on the other table remarked that if it was this lively on a Monday night who could guess what the weekend would be like!

Set back from the popular Mill Pond section of the river this Indian restaurant fills one side of a brick courtyard overlooked by green metal railings and offices. Tables and chairs spill out into the yard making it a thoroughly pleasant place to relax. There's even a shisha pipe for guests to try. Once inside two dining areas present themselves, with the larger of the two being ideal for large groups and parties. With white walls, black lacquered chairs and wooden tables the Mahal sure looks pretty classy. Even the tableware matches with wavy steel cutlery and square-curved plates.

Few surprises were hidden in the menu which is classic Indian restaurant fare all the way. A nice touch however was the presentation of some of the well-known curries in a table alongside their key ingredients (e.g. lamb, chicken etc) making it easy to pick and chose what you fancy. Do watch out though for the sneakily priced poppadom condiments which are ordered individually.

Since our friendly waiter found it difficult to recommend any single dish we must conclude that he enjoyed everything. But he did seem especially keen when the biryanis were mentioned so we tried one of those. Ours consisted of cooked rice, tender lamb tikka with a few sultanas thrown in, and it came served with a juicy potato curry to relieve the dryness. Warming and deeply nourishing we lapped it up.

From the specials section we tried a Lamb Shakooti - a grainy coconut enriched medium-hot curry. The lamb within came in satisfying streaks of meat (as if cut from the bone) rather than anonymous chunks. Alongside these we also sampled a tarka dhal - a mixture of mushed lentils - which refreshed the palette with more than a hint of ginger. Mixed starters were less fun since the king prawn peri came overcooked but it did allow us to try a few of the entrees at the same time so we'll know to order the onion barji next time.

Worth visiting for the great location if you ever fancy combing pastoral Cambridge with a curry then the Mahal is the place for you. Popular with students from the nearby colleges we recommend you look elsewhere for quiet during term time evenings. That said though we had an immensely fun time as the restaurant went from quiet to riot over the space of an hour.