If I ever were in a position to give a restaurant an award for Best Name it would have to be Posh Spice in Newtown. For I am speaking about a restaurant, not the emaciated fashionista ex Spice Girl perched on increasingly vertiginous shoes who only has a fleeting familiarity with actual food.
The entrance to Posh Spice advertises Bollywood Dancing on Friday and Saturday nights and the colourful fuchsia walls and staircase lead to a very nicely outfitted restaurant – one that is adorned with plasma screens playing Bollywood videos, wooden carvings and all things chicly Indian.
The other Posh Spice. She wasn’t there by the way.
Cameron, my husband and I are dining using the Eatability two for one main discount (now finished but keep an eye out for it should it appear again) where feeding two famished men fresh from sailing all day is paramount. We order four mains-the three restaurant specialties, as well as the Spinach & Cheese Naan and the Peshwari Naan and a selection of sides for $6.50 (Katchumber: chopped tomato and onion salad; mango chutney and Raita: cucumber and yogurt).
Aishwarya Rai mocktail $6.50
Given the intriguing names in the cocktail menu like Sex in Mumbai, Slumdog Margarita and Sachin Ballbanger, I start with the Aishwarya Rai, a ginger ale and grenadine mocktail. My husband and Cameron go for the Salty Lassis ($4 each). They’re similar to the Ayran drinks and not too bad although my husband admits he prefers Mango Lassis.
Complimentary appetisers
Our complimentary appetisers are made of deep fried bread, spread with three types of cheese (a mint cheese and two others), battered and deep friend.
Gosht Mirch Ka Salan: Lamb $19
This dish consists of boneless lamb cooked with aromatic spices, green whole chili, tamarind extract and curry leaves and is said to be a specialty of Hyderabad. The meat is very tender and despite the chili next to the description on the menu, it’s not particularly hot (although all three of us are hardened chili fiends so it may be hot for the uninitiated).
Veal Pasanda $25
The Veal Pasanda is a roasted veal strips oin with green and red pepper, baby English spinach and pistachio kernels topped with a rich sauce of cashews, yogurt and fresh mushrooms. The sauce is particularly delicious in this and the serving size is very generous indeed. The veal is softish and tender.
Duck and Pumpkin Curry $25
The Duck and Pumpkin Curry consists of two grain fed Duck leg pieces braised with Japanese pumpkin, tumeric, chillies and cassia and pan-finished with a squeeze of Tahitian lime. The duck portions of this and the sauce are delicious although the pumpkin is undercooked which gives it a strong raw pumpkin odour.
Crab Xec Xec $25
We save the messiest item for last, the Crab Xec Xec which is a whole blue swimmer crab stir fried in an extract of roasted coconut and spices and mellowed with coconut cream. The meat in the legs is incredibly stringy and dry and mostly inedible although the meat in other part of the crab fares better although I must admit it is not as fresh as I’ve had. The sauce is thick and dryish, similar in texture to a rendang if not in taste and packed with spices and herbs – a little goes a long way with the sauce.
Spinach and Cheese naan (half shown) $4.50 and Peshwari Naan $4.00
The rice we are given is said to be a Low GI Basmati rice and the extras, in particular the Katchumber are must have accompaniments. The naan are both delicious, the peshwari naan filed with aromatic fennel seeds and coconut the spinach and melting cheese delicious. And not a Spice Girl in sight. Who are we kidding, I don’t think she goes to restaurants to eat.
Low GI Basmati rice $3 per person
Posh Spice
Level 1, 196 King Street Newtown, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9557 6399
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32 Comments | Add your own
Heehee what a great name for a restaurant. The stringy crab leg meat & raw pumpkin doesn’t sound too flash though. But the deep fried bread looks great! Mmm deep fried carbs…
Cool appetizers – great colours! Definitely some lovely dishes you chose.
I think this place is new. I frequent King Street and I haven’t seen it and would have noticed a restaurant with that name. Thanks for the review, will certainly pay it a visit.
I love Victoria Beckham! I think Id go just cos it is named after her =)
pity about the crab. i’m always looking for a good place to have excellent crab with the family. any recommendations?
Delicious! I would love to try the Duck and Pumpkin Curry – that sounds very interesting and duck is always one of my favorites!
Has that been around long? When I went to Sydney Uni, I walked King Street all the time. The door looks familiar, but I don’t think I ever realized the place was called Posh Spice. I probably would have gone!
Hmm…the crab looked like it would have been good..that’s too bad…I’m now craving curry crab tho…yumms…how was the deepfried bread?
The spinach and cheese naan looks delicious! Actually, it all does, but I’m a carb-lover at heart and know I’d go straight for the naan.
OMG perfect weather for Indian!! I wannntttt! and yay for spinach and CHEESE naan!
oh you made me hungry with that awesome photography
oh yum! this place looks great – I adore Indian food
I love the name! Sounds like the food was a bit mixed. The very tender meat sounds good, the uncooked pumpkin not so good.
OMG my stomach just attacked the screen! Indian is my all time favourite indulgence….that naan looks soooo tasty!
