[Invite] – click here

During my mad quest to make sure this blog has a wide variety of reviews from all four corners of Cambridgeshire, I often fail to return to many of my favourite restaurants as much as I would like. Nevertheless, I was still mortified to learn that my last visit to Raja was 4 years ago! 🤯

This multi award-winning restaurant has been running since 2012 and seems to only get better every time. Don’t believe me? Read my previous reviews, with each one getting more favourable with each visits, with tonight’s being one of the best Indian meals I have had in a long time.

The restaurant isn’t huge but the team has done wonders with the space. This is mostly credited to the booths installed by the windows, letting you dine while watching the world go by.

Raja has a ton of character, with their awards proudly on display by the counter and a wide range of pictures, ornaments, and Indian culture tastefully placed across the establishment. It had an almost living room vibe, adding warmth and familiarity that was only compounded by the friendly staff team, who came with big smiles on their faces from beginning to end.

The menu at Raja is large and exciting, with a wide range of dishes to choose from. Their motto is “the ballad of East and West”, inspired by restaurant owner Sai’s father and his journey to the West, back in 1963.

It quickly became clear what this meant for the menu by reading it, as you get a selection of traditional Indian classics, from dhall, Thali and Biryani’s; to British fusion classics, like chicken tikka masala and vindaloo. Indian street food is also available, with Kak-ra and pakora.

In other words, this is a great place for people looking for their usual curry night staples but even better for foodies looking to explore their culinary experience with new and exciting dishes. This is a menu that has it all.

Unsurprisingly, I ordered myself a beer (cue the collective shock of everyone reading 🤣). I was disappointed to not see anything on tap but I was delighted to see one of my favourites in bottle form – Bombay Bicycle. A delicious and smooth Indian IPA made by Kingfisher.

Cobra beer available in small (330ml) and large (660ml) bottles.

Popadum deluxe & house chutneys

(v) (gf)

Raja offers a refreshing take on the classic papadums we all know and love.

The dish comes with a mix of potato, chilli and rice based papadums, served in different shapes and sizes to make things interesting. 

The rice papadums were like prawn crackers found in a Thai restaurant. I thought these were amazing and their unusual shape made things less messy and easier to scoop and mix. Raja are well known for the spirally papadum wraps. I’m honestly not sure how they make these but they were a fun idea but I didn’t think it really offered much other than novelty.

The chutney tray comes with lime & mint, cumin & mango, Raja’s own red sauce, and spiced onions. Portions were small but numerous, meaning if you are usually a big fan of one or two particular chutneys then you may feel like the pots are a little small but if you like a bit of everything (like I do) then you will have no problems. Everything was well executed, with no complaints about any of the chutneys, and the diverse mix of the pots added an attractive colour – a common theme that I quickly started to notice with the presentation of the food.

Kak-ra

Kak-ra is soft shell crab marinated in spices and made into pakora. This was brought out in a metallic bowl with a side sauce and half a crab for presentation. This was then topped off with a colourful garnish.

This is an excellent starter for the up and coming mains, that I was blissfully unaware were going to be quite heavy. The Kak-ra had a light, delicate flavour with the crab being well cut, making it easier to eat.

Butter chicken bao bun

Next, was a personal favourite of mine, the butter chicken (or makhani). This was served with a bao bun filled with crispy chicken, salad, and cucumber.

I love a bao bun. Their soft fluffy texture is so unusual and interesting in all the right ways. It is light and compliments the crispy chicken and cucumber in the middle perfectly, creating a satisfying mixed texture on the bite. Almost like eating a crispy cloud 🤣

This, however, was overshadowed by one of the best butter chicken curries I have had in a long time. It was everything you want from the classic dish and more, thick, rich, and intensely creamy. I ended up dipping my bao bun in the sauce and it was beautiful!

