Kanthi Thamma steps away from Palmito to launch Indian kitchen in Hove
The Spice Circuit Kitchen will be based within in upcoming Hove cocktail bar Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which will be located on Portland Road close to the border with Portslade.
Thamma - who prior to launching Palmito with fellow chef Diego Ricaurte in 2022 worked at Brighton's The Chilli Pickle - says the menu will be focused on the regional cuisine of Southern India and Sri Lanka.
"I won't just be another takeaway, the food will be the same quality as eating in a restaurant. We will be serving dishes that are rarely seen in the UK including prawn vadas cut mirchi bajji; hyderabadi kaddu ka dalcha; and Jaffna black pork. The menu will change every month."
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is being launched by Harry Petrakas, Raf Tetich and Albert Traczyk, who also operate fish and chips restaurant RYBKA in Brighton's The Lanes area.
It is expected to launch in October, but Thamma hopes to launch the takeaway and delivery side of The Spice Circuit Kitchen early next month.
When the venture is fully up and running, Thamma will be serving a menu of bar snacks for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead guests five evenings a week as well as offering takeaway and delivery, with the latter fulfilled by Uber Eats.
Alongside this, there will be a four cover chef's table within Thamma's kitchen that will operate on Friday and Saturday nights.
Two times a month, The Spice Circuit Kitchen will take over the 25-30 cover Before the Devil Knows You're Dead to become a supper club that will explore the food of a particular Indian or Sri Lankan region.
Thamma, who is originally from the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad, says he left Palmito around six months ago due to health reasons. "I needed to take a break because I've had some really bad healthy issues. It's just life I guess, suddenly something unexpected happens and everything changes. Being involved in day-to-day operations at a very busy restaurant was not helping at all. The Spice Circuit Kitchen will be much easier to manage and it won't be 24/7."
Palmito - which offers a singular menu that charts the journey spices have taken from the Sub Continent to Latin America via Europe - will continue to be operated by Ricaurte.
