I have done most of the Indians in this city now and in my time i have heard people talk about “the best curry house in Cambridge”. Such places are mentioned, like The Maharajah, The Kohinoor Tandoori and Cafe Naz. Each good in their own way but they have all failed to tick every single box.
The India House however, seems to be the place to do just that. As we came in on a hot summers day we were greeted by a very strong air conditioner which was greatly appreciated considering how hot it was and what I was about to order. We were seated immediately with plenty of places to sit.
The decoration was all authentic Indian artwork with chandeliers and some beautiful ornaments on the table. My friend thought it was quite tacky but i liked it. They had certainly made a real effort. The place overlooked the beautiful Mill Pond which on a hot summers day looked incredible and something many other places in Cambridge simply cannot offer.
The service was lightning fast and very polite as you’d expect from most Indian restaurants. Our poppadoms were out with the 4 main side dishes. Each one was perfect in texture and flavour. The onion and cucumber were even cut extra fine which saved me from making my usual mess! 10 mins after we had finished our poppadoms our main meal was out. Fantastic! We couldn’t have timed it better ourselves.
It has gotten to a point nowadays where we order a vindaloo and just expect a mild curry. This time however we were caught off guard and was presented with one of the hottest, tasty and well presented vindaloo’s i have ever had in Cambridge. Bravo India House, you may have saved Cambridge! I was starting to get a bit worried!
My mouth was on fire and my belly burning -As a vindaloo should be!- The rice portions were generous and delicious also. We were pleasantly surprised that the bill only came to £25 which is about standard for us two as we order the same thing every place we go. We were presented with chocolates, mints AND sweets after our meal which was a refreshing change. This is a sign of a high end Indian and something which you are seeing less and less nowadays. We were however upset to find we did not get given the standard hot towels. Sorry India House, but you lose points for this! Especially after an actual hot curry it was desperately needed!
So over all we were incredibly happy with the dining experience, the location was the icing on the cake being next to the beautiful Mill Pond and a lovely walk from the outskirts of town.
If you are driving from out of town then expect trouble finding parking which is free. You might want to consider adding a few pounds on to your budget unless you know the area well.
4.5 out of 5.
