Name: We were the only diners but the five-star food was fantastic
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We were the only diners but the five-star food was fantastic

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What's OnSurely there won't be many more quiet nights at this London Road restaurant when word gets out about its top-notch dishesderbytelegraphConsidering the flavour-packed food, very friendly staff and its prominent London Road location, it was puzzling to find that we were the only diners at Lapsi Spice on our weekday evening visit. The restaurant, which opened last year, has a five-star rating on both TripAdvisor and Google (which is no easy feat), and thousands of motorists pass it every day on their way into the city centre. So it was with some curiosity that we popped in for a bite to eat. We were greeted immediately and warmly by two front-of-house staff, one of whom took us straight to our table while the other came along shortly afterwards to take our drinks order. We went for a Diet Coke (£2.95) and a pint of Cobra (£5.99). POLL: What's the best place for a roast dinner in Derbyshire? The menu brings several different cuisines together, including Indian, Nepalese and Chinese. I must admit, we were suspicious about this, given the common wisdom that it is better for a chef to focus on one style rather than spreading him or herself too thinly. But given that this particular chef had experience of working in several Michelin-star restaurants, we put our scepticism aside - and we were glad we did. First to arrive was the chicken satay with peanut sauce starter (£6.99), which the two of us shared. There were four sticks of chicken along with the dipping sauce. We were off to a great start. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the peanut dip was really moreish. It was presented well and it had us looking forward to our mains. The leading waitress came over to our table every now and again to ask questions and engage us in conversation. Sadly, there are plenty of hospitality staff who would relish the chance to sit behind a desk at an empty restaurant and play with their phones. This was not the case at Lapsi Spice. We felt cared for and valued and nothing was too much trouble. Having been asked if we were ready for our mains, we said yes and it was only around 10 minutes before they arrived. The Himalayan lamb curry (£12.99) was, according to my companion, one of the best curries he'd ever had. There was plenty of lamb, which was tender and beautifully cooked, and the rich sauce was comforting, with a great balance of spices. My prawns with hot garlic sauce (£13.99) came in an attractive red sauce. Again, there were a lot of large prawns and, while I wouldn't say it was very hot, it certainly had a good kick. It was a pleasure to eat and it went well with the fluffy mushroom rice shared between the two of us (£3.99). The garlic and cheese naan (£3.99) was a cut above the standard fare - it was crispy, quite thin and really nicely cooked. To finish our dinner we were presented with a small bowl of fennel seeds mixed with rock sugar. Our waitress said it was a helpful digestive aid and encouraged us to give it a try. She took the teaspoon, lifted a small amount of the mixture and put it in our hands. Well, when in Rome. We knocked it back and our mouths were full of flavour, an experience rather similar to eating an entire pack of Blackjack sweets. It was a new one on us and we were glad we tried it. Having asked for the bill, we looked around the restaurant. For the entirety of our evening, it had been empty except for our table of two. Of course, it did ensure that we received VIP service from our two waitresses, and we really couldn't fault that. When the door opened and a man came inside, we felt a little relieved, but it was only a delivery of Cobra beer. It's sad to see hard-working restauranteurs without many customers, but we hope that, when word gets out, they won't have too many quiet nights in the future. We may be guilty of overusing the term "hidden gem", but this restaurant may well deserve that accolade. Want to make sure you don't miss another big event, shop, restaurant or bar opening? 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What's OnSurely there won't be many more quiet nights at this London Road restaurant when word gets out about its top-notch dishesderbytelegraphConsidering the flavour-packed food, very friendly staff and its prominent London Road location, it was puzzling to find that we were the only diners at Lapsi Spice on our weekday evening visit. The restaurant, which opened last year, has a five-star rating on both TripAdvisor and Google (which is no easy feat), and thousands of motorists pass it every day on their way into the city centre. So it was with some curiosity that we popped in for a bite...

We were the only diners but the five-star food was fantastic

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