Richmond’s ‘curry triangle’ is close to an isosceles in shape: two restaurants virtually next door to each other on the main road and another across the way and a bit further up the hill. Of the three, the Taj Mahal is the more ‘traditional’. It’s nothing too fancy, with the kind of basic menu you want after a few pints on a Friday or Saturday night – which, it seems, is when most of their business is done.
Having been here for more than 50 years, it was spruced up a few years ago, and now boasts dark wood floors and tables, which suit evenings better than daytimes. The baltis were slightly more bitter than you might be used to (but you’re warned beforehand), and there’s a good heat to most of the dishes as advertised. Of the rices, the only blip was the keem, which had an oddly stale taste, but other sides were freshly cooked and plentiful. As they are always willing to point out, they’ve been here long enough now to know what the masses want – and the masses seem to agree.