Namaste Village is a friendly Indian restaurant located just off New Road that serves authentic Gujarati food. Their food is all meat-free (so suitable for vegetarians), and a significant number of menu options are also vegan. However, meat eaters shouldn’t feel put off by this, with dishes such as their vegan lamb labbadar tasting no different from its meaty counterpart. Throughout the year, they offer special meals to celebrate both Western festivals – most recently including Valentine’s Day – as well as traditional Indian celebrations. They’re very active in the local Oxford community through their ‘Dosa on the Wall’ initiative. This is where customers can donate £5, which will be matched by the restaurant to make up the cost of a meal, in order to help feed those who may otherwise go hungry. People in need can go to the restaurant and claim a meal, no judgement, no questions asked.
Keen to expand their offering to students, Namaste Village currently offer – alongside their already affordable menu – a generous 25% student discount, the terms for which are available on their website. They’re also willing to cater for student events, so do consider them the next time you’re planning a function. Considering all this, they’re a great choice for students on a budget looking to get more bang for their buck.
Two weeks ago, The Oxford Blue was invited to come and sample and review their food. Coming from a Gujarati family myself, and having grown up on meals like this, I was incredibly excited to sample their menu. We began with starters, beetroot kebabs and masala puri, both of which were really tasty. As our main courses, we chose the gobi manchurian and the lamb labbadar. Gobi manchurian is a personal favourite of mine. For the uninitiated, it’s deep-fried cauliflower in an exquisite, tangy sauce, and it surpassed my already very high expectations. The lamb dish – entirely vegan, of course – was mixed in with cashew nuts, tomatoes and spices, something I’d not had before but really enjoyed. Alongside this, we had a garlic butter naan and a biriyani rice that was very flavoursome, making it a good pick even for someone like me who’s not usually the biggest fan of rice. To finish up, we got to eat one of their lovely masala dosa – a long pancake with a filling of spiced potato mash. For drinks, I had the Strawberry Pomegranate Mojito Mocktail. I had no idea what to expect, having never drunk an alcoholic drink (or a non-alcoholic substitute) before, but it was punchy and flavoursome. We were also given the chance to sample the Mango Lassi, an Indian yoghurt smoothie.
Image by Dhillon Lalji, used with permission.
The restaurant’s staff are incredibly friendly, and were very useful in helping accommodate any dietary requirements we had, making sure that, as one of our team was vegan, we knew what all the best vegan options were. If you’re new to Gujarati food, you’ll also find the team helpful, as they’re able to recommend dishes you’ll like based on spice tolerance and any experience of previously eating similar food.
If all of this sounds interesting and you’d like to try the food yourself, make sure to go to Namaste Village to make use of the student discount and sample some amazing authentic Gujarati food! Namaste Village is open six days a week and is next to The Oxford Castle.
Note: This is sponsored content for which The Oxford Blue has received a fee.