As far as I can tell Maidstone boasts eight Indian restaurants in the town centre in addition to a few take-aways dotted around. I am told there is also one in the suburb of Vintners Park, and no doubt there may be more in other peripheral areas. For the purpose of this report I concentrate on the town centre. While they differ in appearance and decor, all offer the standard high street curry house menus.

Starting at the east side of town is the Bengal Diner*, owned by the same people that run the Shamrat. It opened in 2003 at 98 King Street on the site of the Curry Inn, the longest established and reputed to be the first in Kent (opening in 1965). This 48-seater offers the same comprehensive (probably the most comprehensive of them all) menu of all the usuals that was offered by its predecessor. There was nothing pretentious about the Curry Inn, which was a fine example of the typical early Indian restaurants - tables closely lined along each wall, a small bar/counter at the far end and the traditional patterned flock wall paper, although unfortunately it was frequently empty. In an earlier report on this restaurant I commented that perhaps it wouldn't be long before the new generation of curry eaters brought up with the more stylish establishments would visit just to see how Indian restaurants were in their parent’s day! Unfortunately its passing means that this vision will not be fulfilled. The new restaurant has got rid of the flock wallpaper and smartened it up a bit, although otherwise it remains much the same (including the apparent dearth of customers!)

Moving into town and the smaller roads to the north of King Street is the newest of Maidstone’s Indian restaurants, Hill Town at 102 Union Street. This opened in February 2003, replacing the Monsoon which only lasted a year (and before Monsoon there was a restaurant called Jafflong). It was virtually empty when I visited on  Saturday evening and it’s position means it must build up a local clientele as it is rather tucked away to get passing trade. With so many good alternatives in Maidstone I wonder about it’s viability (previous restaurants here have not proved long lasting) but I wish it well.

Nearby in Brewer Street (on the corner at number 73) is Spice Hut, which I gather has been there four or five years. This is owned by the same people as run the Moghul Dynasty at the other end of town and the menu, which is the same in both restaurants, offers the standard high street selection. It has a spacious reception area and seats 75 in total. One table was taken and a couple were waiting for take-aways. Again I imagine this is all local trade as it is not positioned for passing trade.

Moving towards the town centre there are three relatively close together in Lower Stone Street. The first, at number 4 (at the bottom of Gabriels Hill) is Shanti. This one is situated on the first floor, which sometimes can be a disadvantage if you can’t see inside and particularly if, as in many cases, the separate stairs become dirty and off putting. However, this is not the case here as the carpeted stairs are set behind the restaurant door and therefore clean and well kept. The restaurant itself has been there "about 4½ years" and is a cosy 58 seater with some tables giving a good view of the street below. A few people were there when I visited for the menu and the manager/staff were friendly and helpful.

Next up the street is the Bollywood Tandoori at number 26 opened on 3rd October 2001. It seats 55 in an atmosphere which I felt couldn’t decide whether to be modern or standard. The menu is certainly the standard list of all the usuals. It has a fairly large bar area immediately inside but each time I have passed midweek (which admittedly is not frequently) no more than one table is ever occupied, while the Shamrat a few doors away is consistently well patronised.

The third is the Shamrat at 36 Lower Stone Street. This 54 seater has been established 14 years and looks pleasantly comfortable behind the small, cosy reception area which has an open fire - no doubt an attractive and welcome feature in the winter. It is the only one in Maidstone to appear in the current (2001) Good Curry Guide. This doesn’t mean, of course, that it is the best or that others don’t deserve an entry but it does mean that previous Curry Guide reporters as well as myself have found it a good standard (see separate report). The take-away menu is the most stylishly produced of the lot, and although it contains all the usuals it does list a couple of less common dishes (‘Roshen-e Chicken or Lamb’, prepared with herbs and garlic, and ‘Flambe O Lognac’ (sic) Chicken or Lamb marinated in red wine with onion, green pepper, mushrooms and flambe’d in brandy). Manager very helpful and friendly and it had several customers and seemed to be doing a good take-away trade which is an encouraging sign.

Moving again into town there is the Tandoor Mahal in Medway Street. This interestingly designed restaurant has a huge glass frontage behind which two sets of staircases lead up to what looks like an enormous balcony on the first floor, where it seats 54. There are a few tables in a separate room on the ground floor but the upstairs ‘balcony’ is the main dining area. It was the most crowded of all when I called in for a menu (early evening midweek) and was packed when I returned at 9 pm to eat. A very good sign. I was told that this restaurant was established in about 1973 and is the second oldest in Kent behind the Curry Inn in King Street, although this claim is false as there is one in Gravesend which opened in 1972 (and another opened in Gravesend in the mid 60's although this is now long gone) - and frankly I regard a claim that there was only one Indian restaurant in Kent predating 1973 as patently inaccurate! Notwithstanding that, however, it is long established and I have been there a couple of times in the past, certainly as far back as the mid 1970’s when there was little choice. I recall I enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed it on this occasion. Further details are in the separate report.

Finally, right at the western end of town at the beginning of the London Road (number 14) is the Mughal Dynasty. This has been established about 14 years and is the biggest, seating 85 in two rooms (although it looks much smaller from the front and on entering). One advantage is that it has a reasonable sized private car park at the rear which is accessed by a small driveway next to the building which can be easily missed unless you know about it. Further details are in separate report. 

Finally, if anyone is wondering why I have missed out the Narai Palace at 106 Week Street, it is because this has now become a Thai restaurant.

Malcolm Wilkins - January 2003