Jack Spice

61 Fleet St, Swindon SN1 1RA

jackspiceswindon.co.uk

Tel: 01793 488098

Parking: No, but plenty in the town centre

Disabled access: Yes

Our ratings:

Food: 7/10

Choice: 8/10

Décor: 7/10

Customer service: 10/10

Main courses: from £6.50 to £14.95

TripAdvisor rating: 4/5

SEVEN months ago, the future was looking decidedly dicey for Jack Spice – a routine check by licencing officers uncovered illegal immigrants were being employed there and the place was shut down after its licence was revoked.

Not long after, we reported that a takeaway operation had restarted from the premises, but the restaurant doors remained firmly closed and it seemed as if Jack Spice’s days were numbered.

But those who doubted (myself included) hadn’t reckoned on the determination of owner Jahan Hanifi. A young man of just 24, he apparently refused to give up and decided to rebuild his business, and earlier this year Jack Spice reopened as a restaurant – minus its alcohol licence, for now at least – fully refurbished and hygiene inspected, with a Scores on the Doors rating of 4 out of 5.

We’d heard it was creating quite a buzz, so headed down on a damp and dreary Thursday to see for ourselves. The fact that it was half full on a school night speaks volumes; that most of the customers were treated like old friends tells you even more.

Truth be told, manager Alfhaz is probably most of the buzz. Bouncing with energy, he greeted us at the door and whipped away our carrier bag of beer (“wow… you’re in for a good night,” he joked, at the six giant bottles of Kingfisher beer we’d picked up in a supermarket deal en route), offering to stash four in the fridge while the waiter opened the other two. He didn’t stop all evening either, chatting to the customers and singing to the Bollywood music playing on a screen overhead. If success is the reward for enthusiasm, this reincarnated restaurant could actually go on to survive and even thrive.

The bring-your-own alcohol policy might sound a bit of a pain, but as long as you remember to take it with you, it works just fine, especially as there’s no corkage to pay. When the bill for poppadoms and chutneys, two starters, two mains and two sides comes in at £38, what’s not like?

There are no huge surprises on the menu, but there are pages and pages to choose from. As we cracked into the poppadoms, we weighed up the pros and cons of going for an old faithful (chicken tikka masala, £8.25… always a crowd pleaser) against trying something new (maybe the special bhuna, £9.50, cooked with brandy?). We decided on a mix of the familiar and the not-so (to us, anyway), with lamb samosas (£3.25) and onion bhajis (£3.25) to kick things off, followed by a mixed tikka biryani (£10.95) and a lamb tikka (£9.25) for the mains. A garlic and a keema nan (£3.25 each) rounded off the order.

The starters arrived quickly, and were still sizzling as they were set on the table. Hot, tasty and garnished with a fairly sizeable salad and some cooling raita alongside, they hit the spot and set us up nicely for the main event.

It was a fairly long wait for the main courses after that, but with the second round of Kingfishers and some banter from Jahan the time passed quickly enough. The biryani arrived as a huge mound of rice, its accompanying veggie curry sat on a heater in the middle of the table. My other half – initially slightly alarmed at the apparent absence of meat - was impressed once he discovered its hiding place under the rice heap and wolfed it down to appreciative noises.

Not fancying anything too saucy, I’d gone for the lamb tikka rather than my usual shashlik, and that was my mistake. Whereas a shashlik has chunks of grilled tomato, pepper and onion alongside the tandoori meat, these pieces of lamb were very dry and, well… just very meaty and chewy in places. Note to self: always make sure there are some veggies on your plate for a proper balanced meal.

In contrast, my garlic nan was soft and moist, with just the right amount of charring here and there as to make it perfect. I’d have been happy with a plateful of that and some chutneys and dips on the side.

During its takeaway-only months, Jack Spice was apparently refurbished and refitted from top to bottom. Not having been there before this visit, I have no idea how it compares now, but the décor today is smart, if a little golden and gaudy for my taste.

More importantly, it’s clean – the tablecloths, the menus, the plates, the glasses all have a shine that suggest something fresh and new… which I’m guessing is just want owner Jahan is going for as he resigns any past mistakes to history and makes the most of this second chance.