Indian restaurants

While wandering into Ewell at lunchtime on Friday, I noticed that the White Rose Indian restaurant was "closed for refurbishment." How true this is I wouldn't like to guess, but it has been my impression that it was struggling at least for the last few months; starting to close one day a week, running increasingly-desperate-sounding promotions, and so on.

I'm not really surprised. I've been into the White Rose -- though not especially recently -- and we just weren't very impressed; the food was adequate, but really nothing special. There was certainly better food to be had from some of the local take-aways, and more recently also from Paprika, just across the road. I find Paprika's food a lot more interesting than what was on offer at the White Rose. Paprika is also a nicer environment; the White Rose is -- or, perhaps, was -- an Indian restaurant of the "old school", with velvet-covered benches and flock wallpaper, whereas Paprika is brighter and with more modern decor.

We shall see if the White Rose reopens under this management, new management, or as something else altogether -- although, please, not another Italian restaurant! I think four of them in a village the size of Ewell is plenty.

(White Rose, 1 Cheam Road, Ewell; Paprika, 52 High St, Ewell)