The Sultan has been a family favourite for years and we have been coming here for as long as I can remember. I never understood why my family used to love it so much, as I have often felt that it has struggled to stand out from the fierce competition in St Ives. 

Don’t get me wrong, it has always provided a good service for a fair price but the one thing that has always held it back is the very dated interior and the average cuisine.

I even remember thinking this all the way back in 2019, which is why I was excited to learn that The Sultan has just had a refurbishment.

The new look…

The restaurant now has a contemporary style with a lot of deep blue and turquoise. It looks good and the restaurant is even equipped with booths, adding a more social element for small groups of people. There is a bar along the side of the restaurant, which is not equipped with a beer tap. But that’s okay, because The Sultan is now BYOB, giving customers the opportunity to save a significant amount of money by bringing their own beer.

It is certainly the step up from his old interior and feels more like a complete restaurant.

Papadums

We started off with a couple of papadums, along with four side sources. This includes, two types of mango chutney, a superbly prepared onion salad, and a thick and creamy yoghurt. I was disappointed to see no lime pickle included in this but they were more than happy to provide it on request.

Modhu Minty Lamb

I was joined by my son, who has a real knack for picking brilliant dishes from special menus. Tonight, he chose the Modhu Minty Lamb, made with tender chunks of lamb chop that is infused with honey & mint. This is then slow cooked with baby potatoes in a spicy thick sauce.

The lamb was served on the bone which made it a little awkward to eat as a curry. The sauce was a medium heat but the smoky flavours really shone through, with the mint adding a flurry of flavour that seems to work in an unusual way. The honey was pretty much absent in flavour but overall the dish itself was absolutely superb. It came to £17 which felt quite steep but did include rice.

Old faithful

It’s been a while since I went for a proper curry (at least two weeks!), so I decided to revert back to my favourite, the chicken vindaloo with mushroom rice. This has always been my benchmark dish to compare it with other restaurants.

Now, I’ll be completely honest. Both the vindaloo and the mushroom rice looked a bit…crap. The gravy in the curry looked thin and had an unusual colour, while the rice appeared to be unseasoned and void of any spice or herbs.

With that said, the accompanying saag aloo looked absolutely superb. It had a deep earthy colour with spinach in abundance. The potato was soft and fluffy, making it the perfect accompaniment for curry.

The curry and rice looked a little better once it was on my plate, especially with a portion of saag aloo on the side. The curry was a little watery but it tasted absolutely fine. There was a reasonable spice level to the curry but it didn’t have that fiery kick I was looking for. The chicken was plentiful and served in big juicy chunks.

A step forward for The Sultan

The Sultan feels like a more complete and well rounded Indian restaurant since the refurbishment. It is great to see BYOB available and the service is as prompt, friendly, and formal as ever. The food will pass the test with many but will struggle to compete with the other excellent Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants in the town.

Let me know what you think in the Cambridge Foodies.

Thanks for reading