm. Sunday Buffet,
bookings only.
Drinks: Extensive selection, good wine list. Beer
iro £2.25/bottle. Wine £12-15/bottle.
Service: Attentive, young and friendly.
Atmosphere: Mohammed says "Relax."
Goa
The Spice of Life Restaurant
4/5 Richmond Parade
Brighton BN2 2PH
Tel 01273 818149/674090
copyright The Insight 2002
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