The Spice Merchant. — Restaurant in England

Visited in September on an event weekend and couldn't have had a better experience. To say that, what I had, was better than any Indian meal I've EVER had, doesn't do it justice.

Service was impeccable, food was well presented and was a feast for both the eyes and the taste buds. You know when it's gorgeous when the table is quiet, except for appreciative noises and every mouthful makes you close your eyes and savour every mouthful.

Started off with with the vegetable platter which was crisp, but not greasy, and were so morish. I rarely have onion bhajees, because they're usually soft and all you can taste is the oil, but could've gladly eaten more. Their signature mint sauce was something else, and judging by the standard of the starter, I couldn't wait to see what the main course would be like.

Main course did not disappoint, it was was the best biryani I've ever tasted. Some Biryani's are just too dry, and although this dish came with a vegetable curry, it certainly did not need it, but both dishes complemented each other perfectly. I don't know what spices they used but they did this dish proud.

If you’ve never experienced good naan bread, you are in for a treat, as this bread is the perfect combination of chewy and crispy, buttery and garlicky. It’s exactly what every Indian dish needs to complement the otherwise bright and intense flavors.

The only thing that took a long time, was trying to decide on what to have, as everything looked gorgeous. The menu catered for vegans and vegetarians and even carnivores would enjoy the vegetable dishes.

This restaurant is, therefore, not your average and atypical Indian restaurant. The attention to detail, specialised dishes and level of presentation were incomparable to any other restaurant I've visited. The standard held here is more akin to a top restaurant in a city, rather than a historic small village in watchet. Both my partner and I would highly recommend this restaurant, as it was to us, and will definitely...

A group of 17 of us (8 adults and 9 children) decided to eat out. We knew it would be difficult to find somewhere to accommodate us all. We called a few places and were turned down every time until we called the Spice Merchant. They were more than happy to feed us all. We received a very warm welcome. The restaurant was very pleasant and very clean. We sat at two large tables, the adults and children separately. The service was excellent. The waitress checked with the parents first if there were any restrictions on the children’s orders and then took the orders directly from the children, which was a lovely touch. Despite the fact we were a large group and that there were other customers in the restaurant, we were served without delay. The food was delicious and a very good value for money. We really enjoyed our meal at the Spice Merchant. The meat eaters, vegetarians and fussy eaters were all happy with their meals. The menu is varied and apart from the classics it also features several dishes not usually found elsewhere. We were well fed and felt very welcome. Not only we will come again given the chance, we highly...

Very pleasantly surprised by this unassuming little Indian in Watchet. It was blowing a gale when we went, and we waited for our take-out food in the Pebbles Tavern, a few paces away (see review for that separately - great little place). We had takeout, so didn't get the full 'eat-in atmosphere' but it was seemingly buzzing with happy punters, and plenty of take-outers drifting in as well.

We ordered a decent range of food, a selection of curries, biryanis and side dishes (I've provided the entire menu in the pics) and can honestly say they were all very well-spiced and very tasty.

Bonus point for the staff member who identified as we were about to leave with our food that the vegetable curry for one of the biryanis was not vindaloo-strength (as I always order) and had us wait for a couple of minutes to bring a second batch with a healthy topping of green chillies.....perfect - well, for me anyway.

I don't go to Watchet often, but I know now that there is a good Indian to be had - and its close to a fantastic little real ale / real cider bar. Prices not so bad either on...