http://noblespice.com.hk/ <-- click

I'm feeling sentimental. It's been a long, LONG while since we met for dinner, and I miss the hassle-free days. I miss the days when we could go out every week. Times have changed. These are grim days. You wake up every day at 8am (actually. doesn't sound that bad.) and you can never be on top of things.

Service:
I have to say that the manager was extremely, and I must say extremely, nice. Perhaps it can be explained by the fact that the lift has broken down. And that we were the only diners that evening. very sad, because the quality of the food is high. She came over and explained the menu and subsequently, offered free lassis. *swoon*. Each lassi costs like $30 so effectively she gave us a $120 discount.

Food:
We ordered 4 set dinners at around $120 each. The set dinner doesn't come with a drink but thanks to Ms. Manager...!

Black pepper papadaumJ loved this so I gave her half of mine because I found it too peppery. I liked the clean, crisp crunch but the black pepper was too strong. Three dips came with this cracker. Pickled veg, a tomato-based red one, and a mint yogurt. The mint yogurt was best. The coolness of the mint helped to balance out the peppery flavour. (is peppery-ness a flavour or a sensation..?)

Lentil soupAt least that's what I think it is. There might've been some potato in it too. It was nice and thick and filling but NOT creamy, which is what I liked. The texture was not unlike the Chinese red bean soup dessert. Slightly sandy inside the mouth but, pleasant. Nice and hot. Tasty.

SamosaI am really not a big fan of samosas because they are oily and the ones I usually have are too spicy and herby but HELL-o this one was spectacular!! The skin was crisp but not oily. The interior was grainy, moreish, mildly spiced (just right for the unadventurous-true-to-HK palate! heh. Unadventurous me. I sploshed a bit of the mint yoghurt on top and it tasted, good. Yes. I had 1.5 samosas. They also served us something like a potato tempura, which I didn't think highly of.

Chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, lamb chops (with a special dip) (4 meats on one platter)Sizzling hot, smelled like heaven, generous portions and...no complaints, at all. I was so overwhelmed by the small mound of flesh that I couldn't really fault or pass judgment on the results of mastrication inside my own mouth. No. Um. But I suppose I must say something as a responsible blogger...um I liked the chicken tikka and tandoori chicken most. Um but that may be due to the fact that I don't eat lamb (at all)? Heh. Tender and juicy and TASTY without being too oily, which, was unexpected because usually these cast iron skewers are rather oily. Yeah. Get all the chicken items. You will be satisfied.

Veggie specials - Mushroom mutter, Daal makhaniMushrooms - my best friend, no faults there; peas, and coconut curry - really good. Comfort food-like. The other one was potato and they soaked up all the juice they were cooked in....no doubt, delicious. H would love this. H loves potatoes.

Pullao riceBasmati rice was well cooked - fluffy and distinct, not clumped together like unhealthy red blood cells. Um. I think this drier rice (as opposed to Korean/japanese rice) prepared this way is a perfect complement for the wet curries. The rice was quite sweet too. What is it? Where did the sweetness come from? Almost a syrupy sweetness. Would prefer it to be simpler.

Naan and Garlic NaanVery good, one of my fave indian foods hehee. Not too garlicky no bad breath. Manager offered to reheat the naan bread after it stayed on our table for a while. She didn't want us to have it cold. Well honestly I don't care because it's so good. But she went the extra mile and has earned herself many points !

Mango lassi [free] Last but far from least, the lovingly prepared Mango Lassi mmm which 2 of us had. Sorry the photo isn't upright. It was smooth, not slushie-like in texture. Not overly sweet or too sour. It took on a thinned yoghurt consistency, with a strong delicious ripe mango fragrance, which was quite the excellent antidote for spicy foods. Served chilled, stayed chill. Thank you, manager, again.

Conclusion:
Res ipsa loquitur .

I chose this place because I've tried the food in the previous location on Wyndham street before and it's no fuss, comfort, delectable grub, plus this new place is nicely done up and they do a mean birthday deal - $110 per person, with 14 different dishes! How good can you get it in LKF?

I checked out the place beforehand and Mr. Sing took me through all the dishes he could make for the dinner menu - 6 appetisers including the usual momos, chicken drumsticks, salad amongst others; for mains there were various curries catering for both vegetarians and meat lovers alike, accompanied by rice and paratha, and finally aloo gobi for dessert.

There were about 2 dozen of us and we took up the main area of the restaurant, and most of the bar area as well. The food was laid out in buffet style, first round was appetisers and some people didn't know there was going to be more food so they stuffed themselves full with the appetisers only to realise that more food was coming. Oops, my mistake. But the great thing was that food never ran out, and the staff were happy to refill any dish. Everything tasted delicious, and it was washed down with plenty of beer and lassi.

The murals were all done by the owner Mr. Sing, all the way up to the ceiling, which adds to a sense of being transported to a faraway place full of mystic and wonder, when you're only a few floors up from the meat-packing crowd downstairs. There was michael jackson on the TV but I guess it was still pretty fresh news then and the nostalgia was still around. The music wasn't loud and we could talk freely.

The staff are so friendly and attentive you really couldn't fault them for anything. They kept a tab of all the drinks people ordered and Mr. Sing made sure I counted the tab with him. And it only came up to $4000+ for 20 odd people, and everyone was absolutely stuffed.