Rice Boat Cambridge — Restaurant in Cambridge

I am glad I tried despite the appearance and reviews 😌 Perhaps because of the usual quietness, I was often surprised that the restaurant was still operating. The reviews also come with polarity and made me a little wary. Fortunately, everything turns out to be awesome.

For starter we had fried prawns mainly because 1) the lady recommended their juicy giant prawns 2) the prawn balls take more than 15 min for the chef to prepare. Well the fried ones still arrived quite late, but it’s worth the wait. Nicely seasoned, garlicky, gingerly, some lemon grass, mustard seeds, and a little spiciness. The rice fried in the same pan tastes super nice.

The mains: 7 pm, half hour after opening, the fish and Porotta are already sold out. The good side— food is probably fresh. (The lady said she bought it from a market in London, and the fish is the prepared in small batches. Guess I’ll pre-order with my reservation to secure it.) The remaining options are no disappointment.

The beef fry is a burst of warming spices. Somehow it reminds me of the five-spice beef jerk back home… perhaps it’s the mixture of fennel, chili, cumin, turmeric, clove and maybe some star anise. It may look like a small shallow plate, but it’s all meat.

The eggplant coconut curry is mellow and soothing, not too sweet.

Though we weren’t able to have the highly recommended Porotta, the dosa and appam are great as well. Dosa is crispy outside with a little more thickness in the center, nice balance. Coconut chutney is aromatic. The appam looks like a flat version of idly, with a similar delightful mildly sour taste of fermented rice and an extra hint of coconut.

And we didn’t expect there to be desserts! In photo albums! Creamy and not too sweet. The lavender vanilla is surprisingly nice. I’m not a fan of vanilla, but the lavender is so naturally fragrant and calming. All my stress from the past week just melts away with it.

I’d really recommend the place and am definitely coming back again. The lady is super friendly and helpful (maybe a little bossy but really like my loving aunties :) I also like how the menu explains things and how the restaurant differs from other places. Although the kitchen may be slow, there is passion. Look at the cute flowers and...

I had the pleasure of visiting Rice Boat for New Year's Day and can wholeheartedly say the food and entire experience was a treat from start to finish. To start we shared lamb samosas served with a freshly made red pepper and tomato chutney. I have honestly never tasted a samosa as flavoursome yet fresh, with the chutney making a perfect accompaniment. This was followed by a masala Dosa served with Daal and a coconut chutney. The Dosa was crisp and the masala filling was perfectly spiced and paired really well with the equally stunning sides. Next was a shared chicken Biryani. The meat was succulent and tender, the rice fluffy and fragrant and the entire dish was perfectly spiced and packed with flavour. I can honestly say it was the best Biryani I have had the pleasure of eating. For the main course, came a selction of authentic Keralan curries served with Porotta, Appam and coconut rice. Each curry was again perfectly balanced and spiced. My Keralan Chicken Curry was a delight and all breads and sides were cooked to perfection. Finally came a couple of scoops of a delicious homemade mango ice cream which proved the perfect way to cleanse the pallet after such a hearty meal. I must also add that the experience was elevated massively by the company of the lovliest owners Rita and Jacob, who joined throughout various points of the meal. They provided me with their vast amount of knowledge of not only Keralan cuisine but also the culture and history of their home. Thank you for making the...

Every once in a while you encounter a food experience that is so awesome that you can't help but shout it out from the rooftops. Our dinner today at Rice Boat in Cambridge was one such encounter. We dropped in for dinner on the recommendation of a friend and what an experience it was! The restaurant itself is unassuming in an understated, homely way and gives you a feeling of comfort the momment you step in. We started with a Ginger Beer with Chilli which was cool and refreshing on a day that was stiflingly hot. For starters, we had the Vada with Sambhar and Chutney. The Vadas were piping hot and the Sambhar was surprisingly authentic and delicious. The main course of Boneless Chicken Biryani accompanied by a Tomato Onion Raita, Kadu Manga Achar (finely diced raw mango pickled in oil and spices) and Pappad was a symphony of flavours. The spice was just right, the chicken was cooked to perfection and the biryani was flavourful and delicious. The Kerala Beef Fry was redolent with the aroma of coconut, the spices blended together seamlessly, the meat melt in your mouth was a true feast for the senses. Dessert was homemade ice-cream, simple yet delicious. The unusual lavendar with vanilla flavour was a match made in heaven. The Strawberry Ice-cream with a Berry Purée topping was phenomenal. Suffice to say, if you are in Cambridge and love authentic Kerala food, this is a place you will not...