Fuchka

(ve)

You’ll notice at the back of this photo above, a selection of 6 fuchka (or more commonly known as, Pani Puri). This popular Indian street food dish is becoming all the rage at the moment, with the dish popping up all over Cambridge. This is an East Indian version filled with mashed potatoes making it a little more substantial than others I have had across the county.

I absolutely loved the presentation with all 6 served on a board commonly seen in nightclubs when bringing out the shots. This gave it a fun vibe and made it easier to share between friends. You are given flavoured water that you use to fill up the fried shells and you eat it whole…Like a shot!

Thali

A huge tray of Thali was brought out on the classic metal tray. I have had thali across many places in the city but none were as impressive as this one. It was a real sight to behold with so much going on. Colour, beautiful smells, and intriguing dishes galore – an overload of the senses!

Seven items are served in total. Including, something touchingly called “mum’s chicken curry”. There was also a lamb chop curry, dhall, tandoori panner, basmati rice, puri, pokora and an Indian dessert.

Without a doubt, every single dish here was excellent but highlights for us both were the “mums chicken curry”, offering a thick, creamy and earthy flavour. The lamb curry and the dhal were also superb.

Even though the Thali is a full meal for one, I think it is better suited to share between two people, especially for anyone looking to dip their toe in traditional Indian cuisine but aren’t sure what to order. This gives you more room to explore the other interesting choices on the Raja menu.

I noticed a touch of Indo British fusion with this take on the Thali, reminiscent of classic British curry houses, with a heavier and spicier flavour than others I have had in the past, making it a great one for newbies to try but also delicious in its own right. This is another example of their “ballad of East and West”.

Jaipur lamb shank

At this point we were both full and firmly defeated. Suddenly, we were finished off surprised with an absolute monster lamb shank dish, humorously served with one of their papadum wraps on top.

The lamb is cooked for 18 hours and comes served with garlic naan and rice. This is topped off with a garnish of herbs and a red chili for that colourful pop. The lamb was soft and tender, though not so tender it just fell to pieces by touching it. The balance was just right, as it made the lamb feel like it had some substance to it, which made it even more satisfying to eat. With that said, I really didn’t have to pull hard to get the lamb off and the lamb was incredibly succulent, with the spices adding a rich depth of flavour, thanks to the slow cooking process.

The broccoli was also a nice touch and added some much needed greenery.

This dish alone would have been enough to feed me for a main course, so you can imagine how full we both were at the end. We were so full and yet we couldn’t stop eating. The lamb was just too good. It was a delicious paradox that turned into a battle between man vs food, where there were no losers, only winners. It was incredible! 

After that intensely indulgent Jaipur lamb shank, we needed a breather to pull ourselves together. As our meal went on, the dishes got creamier, spicier, and more intense. So we signed off with a strawberry flavoured yoghurt based dish to freshen up. I didn’t catch exactly what this was but it looked like a lassi dish. A popular and refreshing Indian drink that is sweet and perfect for calming down fiery food. This really hit the spot and was the ideal sign off for our meal.

We finished our meal with a beautiful looking tray of sweet treats. I was delighted to see a heated wet wipe along with a couple of After 8 mints, something that I have noticed slowly dwindle from other Indian restaurants over the years. It was great to see Raja keeping this tradition alive.

I was particularly taken by the dried kiwi which gave me a satisfyingly sharp and sweet taste with a tangy punch at the end.

Conclusion

Both my guest and I left feeling full and satisfied, but more importantly, we felt like we had experienced something new and exciting. Raja has gone from strength to strength with every visit and tonight their cuisine has reached dizzying heights of flavour, beauty, and fascination.

All the dishes were brilliant, with each one more different than the last, offering something unique and interesting to the dining experience. From the delicately prepared marinated crab to the rich creamy selection of their Thalia tray. The real hardship being that there were at least half a dozen dishes on the menu that caught my eye, meaning I have to go back and explore the menu further. That’s the sign of a good restaurant!

Thanks for reading!