ANYONE who remembers Indian restaurants from the Eighties and Nineties knows that things have changed significantly since then – although how many now have a champagne lounge with a grand piano and a Honda Fireblade motorbike is another matter.
The Raj in Kettering does – and although it’s the quality of the food that keeps regulars coming back for more, it’s the other touches, the lounge, the bike, the warm welcome and the attentive service that make it one of the most popular restaurants in the area.
I first visited The Raj after owner Goyas Miah played host to my then 15-year-old son
ANYONE who remembers Indian restaurants from the Eighties and Nineties knows that things have changed significantly since then – although how many now have a champagne lounge with a grand piano and a Honda Fireblade motorbike is another matter.
The Raj in Kettering does – and although it’s the quality of the food that keeps regulars coming back for more, it’s the other touches, the lounge, the bike, the warm welcome and the attentive service that make it one of the most popular restaurants in the area.
I first visited The Raj after owner Goyas Miah played host to my then 15-year-old son who had been given a placement there on work experience. He arrived at the restaurant declaring that the only Indian dish he liked was a mild chicken korma. Goyas and his chefs weren’t having any of that, and spent those two weeks working as hard as their schoolboy helper did, putting something new and different down in front of him every day, and sending him away with a whole new approach to Indian food.
Since then, we have visited many times as a family and still haven’t worked our way through the menu. This time, for a change, it wasn’t a family occasion, but a means of entertaining a friend visiting from Bristol – and he was as impressed as we had been.
Naturally, we had poppadoms with a range of chutneys and accompaniments while we studied the menu, then plumped for a starter and a main course each.
Although tempted by the Raj Mussels (£5.75), served in a special chilli and coriander sauce with a hint of garlic, I eventually went for an old favourite, chicken pakora (£4.75), while John chose the king prawn butterfly (£5.75).
The jumbo king prawn was covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried and beautifully presented, while the pakora were served with salad and were just the right balance of spiciness and crunch.
For the main course, John went for Bengali Green Chicken (£9.95), tender chicken with green chillies, green peppers and coriander, cooked with coconut milk, while I had Shobzi Sultan (£9.95) lamb cooked with vegetable in a medium-hot sauce. We also ordered daal tarka (£3.25) from the side dishes and a plain naan to share.
The menus at The Raj include all the traditional Indian dishes, with plenty of specials that change on a regular basis.
There’s something at The Raj for everyone, from classic motorbike fans to concert pianists, and if it’s good enough to convert a 15-year-old mild korma fan to something hotter and spicier, then it has to be very good indeed.
The Raj, 46-50 Rockingham Road, Kettering NN16 8JT
01536 513606