You may have recently noticed that one of Tooting’s favourite restaurants, Spice Village, has got a bit of bling, both outside and in! We met Arfan, one of the company directors, to find out about the refurbishment.

Spice Village first opened its doors back in 2004. “Back then, it was just a single small shop with bright green walls, so we’ve come a long way since those days,” says Arfan. “Over time, as we became more successful, we acquired the shop next door, knocked through and expanded and then did so again to reach the size we are today. Although the look of the restaurant evolved during this time, the changes made now are by far the most extravagant.”

“After mulling over all sorts of possibilities, I eventually hired a renowned Moroccan designer who loved what a restaurant up in Knightsbridge had done to transform itself with a ‘Mughal’ style design and so we’ve done something similar both inside and out. It does look very regal with all the gold, but we wanted to be different and stand out from the rest – and we love it! It also attracts a younger audience which is important to us – we have people walking past taking selfies outside which is a joy to see.”

Located on Upper Tooting Road, Spice Village has become a benchmark for Pakistani, Indian, Punjabi, Gujarati and vegetarian cuisine, yet it started life with just a single Pakistani chef who remains with them to this day. “Our headline dishes that were on the menu back in 2004 and that are still main stalwarts of our menu today are the Masala Fish, Lamb Chops, Mixed Grill, Chicken Biryani and Shahi Haleem - a true Lahori dish of lentils and lamb. These dishes are authentic and true to the eastern traditions, have stood the test of time and we have used exactly the same recipe throughout. If a new visitor came to the restaurant tonight and asked for a recommendation, that’s what I’d suggest,” says Arfan. “And if any customer has room left, there’s no better way to finish off than with a Special Lahori Falooda, a cold dessert made of kulfi (a traditional Indian ice cream) with syrup, vermicelli noodles topped with sweet basil seeds. It’s a royal finish to a full meal!”

“We have regular customers who’ve been with us ever since we first opened, many of whom we talk through our changes with. It’s very important for us to get feedback on every aspect of our restaurant, whether changes to the interior, menu, service or pricing. Such feedback has helped us to earn the prestigious recognition of Best South Asian Restaurant in the Tooting region for the past two consecutive years (Tiffin Cup 2016/17) and only a few weeks ago achieving the maximum 5-star hygiene rating. We really want to make our restaurant a destination to suit all occasions, whether a family gathering, a party, catching up with friends or a romantic meal. We’ve also just opened our new ‘VIP area’, which is the perfect place for that special celebration – there’s even more gold up there! As well as serving the best food, we want to create memories by providing a setting suitable for the occasion.”

Spice Village has been very active in the local community throughout its time in the area. “We act as sponsors of events run by St. George’s Hospital and Wandsworth Council, support Community Fun Days and the Fircroft Primary School Fair as well as sponsor a local football team – we want to continue to play an important role in the area,” said Arfan. “We’ve seen many changes in Tooting over the 13 years that we’ve been here, but none more so than the way the town is evolving recently. It’s an exciting period and whilst we recognise the need to move with the times, nothing will ever be more important than the quality of the food that we serve and that has helped us to become so well-established in the town.”

Spice Village is located at 32-36 Upper Tooting Road. You can book a table in advance or order a takeaway by calling 020 8672 0710 and also order via Deliveroo. Spice Village also provides outdoor catering services for all types of events and functions.

You can visit the Spice Village website and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.