Spice Palace South Plainfield NJ
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Address: Spice Palace Durham Plaza 112 Durham Ave South Plainfield, NJ 07080 Other New Jersey Indian Restaurants |
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Spice Palace South Plainfield NJ: Ripoff Palace, Below Average Food
When a hole-in-the-wall Indian takeout restaurant (Spice Palace in South Plainfield, NJ) charges you $11 for a below par entree but fails to provide Rice with it, then it deserves to be condemned as a Ripoff Palace unworthy of a return visit.Located in a strip-mall on Durham Avenue in South Plainfield, Spice Palace has the look of a typical New Jersey Indian dump.
The place is too warm suggesting they're not switching on the air-conditioning.
There's a TV playing irritating songs from those infernal Indian movies.
I do not recommend eating in.
Run by some folks from the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Spice Palace peddles both North and South Indian food.
The place panders to both carnivores and the grass gazers.
Egg Biryani - Disappointing
Egg Biryani - $10.99
Since Spice Palace boasts of "Authentic Hyderabadi Style" Biryanis on its menu, I ordered the Egg Biryani to see if its boast had any merit.
Hmmm, Spice Palace's Egg Biryani suffered from multiple issues.
My principal complaint with the Egg Biryani is that it was insufficiently spiced. For a spice-hardened Indian palate like mine, it was too mildly spiced to give much cheer.
Second, the rice was a bit dry and could have definitely used a little more ghee/oil in its preparation.
Third, there were no vegetables in the Biryani. Folks, Egg Biryani tastes best when you throw in some vegetables. Hey, there's an Indian vegetable and grocery store right next door (Patidar's) too.
Fourth, the two sides - Onion Salad and a lightly-spiced gravy - that came with the Egg Biryani were both disappointments. The gravy item was way too watery to be of much use and the Onion Salad did not include chillies or any other ingredient that add zest and flavor.
Overall, I'd put Spice Palace's Egg Biryani in the "average" category.
Most definitely not worth the $$11 these greedy bozos charge you.
Gutti Vankaya Curry - Below Average
Gutti Vankaya - $8.99 without Rice
Gutti Vankaya (Eggplant) Curry is a popular item in Andhra Pradesh.
Since yours truly has a long-standing weakness for it, I jumped on it the moment I spotted the item on the menu.
Alas, the Gutti Vankaya proved to be a below par entree.
Besides the eggplant and the spices, Gutti Vankaya derives its magic appeal from the "Rich Tamarind Gravy."
What a shame, the "Rich Tamarind Gravy" was to be found only in the description of the dish on the takeout menu. If any tamarind ever made it into the curry, surely it must be only in the chef's febrile fantasies.
Much to my irritation, the curry was also underspiced and definitely could have used more chillies in its preparation.
Besides not coming with rice, the serving size was way too small and it included just three small eggplants.
Gongura Chicken - Below Par
Gongura Chicken - $10.99 without Rice
What a shame, Gongura Chicken turned out to be a disappointment in part.
The dish came in a nice thick, slightly tangy gravy.
This is something that goes well with both White Rice and Chapati.
While the gravy was tangy, the chicken pieces were very chewy suggesting either a poor quality chicken or an unschooled chef who didn't cook it right.
Worse, at $11 I found it odd that this entree too did not include Rice.
In my not-so-humble opinion that's a complete ripoff.
One of the reasons Chinese takeouts do so well and are so ubiquitous in New Jersey and elsewhere is that you get White Rice, even with $5.99 or $6.99 entrees.
Indian restaurants in New Jersey need to learn lessons from the Chinese in providing better value to customers.
Service and Ambience
Spice Palace has no ambience and, like a lot of Indian restaurants in New Jersey, has the unmistakable look of a dump.
As you enter, there are a few tables upfront with the cash and order counter and kitchen behind the tables. A TV above the cooler plays loud Telugu films.
The counter people at Spice Palace are clueless in the basics of customer service. But that's a failing Spice Palace shares with most Indian restaurants in New Jersey that we've visited.
When a customer walks in, you first greet him or her. You don't sullenly stare and wait for the order.
So Pathetic.
Also, my Spice Palace takeout did not come with napkins, spoons or plates even after the ripoff prices.
Spice Palace Rating - Poor Value
For the prices it charges for the so-so quality of its food, Spice Palace in South Plainfield is not good value.If you're willing to fork out just a few dollars more, you can get an All-You-Can-Eat-Lunch-Buffet at nearby Indian restaurants like Doon Indian Grill (Veg. and Non-Veg.), Sukh Sagar (only Vegetarian) or Chand Palace (only vegetarian). - © Sagar.com
Nearby Indian Restaurants
Rajvilaas Piscataway NJ - Disappointing Indian FoodSukh Sagar Piscataway - More Sukh, Less Dukh
Doon Indian Grill - Average to Above Average Food
Chand Palace Piscataway - Horrid Food, Horrible Service