The Maharani Tandoori, Sittingbourne

After some local evening deliveries, the Maharani Tandoori was the chosen venue for the close of play curry.

Located on West Street in Sittingbourne, the Maharani is, Bob & Phil believe, the oldest Indian Restaurant in the town.  It looks to have been decorated fairly recently and it is fair to say that the owner likes the colour blue!

The Papadums were served promptly and were warm although (to Bob's dissapointment) only the standard 4 pickles were served.  They were good though and raised the expectations for the evening.  The (botted) Cobra was cold but not very cold.

Expectations were somewhat dashed, however, by the curries.  The flavour and texture of Phil's Dhansak was more akin to a Madras with no discernable lentils.  Bob felt that his Korma was OK but nothing special.

The dissapointment carried over to the vegetables.  The Sag Aloo was quite good but the Muttar Paneer was, in Phil's opinion, absolutely awful.  It had peas, with added onion that seemed to be served in melted cheddar.  In very short order the dish had congealed into lumps of peas stuck together.

The service was mixed.  From a very pleasant welcome and intial interactions it fell away to bordering on indifference. Having said that there were plenty of regulars who were met and greeted like old friends. special

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	7
Papadum	8	8
Curry	6	6
Rice & Vegetables	6	7
Service & Ambiance	7	6

In total a rather disapointing 68.  Not the lowest score by a long chalk but below average.

Summary.....

Regency Tandoori - Westgate on Sea

On previous trips to Thanet Bob & Phil had only spotted one curry house.  Having reviewed that one only recently a new one had to be found.  Thanks to a certain search engine another was quickly found so armed with the details of the Regency Tandoori (and directions from the last delivery) Bob & Phil set off also buoyed by some pretty good reviews that Mr G had thrown up.

The Regency Tandoori is located in a parade of shops opposite Westgate railway station.  There is plenty of street parking available in the evening and fortunately (given the rain on the day of the visit) the parade of shops has a covered walkway.

The restaurant itself was a little tired looking inside and was rather too dimly lit but we were shown to a table and the drinks order taken immediately.  Having said that it seemed to be very popular and quite busy for a midweek.

The Papadums were warm and fresh and served with the traditional 4 dips (Bob was disappointed to note this given his recent experience of 6) and the (bottled) Cobra was nicely cold although rather indifferently poured by the waiter.

The curries were both very good.  The menu indicated that Bob's Butter Chicken is marinated overnight and he felt that this was reflected in the depth of flavour (along with a couple of different flavours too).  Phil's Dhansak was everything he expected with the addition of a slight fruity note (Phil thought initially that this was pineapple but then couldn't make his mind up if it was mango or not which Bob thought funny).

The Vegetables were again very good.  Both with their own distinct flavours but  Bob felt that the Muttar Paneer was quite similar to his Butter Chicken and Phil was a little disappointed by not being able to taste the sweetness of the peas (a sign of being slightly overcooked).

The service and ambience let the side down.  Neither Bob nor Phil could remember the last time a waiter did not enquire about the meal whilst it was being eaten and they couldn't decide whether this was arrogance or indifference.  An odd number of after dinner treats were served and the after dinner napkins were practically thrown on the table!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	9
Papadum	8	8
Curry	9	9
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	6	5

In total 78 points placing it just outside the top 10.

In summary a very good curry let down by poor service.  An average score for Service would have seen the Regency in the top 10.  A significantly improved experience from our previous Thanet visit, however!

Addendum: There was a couple who decided to stay and have a drink or two rather than walk home in the pouring rain.  It rained very heavily all night in Kent so Bob & Phil are wondering where that couple may be now and in what state!!

Shad - Herne Bay

Not all deliveries go smoothly and it was one such delivery this evening that saw Bob and Phil finally arrive at a curry house rather later than anticipated.  The Shad in Herne Bay was a Restaurant that they had visited on several occasions BB (Before Blog) so they had decided that it was about time it was added.

The Shad has been open for many years.  It is located in William Street in Herne Bay and there is usually plenty of parking available in the evenings on the Sea Front which is just around the corner.  A converted Bank, the Shad is nicely decorated (Bob recognised some of the wall art as having been available in the Shop) and lit with a combination of blue and white spot lights that create an interesting effect.

The (draft) Cobra was not very cold and was quickly served along with the Papadums which were nicely warm and Phil felt a little greasy.  The pickles, however, were excellent – a choice of 6 no less including both sweet and savoury mango.  Bob was delighted.

