Showing posts with label bangladeshi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bangladeshi. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Saffron Brasserie

http://www.saffron-brasserie.co.uk/
Hills Road
Fare: Indian, Bangladeshi
Price: £-££
Service Tips: n/a

Saffron Brasserie is a great Indian restaurant located just a little way down Hills Rd (as if you were walking toward the train station). According to at least one person who ought to know, it's the best Indian food in town, and that's high praise for an area that seems to be bursting with great places to stop for a curry.

The options are pretty par for the course, and they have a very good selection of vegetarian dishes. The food itself is top notch, plus prices are relatively low, especially with respect to their dishes that contain meat, which seem to be slightly below the usual price for Cambridge. As usual, you'll have to order rice separately. All around solid choice.

Monday, February 24, 2014

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.