A place I have been eating at a lot lately is the Taj Tandoori on Cherry Hinton Road, It’s also a place I have an incredibly soft spot for, as I have been eating here for years. Sometimes I get annoyed, as it’s a place which can be missed quite easily walking down the street and is often overlooked by a lot of people I talk to because of Moza across the road at Cineworld.

The staff brag that it’s the oldest Indian restaurant in Cambridge and though that may or may not be true, it certainly boasts some of the best food and service. Every time I walk in to the Taj Tandoori I am greeted with a warm and friendly smile with staff who seem to really want to be there. Nothing comes across as too much trouble and several conversations are guaranteed every time.

I was dragged in by my incredibly hungry girlfriend the other night who ordered a chicken korma and a naan. We ordered several poppadoms and a few drinks. While deciding what I wanted I noticed something on the menu I have never seen before, “The Bengal Tiger”. A dish labelled as extremely hot due to the fact it’s cooked with the famous and incredibly dangerous Naga chili. I love a hot dish so found it incredibly hard to resist. The dish also includes slow cooked mutton which again is one of my favourite meats so it was almost like the dish was made just for me, how could I resist?

The dish came to about £8.70 which is a little more than a usual curry but this was a specialist dish. I was told by the waiter that anyone who finishes the dish gets a photo taken and posted on the Taj Tandoori Facebook group (above).

The poppadoms served were incredibly thick and served with an equally thick and incredibly delicious yogurt. The mango chutney and lime pickle were all quite nice though nothing ground breaking. The onion salad was incredibly well prepared and tasted great.

Once we were done, our meal came out about 20 minutes after, which was very good considering how busy it was.

My girlfriends chicken Korma tasted great, I am not usually a fan but for me it was the incredibly tender chicken which sold it for me, the chunks fell apart.

Our naan’s were fantastic, my peshwari naan especially was STUFFED full of peshwari and had a great texture and flavour, it worked so well with the spicy bitter taste of the Bengal Tiger. It was a generous size so lasted the whole meal and was just the right balance for the dish I ordered.

I used it to scoop up the mutton in the Bengal Tiger and eat it with my hands being the classy guy that I am. It worked so well and went down a treat.

Unlike the Phal, this dish was incredibly hot yet tasted great too. Usually with the Phal you get the heat but it tastes foul, with the Vindaloo it isn’t quite hot enough but tastes sublime. I really think this dish has a great balance of both, I just wish the dish was bigger!

I think I have found my new regular dish. The Mutton was so tender and fell apart when pulled with my fork. I recommend this dish to anyone who likes a hot spicy dish and decent quality meat.

Once we were done we were presented with the hot towels and given the bill. Again, the bill was quite respectable and we had the added bonus of a few chocolates, as you’d expect.

Though the service and food were second to none, as you’d expect from the Taj Tandoori, I will say that the decoration was lacking and quite uninspiring, especially from the outside.

This, you could say, is me just trying to find faults, and you’re probably right. The place is very bland and average looking and it might bother some. Personally, I was too busy chatting away to the staff and eating the delicious food to really care. You probably wont notice either, especially on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night as once it livens up its bustling.

If you are there for the food then the Taj Tandoori is one of the best places in Cambridge.

If you are there for the friendly service and great atmosphere then the Taj Tandoori is the place for you.

Just don’t expect the glamour and style of some of the other places in town (too full and satisfied to care!).