Raj Tandoori — Restaurant in Reading

So happy that this place has reopened after nearly 3 years of being closed.

My parents and I went back having been numerous times before it closed - it doesn't disappoint. Everyone coming in/out was beaming at how happy they are to have it reopened.

We went on a quiet Monday night (a few tables filled, but takeaway orders coming in in decent amounts).

We were happy to see a new set of dishes in the chefs recommended and house specials (plus there's the mainstay classics accomodated of course).

Note: Like most places they offer a warning that plates and dishes are hot, but here they are (or were for us) actually hot. No problems had, just advice. We were happy as it it kept the food nice heated for longer.

Managing to talk my folks into trying dishes outside their usual comfort zone (and me opting to try one of the chefs recommended dishes), one side, one rice, one naan (and papadums / chutney as a starter) we ordered the perfect amount for 3 and all left well fed and extremely happy with our choices.

The Peshwari Chicken dish impressed us all; its very tasty with its marinated chicken, especially for who like a mild dish - but didn't disappoint those of us that can handle heat with it's depth of flavour. The Adraki Chicken (apologies for spelling if incorrect) is a ginger lovers dream - although I was talked out of having the bullet chilli's which I will admit I regretted as I am a chilli lover - but that was my fault and I still enjoyed it immensely. The Lamb Biriyani was everything you'd hope for from a Biriyani - plenty meat, flavoursome light fluffy rice which wasn't too oily. My one suggestion would have been the option to have a slightly hotter or richer side curry for that dish however - but again, spice lover!

The Saag Aloo was hearty and tasty - didn't skimp of the spinach. The Mushroom Rice we had was enough for my mum and I to share - but if you have a large appetite you might want a whole rice to yourself. Finally the Garlic Naan is a more modest size compared to some restaurants, sliced into quarters, but has plenty of flavour from the plentiful garlic going for it, and so is quality over quantity.

A big thanks to the staff who were friendly and attentive, they brought the papdums / chutneys and drinks out quickly, left us to talk and enjoy while discussing the gameplan for mains/rice/breads and the inevitable 'starters vs sides' convo. Once ordered and eating checked in a couple of times but otherwise let us sit and chat and enjoy our time there in calm peace.

The music was quiet but gave nice background ambience - never a bad thing, it only really stood out once when there was a cover song of a pop song I have recognised. Perfect.

Everyone commented on the new chairs being comfortable, the partitions being removed and feeling much more open and feeling larger. Part of me wondered if perhaps there might be a little too much open space, but I'm certainly happy that they aren't cramming lots more tables in as I could see that getting very loud on a busy evening..

Highly recommended, will...

Our family were very excited to see the Raj reopen after closing for a few years, and hoped the experience would be just as good. Unfortunately on this occasion they seemed overwhelmed and struggled to get food out in good time. The place was full but everyone seemed to be waiting for their mains. The table next to us that arrived 30 minutes after we did received their starters as we were waiting for our ice-cream orders to be taken from the freezer and put on our table. We were there for 3 hours, arrived at 7pm, left at 10pm and the neighbour table still had no mains. During this time I saw several take out orders given to people who were also hanging about for a long time.

In summary if you're thinking of going I'd wait a few months while they get their act together because they're clearly struggling. Food was well presented but lacked flavour, perhaps because they were rushed. Atmosphere was good, but the long wait for food is unacceptable. Even waiting for the bill we waited 20 minutes before I went to the bar to pay, and they quickly scribbled the desserts we'd ordered as i watched.

For now our usual takeaway is safe....

I looked carefully at reviews of local Indian restaurants that do takeaway before selecting this. I won’t be ordering again.

I ordered a vegetarian balti for my wife. It had at least 1cm of oil floating on the top. The onion bhaji paper bag was also soaked with grease and the onion bahjis were oily and unpleasant.

If this is a 4.5 either I had an unusual experience or this is the standard of Indian restaurants in the area so I’ll cook my own Indian food...