To eat at Aziz is always a pleasure but to dine with Aziz Rahman himself with my son was a truly memorable experience.
To start, simple popadums (which before I‘d only sampled with mango chutney) were made into a feast as Aziz encouraged us to use all the dressings, including chilli pickle, mint sauce, garlic sauce and onion salad, mix them up and spread them on the popadums.
For our starter courses Aziz selected for us Murgh Kabab, pieces of chicken in a delightful sauce; Chingra Patia Aur Puree, sweet and sour prawns with puree bread; and Chott Pottie, chickpeas, egg, potatoes in a coriander and tamarind sauce. We had a leaf salad to accompany our starters, which you seldom find in Indian Restaurants. We shared all the courses and both my son Richard and I were amazed at the range of tastes and aromas.
After a short break we had our main courses, again all hand picked by Aziz. Kodu Gosht, lamb with hot pumpkin; Razalla, chicken with cream, butter and chillies; and Murgh-jal-farajee, stir fried chicken in batter with hot fresh chillies. We also had pilau rice and sak aloo (spinach and potatoes) and some Misti Nan (bread stuffed with almonds, nuts and raisins). Each of the dishes were served by Aziz and the combination gave me without doubt my best ever experience in an Indian Restaurant. The quality of the food was of the highest standard and the chef is to be congratulated on the wonderful way the meal was presented and tasted.
To complement the food we had Hildon Still Water and only I had a glass of the house white, a Clear Mountain Chenin Colombard from South Africa. And to conclude we had separate dishes of fresh mango and fresh pawpaw followed by espresso coffee.
During the odd moment when we weren’t eating, we learnt that Aziz had just been elected chairman of the Oxfordshire Bangladeshi Association, Vice President of the European Bangladeshi Association and has recently been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford Brookes Business School.
The food was very reasonably priced and Aziz is rightly pleased with the restaurant's reputation as the premier Indian Restaurant in Oxford. The restaurant has now been established for 17 years and was the first Indian restaurant in the country not to use food coloring and has never done so. The ingredients are of the highest quality and Aziz is very keen to promote the restaurant as Oxford’s authentic Indian Restaurant. Witness the rich décor and the sari’d Indian waitresses in attendance.
A new menu is soon to be announced with more exciting and authentic Indian fish dishes. Also there will be tables outside the front of the restaurant under a bright, brand-new canopy. In addition Aziz has secured parking facilities for diners opposite the restaurant.
This restaurant is a must for lovers of food be it hot ,spicy, mild, lamb, chicken or veggie. Be adventurous and share, to get the best and test the range of what is available. You won’t be disappointed.
