Reviewed
31.01.01
(n.b. reviewed when trading as La Taj Mahal)

Café Tumeric
12/13 Park End Street
Tel: 01865-247777 / 248888 / 203040.

When the Taj Mahal on Turl Street closed its doors for the last time, many feared that Oxford's oldest Indian had slipped out the lives of students and other city dwellers for ever. This, I found out the other day, was not the case. Pushed out by high rates, Taj Mahal has moved to Park End Street, rebranded itself (adding a touch of geographically incorrect chic), and is now styled La Taj Mahal. No marauding, lager-downing rugby players here ; or, for that matter, flock wallpaper or other clichés of decor. The interior is cool, dark, and strikingly modern and European.

Led to our table by an extremely courtous gentlemen, my companion and I proceeded to devour vast numbers of poppodoms. One of the dazzling array of relishes- a piquant, creamy concotion with generous amounts of coriander- was quite the nicest I have ever tasted, and the whole poppodom experience was extremely good. As my companion remarked, we might as well have walked out then and written the review - indifferent Indians never serve good poppodoms. Still, in the tradition of thorough investigative journalism, we carried on, taking time to peruse the wine list. This was a cheery relaxed affair with three house whites and reds, starting at a very reasonable £7.95. I chose a New Zealand Marlborough sauvignon blanc - good, crisp and tropical and not too damaging at £15 or so. Beer connoisseurs will be even more impressed with La Taj Mahal - they stock the largest selection of Indian lagers to be found anywhere in Oxford.

The starters tasted very well, and sounded even better: I had Prozaapotee Ghollda Chingri - king prawns, mixed with herbs and spices and coated in breadcrumbs, and my companion enjoyed Murgh Pakora- chicken diced, mixed with herbs and spices, covered with gramflour. The flavours might, perhaps, have been more varied, but I suspect the fault lay in our not ordering a more diverse selection.

The maincourses were extremely satisfying. We both had the Taj Recommended Chef Specialities, which were huge and delicious. I wrestled with the Roshon Murgh (delicately spiced and flavoured chicken), while my companion enjoyed his flaming red king prawn dish. Prices are very reasonable, ranging from £4.50 for a vegetable curry, up to £6.95 for its king prawn counterpart. While the menu is not, perhaps, overly innovative, this is good traditional Indian cookery executed impeccably.

A bowl of ice-cream to cleanse the palate completed our very enjoyable dinner. Everything about the all-new Taj is spot-on; service, atmosphere, food, and it really deserves a loyal and committed clientele. La Taj Mahal may have lost some of its history in the move from one side of town to the other, but it should still be regarded as one of the best Indian restaurants in town.

Sarah Montgomery 31.01.01

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