Cam Spice has been on my list of Indian restaurants to try so I’m happy we finally had the chance to visit. It’s located in Great Eversden, Cambridgeshire in a pub named The Hoops and it has retained its charm despite the refurbishment. The big car park is a bonus.

The restaurant makes great use of the space with a cosy bar that’s popular with the locals, an area with additional seating amid the exposed beams as well as round tables ideal for groups behind the impressive bubble water wall.

Paulo and I were warmly welcomed by Baba and given a table in a little nook by the window – very charming! Baba was very helpful and helped us decide what to order, as the menu was so tantalising it was hard to choose. He was the perfect person for a foodie like me to talk to as he is a chef himself and he took the time to understand our tastes and preferences. I liked the fact that the kitchen was flexible enough to adjust any of the dishes – in my case less spicy and for Paulo, kicking the chilli level up a few notches.

We started off with drinks – a glass of white wine for me and a Cobra beer for Paulo. A stack of crispy, thin popadoms came with a tray of mango chutney, red sauce, mixed pickle and onion salad, all freshly made on site.

Paulo ordered the onion bhaji as his starter – well, he ordered it twice by mistake as he misunderstood the menu. He thought he was getting two onion bhajis, not two servings of 4 bhajis each. Baba did try to explain but I think it was a case of eyes bigger than the stomach as Paulo was really craving some good onion bhajis. No harm done as they were some of the best we’ve tasted. They were light, not greasy and full of flavour. I had no problem helping Paulo finish the portions!

My starter, the aloo chaat, featured fragrant potatoes and spices enveloped in flatbread. Very much enjoyed with the side of tamarind chutney.

We chose a tawa dish as our main course – lamb for me and the chicken/lamb combo for Paulo, both with our respective spice levels adjusted. These dishes had a real wow factor. The tawa – a thin frying pan used to serve the food sizzling hot – was a feast for the eyes and the aroma was incredible.

The sauce was cooked with shallots, peppers and onions and serving it on the tawa made it thick, rich and flavourful. We happily mopped it all up with their fluffy, chewy naan, served in baskets so they didn’t get soggy.

We also shared a portion of pilau rice that soaked up the sauce and complemented the lamb and chicken.

Dessert included an Irish Coffee for Paulo and a gulab jamun for me. This sweet doughnut dipped in golden syrup was served with mango kulfi in its traditional cone shape. The kulfi was a wonderful combination of flavours and textures as kulfi is creamier and more dense than ice cream.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at Cam Spice and are looking forward to trying more dishes. Service by the whole team was attentive and we were made to feel welcome and valued. This was fantastic food in a lovely setting. Hospitality at its finest!

I was invited for a complimentary dinner for two. I did not receive compensation for my review. All views are my own.

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