Serving quality contemporary Indian cuisine, Malikas made Oxford a strong contender for ‘Curry Capital of Britain’ in 2013. Indeed, the food we sampled was prizeworthy.
To begin, the mixed starter was light and full of flavour without being too overpowering – a balance rarely achieved with such precision. To follow, a comprehensive selection of mains was on offer but I found it difficult to look past the chef’s speciality of kodu gosht – lamb with sweet pumpkin, served medium or hot. For those who prefer their food with more fire, the chicken chilli bhuna is spot on. The type of dish that only a highly skilled chef can pull off, it featured a real mix of spices while retaining the full, fresh flavour of the green chillies. All of this is on offer alongside a tempting array of different homemade naan breads and sides.
The decor is sleek and sharp and Malikas boasts an equally polished team of staff – they know their menu inside out and are even able to tell you the history of some dishes. Malikas’ chefs take real pride in the presentation of dishes – even down to the poppadoms and dips – and it’s this attention to detail that keeps this restaurant busy every night of the week. The popularity of Malikas means that we’d recommend booking in advance for weekends.
