The Aziz is, all things considered, the best quality of Indian food available on the Cowley Road. And considering the quality of the competition, this is no small feat. Multiple Award winning and successful enough as a brand to have a beautiful Sister-Restaurant by the River up the other end of town, it's reputation is well-deserved.
There are a number of factors that contribute to my love of their food, the most important one being the distinctiveness of each dish. At the majority of curry houses down the Cowley Road, each place that I've been to tends toward the Anglicised end of the curry spectrum - that is, heavy and rich sauces, generally very sweet and lacking in complexity of flavour (Note the difference between spice and heat!). An anglicised curry is by no means a bad thing, but for someone that grew up eating curry in Southall (Which is essentially home-cooked Indian food) the standard touristy curry-house fare is notably less exciting. The Aziz strikes me as the kind of food quite reminiscent of the more authentic curries - although it combines Anglicisation in a way that complements subtlty of flavour rather than diminishing it to a bland stodge of what's ultimately sweet yoghurt with incidental bits of meat or vegetable in it.
In more specific terms, the variety on offer in the menu is particularly impressive - with a wide range of house specialties and more traditional dishes as well as some excellent vegetarian options. In particular, the Kaliyah Murgh is a favourite of mine - and they can do a decent Keema Naan, which is always a major plus. One thing which is especially noteworthy is their excellent selection of desserts - both Indian and English. Given the scarcity of Indian sweets down the Cowley road, finding a full menu of them was something of a delight (Although I can't speak for their quality, not yet having had the time or money to try them!).
The decour manages to be rich without having the cheap, faux-luxury of a generic curry house. There are all the usual hallmarks - opulent-looking furniature, the odd 'exotic' plant, Indian pictures, ceiling fans and the rest, but it all manages to all come together to present a very fancy interior without straying over into being either cheesy or pretentious.
This all said, however, the service is where the Aziz can fall down. I say can, because it's variable. The staff are very polite, but can often be slow to take orders or notice if you need to ask something of them. In one instance, I was with my fiance and wanting the desert menu, but it took the best part of 20 minutes to get a waiter to bring one over, despite having asked several times. Likewise, the bill took a fair time to come. However, it really does depend on when you're there. On a busy evening, the staff are generally more stressed and things can get done (quite considerably) less quickly if you're unlucky. If you pop in for lunch or a take-away however, things are remarkably better.
On occasion as well, the odd thing will go wrong in the kitchen - a Tarka Daal we once ordered was a little burnt in some places, but was still extremely pleasant otherwise.
As for prices, it's a little more expensive than some places (the Kashmir, Dil Dunia and Majliss spring to mind) but only by a few pounds per head. A typical curry is £7-9, a starter £4, and breads / rice £2-3. The extra money is more than worth it for the comparative increase in quality, however! That said, if you're feeling a pinch on your purse strings, then there's a 15% discount on take-away - and Kebabish is just down the road (They have a Tandoor. In which they cook enormous fresh naan-breads. Which are about £1.20 each.). Ideally, order food at the Aziz, nip to Kebabish and grab some breads, then go back and pick-up your food. You can easily get enough food for an evening for about £6-£8 a head.
The Aziz is far from perfect. The hit-or-miss aspect of going will put some off and if you're in a hurry, the service can frustrate on a bad evening. But, on balance, the quality of the food remains sufficiently good to far outweigh and potential negatives. All in all, it remains solidly the best curry in Oxford by no small gap. read more
