Prague's Taj Mahal

Last night Jitka and I, along with our mate Oliver and his date Monika, went to the Taj Mahal for dinner. We were all in a celebratory mood and Oliver was jonesing heavily for some Indian food, so we reckoned the Taj would be ideal.

I can’t say I was as thrilled with the place as Prague.tv’s reviewer seemed to be. Yes, the ambiance is pleasant, but the service was kind of rude. Our waiter acted as if he was doing us a favour and I had to fetch him when it came time to pay.

The food was adequate. We started with papadums and a way overpriced assortment of pickles and chutneys – well, that’s what it said on the menu. What we got were wee helpings of mild mango chutney, chili pickle, raw onions in brine, and what seemed like mint and yogurt.

Oliver and Monika also had samosas to start. Also pretty tiny for the price.

There was a lengthy stretch of time between our appetizers and mains, but they were worth the wait. My lamb vindaloo had just the right amount of heat – not enough to make me sweat, but a force to be reckoned with nonetheless. Oliver’s lamb madras was tasty and tangy, like desert in comparison with my meal. Jitka’s vegetable shahi korma was even more of a desert, much to her disappointment as it was far too rich for her to finish. Fortunately Oliver’s dining companion Monika was more than happy to swap half her far tastier vegetable curry for half of Jitka’s korma.

Overall, it was a fairly pleasant experience, but I don’t think I’ll be satisfying my Indian food jones at the Taj Mahal for a long while. Haveli out by Hradcanska metro, with its excellent lunch specials (the Taj Mahal has lunch specials as well for something like CZK 178) and somewhat friendlier service left a better impression on me.

Back to the vindaloo spicing – it really wasn’t as hot as the waiter had warned me it would be. Oliver told me that the meals at Tiger Tiger (which has CZK 100 lunch specials until 3 pm on weekdays) pack more of a punch. As I’ll be in Vinohrady later today, and am in the mood for a culinary challenge, I think I’ll check it out.

Oct 20, 09:25 (Filed under: Prague pubs, restaurants and cafes )

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  1. Check out Rana in Prague 8 – excellent Pakistani restaurant, inexpensive, friendly
    — darren    Oct 24, 14:23    #
  2. Thanks for the tip Darren. D’you reckon you could give me an address?

    Cheers,

    P.
    — Patrick    Oct 24, 18:01    #
  3. Last time i went to Haveli, the great lunch specials no longer existed and even worse, the prices had gone up by almost half. The indian food monopoly is ridiculous here. I am used to Indian food being cheap and plentiful from my NYC/LONDON days.

    > Can’t wait for them to get undercut..
    — Jeff    Oct 27, 09:08    #
  4. this is my personal favourite asian restaraunt in prague:

    Hallal Fast Food
    Růžová 10, 11000 Prague 1

    it’s a cafe/restaraunt type place, but the food is nice, a decent price, and nice people.

    Darren, are you referring to the one in Palmovka? they offered good portions, friendly people, and good food.
    — Donn    Nov 15, 15:22    #
  5. here is the website for the restaraunt i listed above

    http://www.hallalfastfood.com
    — Donn    Dec 13, 15:11    #
  6. Even the old staple Himalaya seems to have gone downhill. The last two meals I ordered from there were rank.

    Note to owners: Two lonely prawns floating in unflavoured cream does not maketh the korma.

    I’m going to try hallal
    — coco    Dec 14, 14:35    #
  7. If you like chicken, then i would recommend the chicken bhuna dish at halal, i felt that was the best one.

    In fact me and my friends mostly used to eat chicken bhuna all the time, and the guy said why dont u order anything different, but we felt chicken bhuna was quality, thats why we kept on ordering it.
    — Donn    Dec 19, 11:56    #

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