I was lucky enough to get invited to eat at The Raja Monkey in Hall Green, the latest venture behind Lasan and Fiesta Del Asado. Raja Monkey attempts to offer something new to Birmingham, an Indian Street Food Cafe. But, does it work?
Well, I was given the opportunity to find out thanks to the Ed James Group and I couldn't wait to try it!
The atmosphere - although many other restaurants off this type of food, Raja Monkey is a whole new concept, complete with an open plan kitchen, rustic wooden interiors and authentic music.
We took our seat in the booths near the front of the restaurant over looking the open plan kitchen. I noticed the warm interior, colourful but not too bright interior and many wooden paintings and statues.
The service was fantastic from start to finish, we were shown our table quickly and ordered drinks straight away. I had a glass of Rose £3.89 and Tom had a traditional Cobra beer.
Next, we turned our attention to the menu - they even had a special board, an unusual feature at Indian restaurants. The menu was delightfully simple, a few light bites, starters, curries and Thali. The menu was certainly well chosen and thought about.
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We decided to kick things off with some Papadoms served with the traditional Indian crunchy onion salad, mango chutney and yoghurt dip.
£1.49
They were very good, and the traditional Indian sauces and dips were served in stunning silver dishes. Great start!
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Starters -
I went for the Masala Aloo Dosa £3.29 - a fluffy pancake called a 'Dosa' in Indian cuisine made from rice batter and black lentils. This particular Dosa was filled with crushed potatoes, fragranced with turmeric, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
I was very skeptical about the Dosa, as I had never tried one before but this was delicious. The pancake was so light and crispy, with the filling being spicy but also flavoursome. The dish was served with two different sauces - helping to cool your mouth down from the spiciness. I adored this starter.
My partner, Tom had Samosa £3.50 but this wasn't like any typical Samosa, it was from the special board. It was a deconstructed Samosa - all the components together minus the pastry case. Very unusual but delicious - so many different textures, flavours and colours.
Mains -
For the
mains I opted for a Thali whilst Tom went for a Classic Curry. Thali meals are
like Indian Bento boxes made up of different dishes. Raja Monkey seems to
specalise in these, offering 6 different types.
I opted for the Moghuls
Korma Thali £11.49. Beautifully presented and so colourful! The was made up
of a mild chicken korma with a hard boiled egg, an aubergine curry in a cardamom
and braised onion sauce, a creamy lentil dhal, rice topped with onions, a
chopped tomato and onion salad and a coriander chapatti. The quality of meat
was evident as the chicken was served as the whole breast and wing. Each
component was delicious - the Korma was very tasty and mild, with very
authentic flavours. The aurbergine curry was quite spicy and the lentil dhal
was a yummy dipping sauce for the chapatti. Stunning dish full of flavour and
character. I had never tried a Thali meal before but I will be going back to
the Raja Monkey to try their others!
Tom went for a
more traditional curry Murgh Makhani £7.99 - Chicken tikka marinated in
hung yoghurt, simmered in light tangy tomato and cashew nut makhani sauce. A
speciality of Punjab. He ordered rice and a plain nan to compliment it.
This dish was
very similar to chicken tikka masala but, Tom noted how it tasted much more
authentic than the usual masala you get at Indian restaurants. He said it was a
fantastic dish and full of flavour.
A number of the
dishes at the Raja Monkey are quite spicy so be prepared, however, the waiters
are so friendly and helpful and will guide you to find a dish perfectly suited
to your needs.
Tempted as we
were, we both couldn't manage any desserts but I can safely say I intend to
make the Raja Monkey a regular visit.
Pricing -
Drinks are very
cheap, a small menu but enough soft drinks and juices to satisfy. Cobra beer at
a very reasonable £2.49 and another refreshing Indian beer, Lasan at £1.99.
Starters up to
£5 each
Mains £6-£10
Thali £10-£14
Overall, a laid back, relaxed, friendly
atmosphere. It's clear how passionate both the chefs are the staff are about
their food and they take pride in the preparation, presentation and taste of
every single dish. The open plan kitchen adds an element of excitement to the
meal and keeps the place looking busy and feeling inviting. Raja Monkey is a
fantastic spot to eat any day or night of the week.