Raj Venue is located at the Westgate Towers end of St Dunstan's in Canterbury next door to the far better known (and obviously advertised) Cafe des Amis. To say that its presence is understated is an understatement in itself as the name does not appear on the outside of the building! Inside it is newly decorated and brightly lit. There seemed to be two distinct areas with different seating and gave the overall impression of work in progress.
It took a couple of minutes for Bob & Phil to be greeted and shown to a table and that set the scene for the rest of the evening. Unusually the Papadums arrived before the Cobras and they were quite fresh (but not warm). The pickles included what Phil believed was an Onion and Beetroot chutney which he very much enjoyed. The (draught) Cobras did eventually turned up and were well worth waiting for as they were nicely cold.
The papadums had long since been consumed before the curries arrived. Both were very nicely presented. Phil did think, though, that his Dhansak was excellent. It had the right texture and flavours. Bob, on the other hand, was very disappointed by his Korma. He found no flavour whatsoever and was quickly bored.
It is worth pointing out that the portions were extremely generous, particularly the special rice which neither Bob nor Phil could finish. The Muttar Paneer was enjoyed by both particularly as the flavour of the peas shone through over the sweet creamy sauce but the Bombay Aloo was very disappointingly bland.
Overall the service can best be described as slow which was somewhat surprising given there were only two tables occupied.
Area
|
Phil
|
Bob
|
Beer
| 9 | 10 |
Papadum
| 9 | 8 |
Curry
| 9 | 4 |
Rice & Vegetables
| 7 | 7 |
Service & Ambiance
| 6 | 6 |
A creditable 75 despite Bob's curry!
Bob's unfortunate curry apart, Raj Venue could be the best curry house in Canterbury......if you can find it!
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