Aberdeen is now home to a new Indian restaurant as Maharaj has opened its doors.
Located on 460 Union Street – two doors up from Café Society – it took three years to transform the space which has a capacity of 60.
The renovation project was run by Luxous director Allan Smith, a “dear friend” of local businessman and Maharaj Indian Restaurant’s consultant chef Syed Abdul Hamid.
The restaurant boasts eight members of staff. A number of them were previously employed by Ballater’s India on the Green.
Maharaj welcomed its first customers last week and is open from 4.30pm to 11pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Diners can expect a fairytale experience at Maharaj Indian Restaurant in Aberdeen
“The interior displays the colours of the many states within India,” says Syed, who is also known as Raj and has worked in the food industry since 1991.
The 50-year-old has won many chef and restaurant accolades both locally and nationally over the years.
“The booth seating is done very thoughtfully [with a] design sourced from the time of the Mughal era. Each one is named after each state in India and is designed with each state’s colours.
Maharaj is mainly designed for couples and tables of four due to the booths providing “more of a secluded, romantic dining experience”.
Syed, from Stonehaven, adds: “Maharaj is mainly designed to give diners a fairytale experience.”
Investors delighted to see restaurant ‘come to life’ after years of hard work
The Union Street premises came up for lease prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
A chef working with Syed at the time, along with a few of his friends, asked if he could help them work on the restaurant which became known as Maharaj.
Syed said: “Once the work took place and Covid came, some of them left and during that time my father became ill. I had to go in and out to Bangladesh and the work ceased to finish.
“Later, my father passed away and the building was bought by my cousin Noor Ahmed [Light of Bengal owner] and my dear friend Sadek Miah [the owner of Inverurie’s Rajpoot Indian Restaurant].
“After so much investment in the property, the owners were so kind. They said although everyone in the project had left after spending so much money that I should continue to open and see it come to life.”
What’s on the menu at new Aberdeen restaurant Maharaj?
At Maharaj Indian Restaurant, customers can expect (some) dishes featuring locally sourced produce such as fish supplied by J Charles, plus meats and vegetables.
The menu will change seasonally to provide “the best flavours possible.”
Starters include seared scallops (£11.95), smoky lamb chops (£8.95), chicken or lamb sesame kebabs (£7.95), and meat or vegetable papdi chaat (£6.95).
You can sit in or opt for takeaway.
“The menu for me has always been different from other restaurants,” adds Syed.
“I don’t cook curries from one basic gravy because of my passion towards cooking all my dishes are cooked from scratch and contains different individual flavours.
“I would encourage customers to try any of the signature dishes such as the Garden 21, which is fused with 21 different herbs.”
Afghan chicken shish (£17.97), braised lamb shank (£17.95) and smoky laal maas (£17.95) are among the other signature dishes available.
There are also desserts, including Asian pan fried banana, coconut essence and cheesecake of the day – all priced at £6.95 – and ice cream (£4.50).
“Our Maharaj slogan ‘where love meets spice’ aims to represent this feeling [a new twist to the long-known Indian cuisine] as it gives diners a bold experience in which they are transported to the romantic ambience, colours, style and feeling of India.
“This is my last venture that I will be associated with before I retire, therefore I have decided to experiment and aim to achieve high goals.
“I’m looking forward to giving the customers an unforgettable experience of destination dining.”
A look inside Maharaj Indian Restaurant
For more information or to make a booking, email info@maharajaberdeen.co.uk or call 01224 675021. Alternatively, visit the business’ website.
The opening of Maharaj means another formerly vacant unit at the top end of Union Street is now occupied.
You can track the empty or occupied units in Aberdeen’s city centre here.
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