The Royal Raj

The Royal Raj is the long-established Indian restaurant on the Park Farm shopping parade in Allestree, the leafy north-west suburb of Derby. The business carries more than two decades of trading in this corner of the city — it began as The Raj on Kedleston Road before relocating to Park Farm Centre, where it has settled as one of the area's reliable sit-down curry houses with a strong takeaway trade alongside.

The menu draws on traditional Mughal cooking with a Bengali-British curry-house overlay. Reviewers regularly single out the Chicken Hyderabadi, the Murgh Malai Tikka starter and the Samundri Khazana seafood platter; vindaloos and madras dishes hold their fire for those who want it, and the saag paneer and keema pilau are reliable side picks. Garlic naans come straight from the tandoor and the poppadoms and pickle tray are a good marker of the kitchen's baseline.

The dining room is mid-sized, used for family dinners and small celebrations, with table service rather than the buffet-and-go feel of the city-centre Bombay-style places. Takeaway and delivery cover Allestree, Quarndon and the Park Farm catchment, and there's straightforward parking on the centre forecourt.