Review

A shining new eatery has emerged towards the bottom end of Mill Road. Previously the ramshackle and run-down Royal Standard pub the site went through a major transformation in 2008 and it certainly looks like the place to visit. Whilst retaining the original name the new Royal Standard is not a pub and makes no effort to say so. Unashamedly a restaurant it covers an interesting combination of Indian and Thai cuisine.

LS: Please note that the Royal Standard no longer serves Thai food as of June 2010. It may advertise itself as fusion but the owners hold over 30 years of experience running Indian restaurants

Whilst retaining the original name the new Royal Standard is not a pub and makes no effort to say so. Unashamedly a restaurant it covers an interesting combination of Indian and Thai cuisine.

in and around Cambridge. We were offered poppadoms on arrival, the music was Indian and the staff were all unmistakably Indian. So naturally we ordered Thai food.

From a vast menu of both national foods we opted for a Thai platter to share including miniature fish cakes, spring rolls and prawn toast. "How to make healthy food unhealthy" was the humorous quip from a fellow diner. It was tasty if not maybe a bit greasy especially the vegetable tempura, a strange Japanese addition with small strips of vegetable, deep fried in masses of batter.

First impressions of the Royal Standard are very complimentary. Once inside the neatly set out venue, the central entrance and bar spits the restaurant equally into two halves of brightly lit tables. The décor is warm and lively with terracotta and peach giving a knowing burst of heat. Drinks are very competitively priced with beer no more expensive than in most pubs. We selected a safe and fruity red from a small but inexpensive wine list and a large jug of water.

There were positive comments by fellow diners' choices of panang chicken curry and lamb red curry. The pad thai, stir fried noodles with chicken, went down very well with good, all-round observations. The fish curry was less enthusiastically received as the flavours suggested by the menu - coconut milk, lime leaves, basil pepper and green beans - were overpowered by the oil.

We never tried the Indian menu on this visit but given the overall Indian feel of the place we have a suspicion that it would have been good. The Royal Standard looks superb and is found in a well placed location on Mill Road. Where better for a fusion restaurant than Cambridge's most multicultural area.