The landlord’s agents arrived last week to clear the premises at Simply Spice Indian Restaurant at No. 5 High Street. The building has stood empty since January 16 this year when it was formally repossessed by the landlords.
The agents were met by the stench of rotting food in the deep-freezers, as the electricity had been switched off. Operatives were seen with scarves wrapped round their faces as they went about their task and Conduit Hill passers-by were revolted too. But as one said: “It has been a relief not to have those stinking bins leaking gunge onto the footpath every Thursday morning.”
Simply Spice stands next to the Ambrette, another restaurant that recently closed its doors, as reported last November in Rye News. There was a rumour of another eating place to open shortly at the former Ironmongers Extraordinary at the Hilders Cliff end of the High Street. However, the recent planning application (Ref: RR/2016/3248/L) contains no reference to any kitchen facilities.
Photo: Kenneth Bird
Could the landlord please remove the truly hideous yellow plastic sign bolted to the Simply Spice wall which looks like it should be in a municipal multi-storey car park in down town Baltimore warning that taking drugs on the premises is illegal!
Not only does it look vile, the text is ungrammatical and the typesetting could have been done by my cat wandering over my keyboard!
Call me old-fashioned, but that lack of attention to detail and the hideous intrusion onto the streetscape always put me off from going inside to eat.