(pictured above; me in 2021 showing off my stylish Sylhet face mask)

Due to the nature of the Cambridge Curry Community, I don’t really have a regular Indian restaurant. This is because I have always tried to rotate my visits to create more diverse content on the blog to prevent it from becoming dominated by restaurants in my area.

With that said, there is only one Indian in my area where I keep coming back to if i want a reliable, quality, and welcoming curry with the family…and that is The Sylhet

The Sylhet has been running since 1991 and has been a pillar of the community ever since. I have been taking my son here since he was a little boy and my wife and I have never had a bad meal during our visits.

Click here, here, here and here for previous reviews. In fact, this will be my 5th review of The Sylhet!

We started off with the usual, a basket of papadums and a selection of side sauces that consisted of mango chutney, yogurt, mixed pickle, and onion salad. Everything here is perfect, and I mean, perfect!

I often go on about the fabulous mixed pickle at Curry Palace in Cottenham but it is just as good here. The portions are generous and Zahir is always quick to top us up if we run low. The yoghurt was thick and flavorful, the salad was perfectly chopped, and the mango chutney was smooth and sweet.

We were treated to a platter of mixed starters that my bottomless pit of a son managed to devour almost entirely by himself. This came with chicken tikka, meat and vegetarian samosas, onion bhajis, and sheek kebab. I managed to wrestle an single onion bhaji from his greasy mitts that turned out to be lovely and meaty, as well as crispy.

At the point, I had not been for a curry in a long time (easily a few weeks 🤣) so I decided to order my comfort dishes. The chicken tikka vindaloo, the saag aloo, and mushroom rice. We ordered a saag aloo mains to share between the three of us, so the picture may show a larger size than you are used too.

The vindaloo is always great at The Sylhet. It isn’t overly oily, it has a bold and robust flavour, a healthy colour (which means no food colouring), and a fiery kick to boot. Zahir always brings me out a pot of hot sauce just in case I need an extra spicy pop but it was not needed.

The mushroom rice was one of the best examples I have had in a while. I can be very funny with mushrooms but I was hoofing them down (and there were plenty to go around). The saag aloo was also perfect.

Miraculously, my son still had room left in his belly for more food and ordered the ‘Lamb Sylhet Special’. This is lamb cooked with spring onions, green peppers, pickled chillies, onion, and fresh coriander. I tried this myself and I thought that it was a lovely dish. It even had a warm glow to it that could be enough to satisfy the hot heads out there. This had a lovely rich flavour and was one of the stand out dishes of the evening.

My sister had the lamb Dopiaza. This is a hearty dish made from onion and green peppers. It does not have as much sauce as some of the other curries on the menu but was incredibly succulent with a deep flavour. The lamb was executed really well and fell to pieces which revealed a lovely pink colour.

It was delicious! It said Medium but it was quite mild but other than that, no complaints. Good portion size, filling, good choice for someone like me who doesn’t like spice but wants something different. The lamb was cooked to perfection 🤌

Natalie – My sister

We were presented with a bill and some chocolates that came at a reasonable price. You really notice the difference when eating out in Ely when compared to Cambridge. The classic curries on the menu are still under £10, which is a real bargain for the quality you get and considering the inflation we are having to endure at the moment. This, coupled with the free parking in Ely makes the Sylhet as painless as it is great value.

The service is always fantastic. The team are not only attentive and polite but you always get a friendly chat too. In fact, I was gifted these little gifts on my way out to get me through the week.

For more information on The Sylhet Indian restaurant, click here.

Thanks for reading!