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There are few Indian takeaways I haven’t tried in Cambridge but somehow Namaste Cambridge has always managed to escaped me. Tonight, I am glad to say, this has finally come to an end.
Namaste Cambridge offers authentic Indian cuisine from Hyderbad, India. The team who works here are all from Hyderbad, so it’s as authentic as it gets. Everything is made fresh with even their garlic and ginger paste made from scratch every morning. No supermarket ingredients here!
Namaste Cambridge works exclusively through Uber Eats and has a menu that changes daily. At the time it writing, a free chai tea is also given out for anyone who collects in the cold weather.
Namaste Cambridge currently has a promotional code going over Christmas for 30% off orders, use ‘NAMASTEXMAS’ on Uber Eats when you order to take advantage of this – T&C can be found here.
I started with some tandoori chicken – a popular dish we all know and love. I have had this dish dozens of times over the years but the tandoori chicken at Namaste Cambridge is an absolutely solid take on the classic dish.
The chicken was served in one big leg, so there was lots of meat on the bone. There is nothing worse than getting half a dozen little chicken wings/legs that you have to fiddle around with.
The chicken was beautifully moist and succulent with a bold flavour. I find a lot of restaurants serve this quite dry but this was absolutely perfect.
It also came with a thick yogurt that had chunks of onion and tomato for a satisfying crunch.
Top marks!
Next was the ‘chicken majestic’. This is boneless chicken breast chopped into chunks and garnished with coriander. It has a soft, juicy texture and a subtle tangy flavour from the spiced yogurt-based sauce. I can see this complimenting nearly anything it goes with and reminded me of Chicken 65.
I was very excited to have one of my favourite dishes – the masala dosa. This is usually served as a whole wrap but due to being a dish that takes up a lot of space and doesn’t particularly travel well, it had to be served pre folded. I almost didn’t recognise it.
The dish came with a peanut chutney and a side vegetable curry. Usually the peanut chutney would be served as a coconut side but this is how things are done from the city of Hyderabad and I gotta say, I much prefer it. The vegetable curry is fairly standard with a concoction of vegetables within. It was perfect for dipping the masala dosa in by hand or knife and fork.
Namaste Cambridge specialises in biryanis and it is very much their crown jewel on the menu. There is a selection of different styles to choose from, including dhaba, chicken fry piece, dum, and Malabar.
Biryani is a dish we have all tried at least once in our lives and more than likely gets ordered by one person in a group when going for a curry. This, however, is as authentic as it gets and you will likely have never have a biryani like this anywhere else. If you are a fan of the classic dish then make sure you give this a try!
I had the chef special – the chicken dum biryani. Dum means ‘to simmer’ and at Namaste Cambridge they cook theirs for 3 hours on a slow flame. This is then complimented with ‘secret spices’ in the rice for extra boldness and flavour, where regular biryanis just use the chicken for flavouring the rice.
Speaking of chicken, it is served on the bone for extra flavour and is cooked with the rice on top. I could pull the chicken to pieces with my fork by the time I had it on my plate and it was easily the best biryani I have ever had! It was simply bursting with flavour and complexity.
If you like biryani and haven’t visited Namaste Cambridge then what are you waiting for? Run!
Accompanied with my biryani came their ‘chicken curry, on the bone (spicy)’ and the ‘Mughlia chicken curry’.
The chicken curry on the bone is cooked (unsurprisingly) with chicken on bone, along with tomatoes and spices. Like everything else at Namaste Cambridge, fresh tomatoes are used…and you can really tell the difference. It is a very rich dish that would go well with rice but also bread (such as rotis). I didn’t find it very spicy but you could tell it had a spicy warmth to it.
The Mughali chicken curry came in a bright green colour. This is a mild and delicately spiced dish that is accessible to everyone. I thought that this would be a great dish to help calm down a burning mouth after a spicy curry.
I’m a big fan of black dal (dal makhani). This is made from black lentils cooked with butter and cream then simmered on low heat. This is a great dish to use for complimenting bread and rice but is also good enough to eat on its own. I thought this was a strong example of a black dal and shouldn’t disappoint anyone who orders it.
Namaste Cambridge really impressed me this evening. The more I learned about the effort they put into preparing their food, from making everything from scratch, using fresh ingredients, and slow cooking, it became blindingly obvious why the flavours were so bold. The biryani was simply incredible, as was the tandoori chicken.
If you are looking for truly authentic Indian cuisine delivered to your door then look no further.
Don’t forget to take advantage of their Christmas promotion through Uber Eats for up to 30% off – ‘NAMASTEXMAS‘.
Thanks for reading!
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