We have a lot of fun running the Cambridge Foodies but it can be a demanding mistress. So, the team decided to meet up for a pre Christmas meal and take a night off.

The Seven Stars on Newmarket Road has been on my radar for a while now, offering authentic Indian cuisine in a relaxed casual atmosphere. It looks small from the outside but I was surprised at how many people it is able to hold. There are tables and booths available with a large TV on in the background (on silent, with the football on).

Upon entering we were greeted and led to our table. Speaking with one of the team, he explained that their staff have roots from all over India, giving them the knowledge to provide a wide variety of dishes from all over the country. This was clearly reflected in their large menu with everything you could want, ranging from Thali, South Indian, biryani’s, and Indian street food. If you fancy a bog standard “Ruby Murray” then they also offer a selection of “classics”, including the chicken tikka masala, madras, korma, and the Rogan Josh.

I was also glad to see a very clear allergens menu.

🅿️ – excellent parking located behind the restaurant at the Newmarket Tesco.

The service was incredible, they made a real effort to make us feel at home, talking with a smile and good humour. Making real effort to ensure we were happy to every step of the meal.

Sean

The beer choices on tap are Cobra and Madri. With Cobra being quite a bold flavour and Madri being smooth, I thought this was a good balance. Kingfisher is also available in bottles. For a full look at their menu which includes champagne, wine, juices and spirits, click here.

We started off with a few pappadums. This came with mango chutney, chopped onion, and yogurt. On request we were given a portion of mixed pickle too.

Portions were a reasonable size. The mango chutney was very nice and sweet, as you would expect. The onion salad could have been done with something more than just onion, like cucumber or herbs. Unfortunately, it felt a little lacking. The yoghurt however, was absolutely incredible! It was so thick and creamy. In fact, it might have been some of the best yoghurt I have had in a while. Unfortunately, they don’t serve it in bathtub portions! 🤣

Sean ordered a few masala pappadums which are essentially spicy pappadams with chopped onion, pepper, and tomato. This came presented with a lemon for squeezing over which gave a nice zesty flavour. I found this to be a refreshing change from the usual pappadums which worked well with the mango chutney.

Starters:

As there was a group of us, we decided to order some starters. As mentioned above, the menu is large and diverse, so we wanted to explore as much as we could. I had mentioned to the staff that I love spicy food, so they recommended the ‘podi idly’.

Podi idly is made from steamed rice cakes served with sambar (mustard) and coconut chutney. We had the chicken version that I found to be fun, fiery, and great value at £3.29 for two pieces. They work well for sharing and have a lovely feisty flavour. Monique and I both felt that having an extra hot version on the menu would be exciting (though I am sure they would be more than happy to do this on request).

Next up is one of my favourite dishes – the masala dosa. For those of you who read this blog often will already be aware of this classic Indian dish. It is a rice and lentil crepe that is presented with a curry sauce. In my experience, this is served as a huge wrap that takes up half the table but at the Seven Stars they have folded it into a triangle. Significantly more practical (especially considering how many dishes we had on the table at the time!) but it lacked the usual WOW factor that comes with it. Either way, we thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I would have liked to have seen slightly more curried sauce, it didn’t take anything away from the dish.

Chaat is popping up absolutely everywhere in Cambridge and it is quickly becoming one of my favourite dishes. Its light and refreshing taste really makes it a versatile dish that stands on its own really well and also compliments anything it goes with.

We ordered the papdi chaat from their street food menu. It is described as ‘savory crisps with sweet sauce, tamarind, and mint chutney’. The menu neglects to mention that this also comes with a lovely dollop of yoghurt, giving it that creamy and crispy texture that makes it impossible to share! I thought for £3.99 that this was a real bargain too.

From the street food menu came one of the highlights of the evening – the ‘mushroom salt and pepper’. This is a simple but effective dish that was universally praised across the table. It is mushroom tossed with peppers and ground spices.

Of all the starters, the mushroom dish was one of my favourites. The way they were cooked made them seem meaty, I have only ever achieved that with field mushrooms myself. I could happily have eaten the whole plate full.

