Rainham town centre appears to have four Indian restaurants and one take-away. The first established was Raj Rani (see separate report), but competition came in 1998 with the opening of Meridian Spice* almost opposite. This is the biggest of the restaurants, seating about 100. The other two appeared about late 2002. One is called Zinga, situated a little further along at number 134 High Street. It looks small (26 seats) although there may be further seating at the rear. It appears modern with light wood floors and tables and offers some different dishes on the menu (including a good fish selection) in addition to the usuals. However, the menu on display does not describe what these less usual dishes are, which is a pity. The other is Tandoori Parlour, even further down at number 175 High Street. This also appears small, having seating for just 22 downstairs, but a further 32 can be seated upstairs (see separate report). The take-away is Castle Tandoori which is situated on the road leading down to the station.

Malcolm Wilkins

*PS  In December 2002 I had an e-mail from a reader who ate in Raj Rani and Meridien Spice on consecutive nights. She reported that Raj Rani was good, but food at Meridien Spice was 'cold with little flavour'!