‘The Sultan is one of the best curry houses I’ve been to’

IT MIGHT be Wokingham town’s oldest curry house, but it’s looking to the future.

The Sultan in Market Place has launched a new menu, bringing Indian fine cuisine to the borough.

It’s been devised by owner

Raja Majid and his chef, Kuldeep, who has worked in some of London’s finest restaurants and won the prestigious London Evening Standard Indian Restaurant of the year award.

“Chef Kuldeep has created an exciting, innovative menu and I believe you won’t taste anything like it anywhere else in Wokingham - it really makes us stand out. We’re not a regular curry house,” Raja said.

“The menu is bursting with authentic dishes that many people may not have heard of, and you certainly won’t be able to get anywhere else locally. It’s proper Indian food with a modern presentation.”

The ingredients used in Sultan’s ‘exquisite dishes’ are sourced from local suppliers.

These include feature ingredients such as duck, mussels, and rabbit, and Venison, together with a range of plant-based creations which vegans will love.

The interior decor of the restaurant reflects the age of building with oak beams throughout. Table are adorned with crisp white table cloths, and the waiters are immaculately dressed. This is an experience.

We began with a selection of starters including Patiala Lamb Chops (£6). Chargrilled best-ends of lamb with beetroot and ginger marinade with coriander chutney. The presentation was exquisite, the lamb was perfectly tender and flavoursome.

The Spinach and Feta Cheese Samosa Chaat (£6.45) was my personal favourite.

This is a samosa topped with coriander and dates, tamarind chutney and chickpeas vermicelli. It is amazing, so tasty with an array of flavours.

The Venison Seekh Kebab (£9.95) is a dish that I’ve never seen on an Indian restaurant menu, so I was intrigued to sample it.

It is minced venison with peppers and onion served with coriander chutney and smoked paprika raita. The venison had a delicate flavour, was cooked to perfection, the chutney and raita made the perfect accompaniment.

Moving on to the Main courses. Our teenage son chose the Prawn Biryani (£18.95).

This is not just any Biryani. Dum Pukht is a traditional way of slow cooking in a sealed pot, this means none of the flavours can escape. The pot is topped with a thick chapati keeping all the warmth contained.

Our son was impressed with the amount of prawns and the presentation.

For my main, I plumped for Dhaba Methi Murgh (£12.95), an Indian roadside shakc-style chicken curry, rustic and bustling with flavours tempered with fresh fenugreek.

The presentation was a delight, the aromatic flavours were invigorating to my nose and taste buds. I was very impressed with the amount of chicken in this dish, the portion size was very generous.

My husband chose the

Guinea Fowl Banjara (£16.95), a dish from the nomadic tribes of Ladakh: grilled guinea fowl breast in dry mango and peanut marinade, filled with spinach and mushroom, and with a half egg masala.

He described the meat as extra tasty, and he enjoyed the dish immensely.

We shared some side dishes which included Bainghan

Mirch Ka Salan (£6.95) – baby aubergines and chillies in a tangy tamarind and jaggery sauce.

Aloo Anardana (£5.95) is slow cooked potatoes with tangy pomegranate and mango powder, pomegranate seeds and garlic. Naan bread is (£3.95).

The Service at the Sultan was second-to-none.The ambience was perfect. The waiters were absolutely fantastic throughout our visit; topping up our water glasses as soon as they reached empty, regularly coming over to check if we needed anything and best of all professionally and passionately explaining the dishes one by one, some of which sounded obscure to us.

The Sultan, hands down has to be one of the best curry houses I have ever been to – it excels on every front.

To see the menu or to book, log on to: sultanindian.co.uk, or call: 0118 977 4397.