Cafe Naz

Website: www.cafenaz.co.uk
45/47 Castle Street, Castle Hill
Fare: Indian, Bangladeshi
Price: £-££ (without drinks)
Service Tips: don't open for dinner until 6; water on the tables is free; can modify meat entrees to make them vegetarian; can accommodate large groups, but service may not be as great

This restaurant is a bit of a walk to the north side of town and up Castle Hill, but as quality of food goes, it's pretty top notch. The menu features a lot of dishes that you'll probably recognize if you've eaten Indian food much at home, but there are also a few surprises, and the Bangladeshi options may not be as familiar. One of the quirkier aspects of Cafe Naz is its decor, which its website describes as "minimalist," "dynamic," and "light and airy." To be fair, it is quite modern with lots of white walls, glass, and stylin' blue lighting, plus, they make really cool serviette towers that could rival Orthanc for size.

Some general observations, though. The food is very good, especially for the price. They're great about altering dishes for vegetarians in addition to the decently large vegetarian menu, and they can also tinker with the spiciness of your order, including adding spice to dishes that aren't usually spicy. Note that rice does not come with your order (plain = regular white rice, pilau = basmati, often with some seasonings/garnish), and the popadums they'll offer you are not free, although they're not terribly expensive either. The service was a little patchy with a group of five, but we got there right as they were opening for dinner, and we had a lot of special requests, so that may have had something to do with it. Also, if you go on a Saturday evening, you're bound to be waiting a bit for your food, but it's well worth the wait. Just make sure to give yourself time if you need to be somewhere after dinner.

As a last note, they do have a (currently untested) lunch buffet offered at the attractive price of £6.95, and that's available every day from 12-3 except Saturdays.