City Spice
Once a renowned sari shop, City Spice, on the corner of Woodseer Street, is the last curry house you encounter as you walk north along Brick Lane. However, because it adjoins the popular Old Truman Brewery site and is now offering an alfresco dining experience, it is, according to the owner, recovering relatively well.
It also helps, of course, that the owner can draw on knowledge about current trends in food and hospitality from his three sons. Their expertise spurred the addition of a vegan menu as an alternative to standard curry house fare a few years ago, which has resulted in a significant increase in turnover. Furthermore, rather than serving Anglo-Bangla meals such as chicken tikka masala or lamb jalfrezi, City Spice has earned a reputation for serving knowledgeable clients the ‘staff curry,' which is the distinctive spicy food of east Bengal consumed by restaurant employees.
Although some restaurateurs in the Lane are concerned about the Old Truman Brewery's proposed development of a car park into an office building, a shopping mall, and a restaurant area, the owner of City Spice believes it will increase footfall and thus benefit his and other curry restaurants.