The curries were a bit mixed.  Phil felt his Dhansak was nicely balanced, a good texture and a hint of sweetness coming through.  Bob was disappointed by the lack of Butter Chicken but felt that the Korma was OK but nothing special.

The vegetables were a different choice too.  There was no Muttar Paneer on the menu so a Sag Paneer and Mumbai Paneer were chosen instead (the latter being Potatoes and Cheese).  The rice was on the whole good although Phil kept finding pieces of cinnamon bark in his.

The service was good.  Attentive but not overbearing but both Phil and Bob noted that their plates, although clean, were marked and should have been replaced.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	7	6
Papadum	8	10
Curry	9	8
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	7	7

A respectable 78 - just outside the top 10 but there are two from Herne Bay that have scored higher!

Mehfil - Charing

Located on the main road from Charing to Canterbury (the A252).  Mehfil is the 2nd restaurant that you will see on your right when heading away from Charing.  Until about 3 months ago this restaurant was known as Kerala Spice and was reviewed by Bob & Phil in September 2012.  The restaurant is now much easier to spot from the road, however, due to clever use of lighting.

Mehfil's building was undoubtedly a pub or night club in its past history.  The feel, however, still remains despite the obvious redecoration that has gone on.

Bob & Phil learned a new trick tonight with the Papadums.  They were served on a hot plate so that the last one remained as warm as the first.  Others please note!!  The dips were a bit of a mixed back, though.  Phil enjoyed the onion but was a little disappointed about the lack of a lime pickle.  Bob found that the raita, mango and third dip (which neither he nor Phil could identify) were strangely acidic - either lemony or vinegary.  Top marks for the Papadums, not so for the dips!

The curries were very generous portions.  Bob felt that his was good but lacking something that he couldn't quite put his finger on.  Phil felt that his Dhansak was more like a Pathia - the texture of the lentils was there but the peppery flavour that he normally gets was completely drowned by tomato.  Also his meat was a little overcoooked to the point where some of it had shredded in the sauce.

The rice & vegetables were another mixed bag.  The rice was nice and hot and had a good mix of ingredients but the muttar paneer let things down a little.  Phil normally finds that the pepperyness of his dhansak works well with the iron of the Sag and the gentle flavour of the potato and that this is then a nice contrast to the sweetness of the peas and the texture of the paneer.  Tonight, however, the peas were rather bland and the paneer - although there in slices - was rather textureless and didn't have that squeaky bight to it.

The service could not be faulted.  Attentive and knowledgeable and very happy to talk about the differences in types of curry.  The waiters asked for constructive feedback on our experience and this led to an interesting conversation about the development of "Indian" cuisine in the UK,  Both waiters were clearly passionate about the business of curry!  5 out of 5.  The ambience, sadly, is still not quite there - and neither Bob nor Phil could figure out what is lacking.

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	8
Papadum	8	8
Curry	6	7
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	7	7

The total of 75 is not quite as good as its predecessor but both Bob & Phil left feeling that Mehfil has got potential - a bit of work on making the restaurant feel less like a night club and a new carpet would go a long way to improving the ambience.  It is certainly better than their rivals at the top of the hill.

Bob and Phil are looking forward to their next delivery in the Charing area!

Raj Bari - Whitstable

This location has previously been reviewed twice under it former name of  Fusion Spice Lounge.  Following a local delivery, Bob and Phil decided to revisit to see how it had changed under new management.  Long standing visitors to Whitstable will remember the location as that of Giovanni's restaurant.

The Papadums were served warm and unfortunately slightly burned with the bitter taste that this brings.  The dips were the usual combination and well received.  The (draft) Cobra was nice and cold.

Bob's Butter Chicken was a completely different take on what he normally expects and jolly good it was too - even served with a knob of butter melting slowly into the dish.  Phil's Dhansak was OK if a little on the bland side.

The bland theme unfortunately continued into the vegetables with the Muttar Paneer being  a rather tasteless goo without lumps of paneer nowhere to be seen.  The excellent rice and very good Sag Aloo rescued the score somewhat.

The service was attentive and it was pleasing to be served hot towels at the end of the meal but the ambience is still not quite right.  The restaurant has been decorated and refurbished but the structure and layout doesn't seem to lend itself to an indian restaurant - although Phil was very pleased to note that the awful music from before has changed!

Area	Phil	Bob
Beer	8	7
Papadum	8	7
Curry	8	10
Rice & Vegetables	8	8
Service & Ambiance	8	7

In total a respectable 79 - not quite making the top 10 but a significant improvement over its previous incarnation.

Summary.....