I was kindly invited by Cambridge Curry Community regular, Stuart, to his monthly curry club meet up. Each they visit a different Indian in Cambridgeshire and tonight it was their turn to hit Zara.

Then it hit me, it has been a staggering four years since my last visit to Zara 😱

How could that be? It was at the top of our Facebook group poll for years and is widely regarded as a top Indian restaurant in the area! Naturally, I jumped at the chance to join them and revisit this local institution. Shame on me!

Located in the historic station house of Great Shelford train station, Zara has been offering contemporary Indian and Bangladesh cuisine to the Cambridge area since 2007.

The restaurant is a modest size with booths and tables both available. Kingfisher is served on tap and you can expect a bubble tank to add a colourful and relaxing atmosphere half way down the dining area. You’ll also notice numerous awards across the wall proudly reassuring you of their quality and reputation.

With lots of other restaurants trying to reinvent the game, with fusion dishes and moving back to towards traditional Bangladeshi dishes, Zara keeps things simple but effective. Expect all your classic curries, like the vindaloo and chicken tikka masala but with a strong specials menu too.

A few notable dishes that caught my eye were the Lamb Gurka and Wild Duck Breast. Since I have visited Zara many times before and already know that they do a mean vindaloo, I decided to venture out and try something from their specials.

The first port of call was obviously the papadums. There were six of us in total and I am pleased to say that we were given two selections of the chutney tray between us 👍

The tray consisted of a finely chopped onion salad, mango chutney, lime pickle, and yogurt. All were executed to a great standard, with only the yoghurt being a bit too runny for my liking.

Mains

I decided to put my trust in the team at Zara and let them recommend something for me. They know I enjoy a spicy curry, so pointed me at a brand new dish on their menu called the ‘Chettinad Chicken’. This also comes with lamb.

This is a dish from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu in South India and consists of a hot sauce with ginger, coconut, garlic and spices.

No dish is complete without a saag aloo. This was ordered as a side portion but was easily enough to share between two. It was beautifully coloured with a light fluffy texture and fresh spinach. A fine example of the iconic dish!

The mushroom rice was presented with a rich golden colour with a green garnish on top for that visual pop. The portion was fair but by no means generous, though the rice itself was perfectly cooked with a good balance of mushrooms.

Together, it all resulted in a plate of pure joy. This is my sort of warm comfort food, ideal after a long hard day. It had a variety of complex flavours, with vibrant earthy colours, and a warm spicy glow. The chicken was in large chunks with a nice tender texture, and the saag aloo complimented the dish flawlessly. The sauce was a little thin which didn’t take from the dish but was noticeable.

I was lucky enough to sample this beautiful king prawn masala dish from their house specials menu. This came with some long and meaty king prawns that were shaped like a cork screw as you picked them up. The sauce was a balance of sweet and sour but with a dominant Indian spice flavour when compared to the classic Chinese cuisine we are used too. It had a real indo-Chinese feel to it and was bloody lovely.

Between the 6 of us there wasn’t a single complaint. The food was excellent, the service staff impeccable (as always), and the food was priced at approximately £32 a head (including drinks), which I thought was probably about average these days.

A big thank you to Stuart and his curry club regulars for inviting me for another lovely meal. I look forward to the next one and I will make sure not to leave it 4 years until my next visit to Zara.

Thanks for reading…