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What happens when you combine the nation’s two favourite dishes?

You get the Taj Tandoori’s latest creation, the Bangladeshi Sunday roast dinner, now being served every Sunday from noon till 4pm.

From the moment I heard about this intriguing idea, I was immediately fascinated and incredibly curious to sample this unusual concept. Can you really just staple two brilliant dishes together and expect it to work?  I had to investigate. The boys from the Taj have never let me down before and you know what? It’s just crazy enough to work! 🤣

I have written enough about the Taj Tandoori on this blog to give you an idea of exactly what the restaurant is like on the inside, but for those of you who have never read my blog before, I will just say this…Jools and Syed poured their heart and soul into refurbishing this once very basic looking restaurant into a contemporary Indian/ Bangladeshi restaurant. It has been utterly transformed into a restaurant with a unique identity and popular reputation.

It is atmospheric, stylish, comfortable, and with some of the warmest staff you’ll ever meet. The food goes beyond traditional Bangladeshi and Indian cuisine and constantly pushes the boundaries on food innovation to something they call “Pan Asian”. The concept has brought me here again and again, making it one of my favourite restaurants in the city.

The restaurant is also BYOB (bring your own beer) giving you the chance to shave off £10-20 from your meal just through not paying out of control beer prices. A real win for people struggling with the cost of living.

The Hash Eggsplosion 🤣

Whoever named this dish isn’t being paid enough but I can guarantee you that he is a dad. 🤣

This beautiful starter is made from their very own in-house hash brown with a perfectly eggsecuted (sorry) runny yolk inside. It is presented on a bed of bhaji and spinach and topped with chillinaise and chives for the added creamy texture and flavour.

This is the stuff of dreams. The hash brown gives the dish a thick and crispy layer that oozes with egg yolk from the moment you break into it. I highly recommend you watch my video to really appreciate how gooey and oozy it is. It is perfection!

Roast lamb and chicken

The menu offers three choices for their Sunday roast – vegetarian, roast lamb, and roast chicken.

Both options come with cumin and coriander infused roast potatoes, paneer and nigella Yorkshire pudding, Kashmiri chilli glazed carrots, seasonable vegetables, braised red cabbage, red pepper puree, and a choice of either traditional or spicy gravy.

The chicken is marinated for 24-48 hours, giving it an incredibly tender texture with an unparalleled succulence. The flavours were simply incredible! The portion was an entire half chicken making it enough for even someone with my appetite.

A lot of people on the Cambridge Foodies tell me that they do not like going out for a Sunday roast because they are worried that they’ll pay good money for a measly portion but there is no need to worry at the Taj Tandoori – the portions are huge!

The lamb was a large portion of tandoori roast shoulder that fell to pieces on my plate. It was soft and tender with a nice crispy skin.

The Yorkshire pudding on both dishes was a good size and had a softer texture than regular Yorkshire puddings. I put this down to the paneer that also gave it an interesting twist. I enjoyed the herbs that were mixed into the batter of the yorkie that added a subtle flavour and an interesting look.

The carrots were fresh, crunchy, and full of flavour. The Kashmiri chili glaze added another subtle yet exciting dimension to the meal than a humble carrot has any right too. The braised red cabbage was also another highlight for me. I am a big fan of cabbage and I think it often gets overlooked on a Sunday roast. I’m glad that the team at the Taj Tandoori put some effort and imagination into making it something special because it made all the difference.

Both the cabbage and the carrots combined invigorated a dish that is often known for being beige, so was very welcome in an aesthetic way as well as flavour.

Pistachio crumble

We signed off the meal with a pistachio crumble with raspberry jam and honeycomb sugar glass.

This was as much of a feast for the eyes as it was the belly. It was vivid and bright with lots of colours that just jumped off the plate like a rainbow. As you can see from the photos above, the presentation was exciting, fun, and full of life.

It’s nearly impossible for something to look this good and not also be delicious…and that was exactly the case. It was creamy, textured and delicate, with sugary flavours carefully layered and balanced which built into a delectable harmony of sweetness.

Conclusion

The Taj Tandoori’s take on the traditional Sunday roast is exciting, unique, and truly innovative. Despite this contemporary experimentation, it also felt warm and comforting, while still encapsulating everything a roast dinner should be.

It is a hard balance to pull off and so much could have gone wrong with this idea but you can really tell that a lot of thought has gone into everything on the plate, including the ever so important portion sizes.

I found a wish bone in my chicken and my wife told me to make a wish. I told her, I didn’t need to make one, as I had everything I wanted here at the Taj Tandoori. I mean, a curried roast dinner. It’s so beautiful that it almost brought a tear to my eye. What an age we live in!

Thanks for reading