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I feel late to the party with this one.

Ever since its transformation into an Indian gastro pub, The Cambridge Foodies has been ablaze with excited foodies giving positive reviews about The Brook.

I have always liked The Brook but it never felt like a place you could go out for dinner. It was more of a pub that just so happened to serve great food. That has now changed with the release of a gastro Indian menu that has turned the pub’s focus towards dining.

Upon entering, we sat down to the right hand side of the bar. This is the restaurant area, where the left side is still very much a pub.

They have decided to keep the TV’s mounted on the wall in the restaurant area, which I know will divide opinions, but I don’t think it takes much away from the dining experience.

The interior was casual and familiar, almost like a living room, though I will admit it didn’t give off a gastro feel but it was perfectly comfortable.

It was great to see that the team at The Brook are still doing their own hand-crafted bitter (3.9%). They had unfortunately run out during my visit tonight but here is a picture from my previous visit to give you an idea of what it is like.

The menu

The menu has an extensive list of dishes from all over India (click here) ranging from their iconic Hyderabadi biryanis to Indo-Chinese dishes.

There is a promotion at the bottom of the menu: 3 starters for £18 (excluding seafood dishes). This works out at roughly your third starter for half price. I like this idea, as it encourages you to explore the menu and be more adventurous. It had an almost tapas feel to it.

Don’t worry, there is still a pub classics menu on the back offering fish and chips, steak, and burgers.

Starters

The first two starters were the Chicken Lollipops and an Indo-Chinese dish called Chilli Chicken. The first thing you’ll notice about the starters is how large the portions are. So much for the tapas theory! 😂

The Chicken Lollipops were sublime and one of the highlights of the evening. Quite rightly named “Drums Of Heaven”, they came in 5 meaty pieces of chicken in a rich (and slightly spicy) East Indian sauce.

These were sauteed on a high heat, giving them a nice crispy skin while still being wonderfully soft underneath. You could suck the bone dry in one go. It was glorious!

The chilli chicken is cooked in an Indo-Chinese sauce. I am not a huge fan of Indo-Chinese food but these were one of the best executions I have tasted. The presentation was attractive and colourful while the chicken was nice and crispy, with a lovely sweet taste.

Next up was the Kale Chat. This came in layers of crispy kale, chickpeas, chopped onion, coriander, yoghurt pomegranate that is topped with green and tamarind chutney.

As a stand-alone dish, I think I preferred the Samosa Chat from my visit last year but the Kale Chat complimented the menu better. It was light and versatile enough to mix with other dishes and added a satisfying texture to anything it was paired with. It worked perfectly with the 3 for £18 promotion.

It was also a striking dish with vibrant colour and nutritional to boot. It looked fantastic on the table with the other dishes!

We were presented with some papadums that accompanied three sides. The papadums were thick, bite-sized, and curlier than the usual flat ones people may be used to. This made it easier to scoop and the added thickness resulted in less mess. As a guy who is prone to a mess with papadums, I prefer it this way. 😂

The yoghurt jumped out and unexpectedly slapped me around the face with its tangy and bold flavour. Both my guest and I were in agreement that this is something truly special. The mango chutney was unsurprisingly sweet with juicy lumps of mango. They were both tang-fastic!

We ended our starters with Prawn 65. This is a South Indian dish that consists of crispy stir-fried prawns with a surprisingly complex flavour.

This dish came to just under £10 but the portion was large enough to justify it (perfect for sharing between a group of people). The prawns were a meaty size and the peppers added a nice colourful pop. I highly recommend squeezing the lime on top for an added zesty flavour. Marvellous!

Mains

I couldn’t believe we had eaten so much and we had only finished the starters! 😱

My guest thought that our starters were the entire meal and was horrified to learn that the mains were on their way 😂

We were presented with their famous chicken biryani, palak paneer, and lamb nihari.

…This is where things get exciting!

The lamb nihari is a curry that has been slow-cooked for 8 hours. The lamb is on the bone for that added flavour and fell to pieces the moment I touched it.

My guest and I were simply blown away and we both agreed that the lamb nihari was our favourite dish of the evening. It came in a rich creamy sauce that was bursting with a warm comforting flavour. We found ourselves using the paratha bread to mop up, even after the lamb had long gone.

I highly recommend you try this if you plan to visit. You won’t regret it.

I am a big fan of their Palak Paneer. The menu describes this as cottage cheese cooked in spinach gravy. This is not technically paneer but very similar. I certainly couldn’t tell the difference either way.

I must admit, the look and feel of this dish didn’t win me over but the flavour did. The sauce has a lovely earthy taste.

The Brook is well known for its Hyderabadi-style chicken biryanis (with a paneer option also available). I have lost count of the number of reviews we have had on the Cambridge Foodies praising its flavour and authenticity.

The portions tonight were large throughout our dining experience…and their biryani was no exception. It came served in a large bowl with the chicken presented under a layer of basmati rice. The dish by eye looks quite dry and you wonder how it is going to work without a sauce but the dish was perfect. The chicken was on the bone and so juicy and tender. The rice was a beautiful golden colour that was accompanied by a warm spicy flavour. This spiciness is a refreshing change, especially considering how biryanis are frequently considered mild. It wasn’t hot enough to punish people who enjoy mild food either but perfectly balanced. I loved it!

There is no doubt in my mind that this is still one of the best places in Cambridge for a biryani.

Conclusion

The Brook’s menu has gone through a revolution! It has always served great Indian food but it has now transcended into a more refined dining experience.

The menu has been expanded significantly, with so much choice now available. There is a wide variety of Indian cuisine from all four corners of the country, making it a perfect place for newbies and hardened veterans alike. There is absolutely no reason not to visit!

The staff are amazing. The service is fast and chatty, and they make you feel at home. It’s a place I could safely call my local if I lived a little (a lot) closer.

All the hype of the Cambridge Foodies is truly deserved!

Get down here!

Thanks for reading!