This used to be called ‘Tamana’s on Top’ and it’s brilliant! Once we went there for dinner and there was this amazing male Bollywood dancer. Even the waiters danced.
I’ve never seen that veal dish though, looks yummy and at a discount too. Nice work!
Great appetizers & lovely food you choose!
Fab pictures yet again, Lorraine!
I love basmati rice, and the veal, naan, and lamb look so divine!
holy freaking cow! THREE types of cheese? to be honest, I’m afraid of deep-fried foods, but if I had a plate of those infront of me, I think my greed would overcome my fears!
you’re right–it’s hard to think about posh and food at the same time. does she eat? i doubt it. meanwhile, i’m crazy about the look of that naan. fill ‘er up!
Hi Steph-Isn’t it just!
Yeah I’ve never had crab like that before but I suppose with a 2 for 1 it hurts a
little less!
Hi Anita-Thankyou so much!
Hi Mike-Yes it’s only a few weeks old but used to be another Indian restaurant called Tamanas. You’re welcome
Hi Brianna-Hehe cool although I don’t think she’ll be there in person she will be in name!
Hi Simon-Yup for great crab I can definitely recommend Shanghai Yang Zhou House in Hurstville. The Yang Zhou
Aromatic Crab is fantastic!
Hi 5 Star Foodie-I ove duck too and you don’t often see it on Indian menus!
Hi Brittany-It’s only been around as “Posh Spice” for a few weeks they said. Before that it was another Indian
restaurant called Tamanas which is probably more familiar
Hi Alexandra-I know, if the meat had been good it would’ve been lovely as the sauce was very tasty. The deep
fried bread wasn’t too bad, just a nice little morsel although not quite as exciting as it sounds
Hi maris-They were excellent I have to say
There was a lot of filling which I love!
Hi FFichiban-Totally, isn’t it just! I always crave Indian when it’s cold
Hi snookydoodle-Hehe sorry about that!
Hi Renee-It’s pretty good
Worth a visit too, I’d love to go back on a Bollywood dancing night!
Hi Arwen-Hehe me too! Suffice it to say that was the initial lure for me
Yes uncooked pumpkin is a bad
thing. I can still taste it
Hi Tiffany-Hehe! It’s delicious isn’t it. I love their creamy curries and fluffy naans
Hi Christie-yup that’s right and there’s another Tamanas right next to it on the ground floor. I guess being on
the 1st floor they’re on top
Thanks!
Hi Sophie-Thankyou! The specialties looked too interesting to pass up
Hi ArtemisIII-They were all so good
I’m getting hungry now thinking about them! 
Hi Sophia-Hehe well it’s a small biteful so not bad perhaps?
Hi grace-I think she probably inhales vitamins and nutrients through something like an oxygen tank. Although I read somewhere that she ate a lot of prawns. Who knows?
Mike – it’s the old Tamanas on Top. Not been there since it changed, but it was not too bad in the old incarnation. I recommend Kammadahenu (sp?) up the road as the killer subcontinental on King St. Importantly for a curry shop, it also has a beer selection that is unsurpassed (I even found some Sam Adams at the back of their very randomly stocked fridge which they gave me for six bucks fifty – bargain!).
Ah, such a shame about the crab. Predictably my eyes lit up when I saw the crab as it’s not a usual Indian fare ingredient. Bad crab is a travesty
The veal looks good though
oh in this cold weather a curry is perfect! Make me want one for dinner…
Hi md-Yep that’s right. Sounds like you’re very au fait with King Street!
Hi Forager-I know
I’m used to eating good crab so this was a real surprise. If they got the crab right then it would be a total winner!
Hi Reemski-definitely, it’s curry weather. Which is funny because it’s hot in India
Oh, i’ve wanted to try posh spice! (just cause of the name. haha).
I normally only get plain naan, but those ones with the fillings look very yum indeed!
I like their style! Very nice place and the foods looks delicious and very affordable. Thanks!:)
Hi Betty-Haha it’s a great name isn’t it!
I am rather addicted to the peshwari naans I’m afraid!
Hi Love Gifts-It was great on both counts!
Great a new restaurant to try when I go to Sydney next. How far is this from say, Darling Harbour?
Hi Vanessa-I’d say that about 15-20 minutes in good, non peak hour traffic. It’s not that far at all and a walk down King Street is an interesting one!
I remember once hearing that a friend had signed Posh Spice up for a monthly cupcake basket. Oh how I laughed. I am pretty sure that she’d never eat something so delicious!
Still, it is a great name for a stylish Indian restaurant. It’s such a shame that the pumpkin was undercooked in the duck dish as that does look and sound amazing otherwise…
You make me want to visit Australia. I have never been there. It seems like one frontier I must see. I don’t travel much since I live on Maui and am quite content here in Hawai`i. Aloha NQN!
Hi Angela-Haha that’s brilliant! There would be much confusion! I heard she only eats prawns!
Yes it would have been delicious otherwise!
Hi Marilyn-Aloha! You should! Although I don’t blame you for never wanting to leave Maui!
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