"Sy does The Maharaja‎ "

A review of Maharaja by Sy written on Monday 21st of June 2010

I used to come here all the time with my dad some years ago. The place has a rep for being quite rude and trying to get you out the door the moment youve finished your meal. The food is well known for its hot curries and delicious food so you just tolerated it! Most places in Cambridge serve a Vindaloo as mild as a tinned curry from tesco so it was my favorite place by far.

Ive been on a bit of a quest lately trying all the curry houses in Cambridge so i havent been back in quite a while. Alot of my friends have told me this place has gone down hill and have told me to avoid the place...so ive decided to go back and see for myself!

First thing the location is quite good. Its just on the outskirts of center town. Its a little bit of a walk but not anything to be bothered about. If your driving then parking can be a problem as Cambridge is probably the worst place in the country for parking. If you come after 5pm there is alot of parking behind but lunch times may be a problem!

I really enjoyed the decoration of the place with its stirpey wall paper, green curtains, blue lights and beautiful Indian art work! (please note alot of Indians in the area do not seem to have much Indian art work anymore...strange!?). The waiters are even dressed in a very smart green matching blazer which does give it an added professionalism to the place.

The service was fast. We were seated immediately and poppadoms were out instantly. I noticed that the 4 dishes we got with the poppadoms were the 4 standard (lime pickel, mango chutney, onion and the red ****) but tasted alot thicker and chunkier. Alot of the poppadom side dishes in the local Indians all taste the same, like they get it from the same supplier. The Maharaja either gets it from a better supplier or makes it themselves. Either way, bravo!

They took our main order while we had poppadoms and by the time we had finished about 2 mins later our main meal was on the table. Perfect! Some people may point out this is them trying to get us out the door faster like they used too but i didnt get that feel from them at all this time. This just came across as good service.

Like usual i ordered the Vindaloo and it was delicious. Usually with most curry reviews i say the curry could have been hotter...and this is no exception though its definatly the hottest Vindaloo ive had in Cambridge for quite a while! The chicken was juicy and it wasnt too greasy!

The rice portions were generous and well presented. They added some red shavings on top to make the rice look more exiting, adding even more colour to the place on top of the already colourful decorations!

The naan order was wrong. They ended up giving us a coconut naan instead of a peshwari. The naan was very large though but lacked flavour. Ideal for sharing if you want to clean the sauce off your plate after but not to eat on its own.

The moment our meal was finished they cleaned up. I can not fault them for speed and service. When we asked for the bill we were given a £3 service charge. I only usually tip if i feel they deserve it. Im not a fan of this American tipping culture as standard. I consider adding a service charge to a bill very rude. However i do feel they deserved it. I just wish they had left the decision to me!

Ignoring the service charge the price was average going on expencive. A Cobra beer was £3.40 and a curry was £5.50 so you get the rough idea.

After we had paid we were given the mint chocolates...though there was something missing...something i couldnt quite put my finger on.....WE NEVER GOT OUR HOT TOWELS!!!

I could not believe it! I may as well have gone to an Italian! The whole Indian experience had been ruined. Their service was near enough perfect up until that moment. Shame on them!

I will say that the standard of food here is still as high as its ever been. I would reccommend this place to anyone wanting to try some of the best curry in the Cambridge area. Just be willing to pay for it. I would say their mannors have improved also but still suffer from the same cheeky traits like adding a forced service charge onto your bill.

The place is small but still suitable for large parties if need be. Though i would assume you would need to book in advance because i could only see one table big enough for more than 8 people.

Overall...... The Maharaja just scrapes a 4. The hot towels nearly ruined everything for me! you may not be so bothered but this is one of the small important things which makes Indian Tandooris that bit more special to other resturants..

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