Kate

I also enjoyed the mushroom salt & pepper dish – it tasted very earthy and wholesome.

Monique

Mains

There were so many great dishes on the menu, the hardest part was picking just one. Luckily there were 5 of us, so we were able to order something different and share between us.

One of the standout dishes this evening was the ‘hyderabadi chicken dum biryani’. This is a rice based dish, commonly seen in a lot of Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants but this take sees it presented in a pot with a layer of bread on top and baked (roti or filo pastry?). I have had this version before, during my visit to Tawa and I absolutely loved it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the large chicken portions inside and though you would assume that it would be very dry by looking at it, it was actually the opposite and gave a bold spiced aromatic flavour to boot.

The chicken Biryani was interesting, not just because of the pastry/bread on top. It really just looked like a fairly plain rice & chicken dish – but it’s lying! It was packed full of flavour & was really so much spicier than I expected.

Kate

I loved the way Kate’s Chicken Biryani was presented – looked like a comforting pie – a lovely winter warmer dish.

Monique

Sean picked a lovely dish called the chicken chettinadu. It consists of slow cooked chicken cooked in 18 different spices. This gives it numerous layers of flavours that make it quite complex. The harmonious blend of warm heat and aromatic flavours really make it an interesting dish that can be woofed down or savoured.

A rolling warmth increasing in heat, that almost had Middle Eastern vibes, if it wasn’t for the signature punch of Indian cuisine. Each bite was different, ensuring I continued to plow through despite being full to the brim.

Sean

The saag aloo was presented in a curry style. It was swimming in a thick creamy sauce of spinach with small potatoes floating around in it. It was very popular around the table and accompanied the other dishes really well.

I personally felt that the potatoes in the saag aloo were a little underwhelming and small but the rich creamy sauce easily made up for it. Sean called it ‘a vibrant and fresh’ and I cannot argue. Monique also used the word ‘fresh’ to describe it. It was beautiful to look at and popped from all the other dishes on the table, making the spread look more exciting.

Pictured below the saag aloo is the Lamb nilgiri, a dish picked by Gee. This is a spicy Ooty green curry with a mint and coriander flavour.

The lamb in the Lamb nilgiri was superb. The dish was very creamy, not overly runny, with a generous portion of meat and flavour. Would definitely recommend with mushroom rice and sag aloo.

Gee

I decided to order one of the classic curries from their menu – the lamb madras. This has always been a favourite of mine and really fancied something fiery to warm me up on a cold and miserable winters evening. The Seven Stars takes the iconic dish and uses ginger, garlic and chillies.

The lamb was beautifully tender and just fell to pieces. This is something that Monique noticed with the lamb on her curry also. Clearly, they know how to do lamb here! The sauce was spicy, rich, and aromatic – just the way I like it.

Monique’s Rogan Josh came out a few minutes later than the test of ours, so by this point hunger had kicked in and there was no time to take a photo before eating was initiated. 🤣

My Lamb Rogan Josh was great (although it did come out quite a bit after everyone else’s mains but it was worth the wait). The lamb was super tender and the portion size was good. The sauce was rich and aromatic and just the right consistency; perfect for dipping the fresh peshwari naan in!

Monique

After a spicy madras, nothing cools you down quite like a mango lassi’s. We ordered two which were brought out in lovely brass/tin cups with an attractive floral pattern. My lassi was so thick and flavorful with a lovely bright colour that made them shine out of the cup. Everything about them felt premium and really hit the spot.

After a lovely meal and a few drinks, the team all agreed that the Seven Stars knocked it out of the park. Everything from the service, the food, the value, and the warm comfortable surroundings all met our expectations and more.

There are so many exciting things on this menu. It is going to take a couple of trips to really explore it fully but that isn’t going to be a chore in the slightest. I really can’t wait to visit again and find a few more gems.

Are the dishes going to keep up with places that serve the same dishes, like Banana Leaf? Maybe not but the service is miles ahead and the surroundings are much more pleasant, making it a significantly more balanced restaurant suited for any occasion.

Recommendations: Podi idly, mushroom salt and pepper, chicken chettinadu, and anything with lamb.

Thanks for reading