New Indian restaurant is now open in Hastings Old Town

A Taste of Vitality is at Marine Parade on the seafront and will fill an important gap as the Old Town has been without an Indian restaurant since the Castle Tandoori in George Street closed some years ago.

Head Chef Lakshmi previously ran The Taj Mahal on St Leonards, which was voted the best south Asian restaurant in the country in 2011, being presented with the prestigious Tiffin Cup. She received the award from the then Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.

A Taste of Vitality was originally opened as a vegan eatery, called The Hempist by Dan Wiltshire shortly before the pandemic struck. While there are some meat options on the menu, Dan has ensured that there are numerous vegan and vegetarian dishes on offer.

Southern Indian dishes on offer include a range of dosas, a black pepper paneer curry and an elephant yam curry.

The restaurant, though essentially Indian, still offers old favourites such as vegan burgers and hotdogs, vegan doner kebab and vegan versions of fish and chips and fried chicken. Desserts include vegan icecream and a vegan chocolate cheesecake. The restaurant was the first in Hastings to offer vegan fish and chips.

Dan Wiltshire said: "With 40 percent of India being vegetarian and our menu being largely Indian influenced, it seems like a natural progression to offer vegetarian and other options. We still offer a wide range of vegan options and hope the local vegan community will continue to support us.”

“We absolutely love chef Lakshmi and her freshly cooked home-made food and can’t wait to offer up her whole range of cooking to cater for everyone’s tastes. She is arguably the best Indian chef in the UK and we are very lucky to have her. We look forward to welcoming people this weekend.”

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