A Touch of Spice in Sofia (Taj Mahal Restaurant (Sofia, Bulgaria))

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Taj Mahal Restaurant (Sofia, Bulgaria)
Date:	12/03/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: In the City Centre and easy to Find

Disadvantages: Biryani tasted like tinned curry stew

Having spent a few days in Bulgaria already before arriving in Sophia we had been treated to many a Shopska salad and I was gradually going off the idea of having to be faced with another plate of chopped cabbage, carrot and feta cheese. Walking around this busy atmospheric city I kept seeing signs advertising the Taj Mahal Indian restaurant. At first I didn't mention it to my husband but kept the name and street logged in my brain. Usually when it comes to choosing restaurants we can never decide and spend hours walking around cities looking for something to eat until in the end we opt for any old one and are usually disappointed.

After spending many hours sightseeing and taking photographs it was suddenly 7pm and time to eat. My husband said, "Do you fancy a pizza?' Without looking to despondent, I said, 'Not really. I think I would like an Indian.' He said, 'Where will we find an Indian restaurant in Sophia?'. I said, 'I know of one. It's on such and such a street.' He looked at me with amazement and said, 'How do you know that?' My reply was that I had been following the sign and directions most of the day so I knew exactly where it was situated. He was impressed and off we went.

The Taj Mahal is well situated in the centre, very near to the open market. The stall holders were just clearing away when we approached the restaurant so there was a nice, chatty and industrious atmosphere about the area.

To reach the entrance of the restaurant you have to walk through a courtyard which I imagine in summer is very pleasant sitting outside. My first impression of the inside of the restaurant was that it looked like somebody's front room which had been decorated in an 'Indian style.'

It was quite attractive with one very dark blue wall as a backdrop for two hand painted gold arches which had framed photographs of the restaurant placed inside. I suppose in retrospect - it was a bit tacky. The lighting was a burnt amber which gave the inside a warm glow. Apart from the wall lamps there was a small lamp on each of the tables. Tables were set in the main aisle and were made from a heavy wood - possibly dark oak. Around the sides of the room were walled seats decorated with an array of bright gold, ornage and red cushions giving the area a feeling of exoticism. The bar area was quite small with one wooden counter and optics at the back of the bar and here there was an entrance to the kitchen.

On entering we were shown to a table for two. The waitress was very friendly with a smiling face, very well mannered and could speak broken English. She promptly gave us the menu and asked if we would like to order any drinks which we did - 2 beers. Why we always have beer with curry is beyond me - but it has been a habit of a lifetime.

The menu was quite extensive and as usual took absolutely ages for me to decide. By the time the beers had arrived I still hadn't made up my mind so the poor girl had to go back to her station. The first sip of beer was delicious but then it usually is wherever I go as I am always ready for the first amber sip.

Eventually I was ready to order and this is what we chose:-

Starters
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Poppadoms
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We were presented with a platter of poppadoms followed by the pickle tray which is the best thing about an Indian meal. I adore poppadoms and usually eat more than I should. These were very garlicky with the odd cumin seed thrown in. A little greasy but not too bad. The variety of pickles on offer were- mango chutney, lime pickle, tomato chutney, chili sauce, butter sauce. All very interesting and of course I had to try every one.

Vegetable samosas - these came served on a stainless steel platter decorated with cucumber and tomato. So far so good. We ordered 4 and received 4. They were very tasty indeed. Not too greasy and just the right amount of vegeatble mixtue - not too many peas. The texture was light and didn't land in your tummy like a lead weight. Washed down with a few sips of beer - the taste was delicious.

Next came the onion bhajis with a mixed raita. These were certainly large in size and I was already beginning to think full before I had even started eating them. They certainly tasted very oniony but far too greasy for me and a bit soggy. I like my bahjis too taste crisp. These were not. However, the raita was very tasty. The yoghurt was smooth as if it had been whipped to a frenzy, mixed with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes and onions. All this was seasoned with cumin giving the raita a wonderful aromatic taste. Overall though, I wasn't too impressed with the bhajis so I will have to give a mark of 6 out of 10.

Now to the most important dish. We both chose the same dish which is boring I know but we are always so indecisive and know that you usually can't go wrong with a chicken dish. We chose chicken biriani with a garlic nan to share.

This is where everything started to go wrong. Firstly the nan bread arrived and I could see it was far too greasy which put me off straight away. It was well cooked in the way that I like nan breads where they are fluffy and fat, as if they have been blown up with a bicycle pump, not the thin variety, like you do find in some countries. The curry was late in arriving to the table so the nan bread was cold by the time we started to tuck into the biriani.

As for the biriani, well, I didn't really think you could go wrong with this meal but it was a disaster. It tasted just like a curry stew. The chicken was tender but the sauce was like a packet sauce mix and you really couldn't distinguish any other spices or flavourings besides curry powder. The rice mixture was soggy and the vegetables were from a tin so the whole combination was one soggy mess. I had a few forkfuls but really couldn't eat anymore and by then the nan bread was cold and I didn't really want to taste a cold, congealed greasy, limp nan bread, so I left that too.

Usually I always try to eat most of a meal ordered in a restaurant but the biriani was really not a good example of Indian cuisine and I did leave it. I didn't make any fuss when the young waitress came to clear away. I just said that I was too full. My husband ate more of his meal than I did but he said it was awful too. Consequently, we passed on the desserts.

Good job I enjoyed the starters and the beer!

I did notice on the menu that there is a varied selection of Indian food with lots of different acompaniments like you would find in any Indian restaurant but also there are Bulgarian dishes and things like chicken soup, Caprice Salad and Roquefort salad as well as the notorious Shopska salad. A mixed bag altogether.

For the meal I have described for two people the price came to about 90lv which is about £40. Which for a capital city isn't too bad but a waste of money if you don't enjoy the meal. Still the experience was worthwhile.

The toilets were clean and only two available with seperate wash basins in a small room outside the toilets. There was no disabled toilet.

Also, the staff and visitors to the restaurant didn't seemed to have grasped the concept of No Smoking as they were puffing away like mill chimneys.

The atmosphere was fiendly and relaxed and the staff were very accommodating. Just a pity the chef didn't know how to cook a biriani.

So overall, an average restaurant in a very accessible situation in the city centre which serves mediocre food. Marks out of ten - 5.

Summary: A mediocre restaurant in Sophia