Banana's For Chanas

Anyone who knows me knows exactly how much i love Indian cuisine. To the point where i would happily have curry for breakfast. So when i heard that Spice Village, a new Indian & Pakistani restaurant had opened near to the Langstrasse i thought to myself, I must pay them a visit.

My initial impression was of a bright and colourful decor which countered many of my previous experiences. My experiences have generally been of dark and dingy establishments with flocked wallpaper. When you enter the restaurant the walls are dominated by two large and vibrant murals and the lighting in the restaurant is bright. The restaurant is small, (it was a kiosk in its previous incarnation,) with only 32 covers, but felt cosy without being cramped.

But what about the cuisine? Before we ordered we had a chat with the proprietor, Saeed, who explained about his concepts and thoughts regarding the menu. Firstly, he explained that the restaurant has two chefs, one Pakistani and one Indian. This is because Indian cuisine is predominantly vegetarian whilst Pakistani cuisine utilises meat much more. Needless to say the Pakistani chef handles meat dishes and the Indian chef handles more of the vegetarian food. As the cuisine of this part of the world is so often defined as “Indian” this distinction had not really occurred to me before. 

We ordered a selection of dishes, some with meat and some vegetarian and, on the recommendation of Saeed, ordered a Lamb Karahi, a Pakistani speciality but i’ll come back to this in a moment.

As previously mentioned, Indian cuisine has a long tradition of vegetarianism and is, if you are looking to reduce your meat consumption, a great place to start. We ordered the Dhal Mahkani and a Chana Massala, both of which were delicately spiced, sprinkled with fresh herbs and delicious. 



The Lamb Karahi was quite different to what I have come to expect from “Indian” cuisine in terms of it’s texture and sauce. The dish was more akin to a dry dish than one with sauce and like the Dhal and the Chickpea dish, was subtly spiced and not so hot that flavours were lost. My favourite touch was that all the dished were garnished with fine strips of fresh ginger so every few bites were accompanied by the crunch and flavour of the ginger.

There were a few parts of my experience that were different from previous visits to Indian/Pakistani restaurants in Zurich. Firstly, the food was not too oily and my frequent complaint has been that the food is swimming in oil. Not so here. Secondly, rice was included in the price of main courses and this was a very welcome change from many restaurants in the city.

So is it worth a visit? I am going to be visiting again certainly. The food was good, with wide variety for vegetarians and vegans and the ambience was comfortable and unassuming. A great place to go for an uncomplicated night out. 

Rons Tips. 

• Try the Karahi. Mine was great.
• The restaurant does a lunch buffet for a very reasonable 20.90 CHF. You can also take out for 15.90 CHF and the restaurant encourages people to bring their own containers.
• The restaurant also takes part in the Pointz loyalty scheme. Download the app, scan the QR code and your 11th meal there is free. 

Instagram Suitability: Good lighting and the bright decor make for some interesting shots but space is limited in the restaurant. 3 out of 5 flashbulbs.

Spice Village, Bäckerstrasse 43, 8004
www.spicevillace.ch