There are many restaurants I call my favourite but only one I call home…

I have been coming to the Taj Tandoori for over a decade. Back then the interior decorating was basic but the food and service was always superb. The front of the restaurant was also bland and didn’t stand out on the street but this made me love it even more, as it made the Taj Tandoori feel like a hidden gem. It wasn’t glamorous but had real substance. I always thought that with some TLC and reimagining that it could be a restaurant with unlimited potential.

…And queue the refurbishment!

Several years ago now, the Taj was transformed into a stylish restaurant with a warm glowing atmosphere. The food hall layout gives it a unique feel not found anywhere else in Cambridge. I have always been particularly fond of the stunning hand made lamps purchased from Camden market, a perfect example of the detail put into the refurbishment. Since then they have also won awards, including the Catering Circle event with their dish ‘Mackerel Three Ways’. This is now a restaurant that has it all!

I always feel like I’m coming home when I visit the Taj. The team here are some of the friendliest and chatty people I know and they always make me feel welcome. It’s a relaxing atmosphere where I don’t feel rushed or overcrowded.

We were greeted by the team upon arrival and shown to our table. The lighting has always been quite low in the Taj Tandoori, making photos hard for anyone without a professional camera but it gives the restaurant a good atmosphere.

There are also stools with a high table in the centre that give a different feel to the evening and is good for parties and large groups.

We were presented with two starters. A yogurt chaat puri and a ‘new and improved’ Chicken 65.

We were also given some papadums and side sauces in a spinny tray. I love these trays, as it not only makes it easy to share the sauces but they are also big pots, meaning portions are big enough. I always run out of lime pickle!

The Chicken 65 was truly improved on my last visit even though I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. It is served in chicken strips which are succulent and flavorful. There was a nice kick to them that added a warm glow to the bite. It had been a while since I last visited the Taj Tandoori so it was hard for me to confirm whether they truly have improved but I do recall enjoying them more. There was certainly a more robust flavour.

The ‘yoghurt chaat puri’ is fantastic and one of the highlights of the evening. These are a light and crispy street food aimed to eat on the go but are perfectly enjoyable in a restaurant too. I was first introduced to these during my visit to Tawa Bites a while back. At Tawa Bites they are Indian style, where you pour a light broth like liquid inside the Puri and devour them whole. The idea is that they are supposed to be light and refreshing in the hot weather. The Taj Tandoori however, do things differently, Bangladeshi style, which consists of more substance by filling them with potato, chickpeas, and spiced yogurt that gives you much more of a mouthful. There is more filling, more flavour, and a significantly thicker texture. A blast of flavour in one big crunchy bite! Right up my street!

The Taj Tandoori also do their own take on the scotch egg. If you are a frequent reader of the blog then you will know that I am a big scotch egg fan. The scotch egg was cut into four pieces and placed on a bed of salad… unfortunately, very good for sharing 😭 Delicious!

I decided to go for a Shamee burger. This is a unique take on burgers which uses a minced lamb patty with grilled paneer cheese, and onion bhaji. All served on a ghee toasted brioche bun with extra crispy masala chips. There is a reason why this was top of my Cambridge burger list for months.

I must admit, despite its unique take and lovely flavour, it was a right mess to eat. The bun struggled to hold it all together and the burger disintegrated on me. My mother had the right idea and was eating hers with a knife and fork, so I recommend doing that! 😂 Watch out!

The ‘pulled chicken tikka burger’ was also well received by my family. I must admit, it looks fantastic from where I was sitting. Like the shamee burger, it also came with grilled paneer, a bhaji, and a side of masala chips. My wife said that it had a ‘great contrast of textures and a real depth of flavour’. She felt that the chicken ‘was very succulent’ which you can tell from the photo above.

The Taj Tandoori had a BYOB policy (bring your own beer). This is MASSIVE as it gives you the opportunity to escape extortionate beer prices which are frankly getting out of hand these days. Simply pop over to the Tesco next door (or the Cambridge Wine Merchant slightly further down the road). This also means you can drink whatever brand you wish rather than being limited to whatever the restaurant is serving. There is no corkage fee too which gives you the opportunity to save quite a bit on your bill.

As usual, our experience at the Taj Tandoori was flawless. We left full and merry. The Taj never fails. It was great coming home again and catching up with Syed and the team. I have promised not to wait so long until my next visit. I’ll certainly be ordering the yogurt chaat puri again.

Thanks for reading!