15 Jul 2025
Matt Adams questions whether 15 years is the longest gap between reviews of the same restaurant after visiting the Harpenden eatery…
It’s a decade and a half since my first local restaurant review, and the menus here still bear witness to this deed with my rather grandiose proclamation that “the search for Harpenden’s best Indian restaurant begins and ends at Cinnamon” – but does this testimony still hold true?
Nestled away in Thompsons Close behind the High Street, the (yes everybody uses the definite article) Cinnamon used to enjoy close proximity to long-vanished spa and gym Breathing Space, but this has now sadly been converted to flats, meaning it’s somewhat out on a limb in the town.
It’s fair to say that if you don’t know it’s there, there are no signs to steer you down that particular side street, and something is definitely needed to draw diners from the main shopping area to see what they’re missing out on.
It’s also deceptively big, with a small frontage opening TARDIS-like into a huge restaurant area which seats just under 70 covers, with a very traditional ambiance of Asian music and mood lighting, and would make the perfect venue for a big family occasion…
There’s one thing which certainly hasn’t changed about the Cinnamon over the years, and that’s the high quality of the food. It has built its reputation on generous servings of exceptional Indian cuisine which ultimately never disappoints when it comes to taste.
After an appetiser of papadams, I opted for an old favourite, Crocodile Tears, succulent pieces of chicken breast matured in a rich spicy marinade of dill, fennel, black pepper, honey and a trace of mustard oil, roasted in a tandoor oven with shallots and bell peppers, served with a sauce of pineapple and baby cucumber.
Sweet, hot and flavoursome, it’s no surprise why this dish is one of the highlights of the menu. It could so easily be lost in a barrage of ingredients, but instead offers a perfect balance of flavours which leave you wanting more.
My partner chose the ponir (paneer cheese) tikka on puri, served with thin bread. The cheese was crispy with a delicious tandoori flavour, but needed a touch of sauce, so she used the dips from our papadams to avoid it being too dry. Not a major criticism, but worth bearing in mind.
There’s a well known risk of over-ordering in Indian restaurants, but even though we resolved to share our side dishes when it came to the mains, it still proved a challenge working through the ample portion sizes. You won’t leave hungry, that’s for certain.
For my main, I opted for another chicken dish, the shahi rezella, prepared with yoghurt, butter, onion, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, bullet green chilli, jafran and rose water, served in a thick sauce.
There was nothing to cry about when it came to my partner’s choice, the Weeping Tiger consisted of whole tiger prawns cooked in a pan and coated with a sauce which she said was to die for – slowly released aromatic flavours which came together in a fusion of taste.
Tropical Bangladeshi pumpkin doesn’t feature on many menus, so was an interesting pick for a side dish, which we had alongside courgette bhaji and some pilau rice, all of which provided subtle accompaniments which did not overpower the mains.
Other Indian restaurants may have come and gone in Harpenden – who remembers Café Jeera in Station Road or Rice and Spice in Southdown? – but the Cinnamon is still holding onto its crown as the king of them all, and we were glad to be back.
If there’s anything missing from the restaurant’s offering it’s probably an out-reach team to create more of a presence in the local community.
It would be great to see them cooking at Harpenden farmers’ market, or serving lunchtime wraps to students from nearby St George’s or people working from home, as this will only encourage evening trade.
Appealing to Harpenden’s early evening family crowd is also recommended, perhaps with some child-friendly dishes to encourage them to dip their toes into the cuisine? Although there’s a budget-friendly buffet served Mondays to Wednesdays, most mums and dads will confirm that you simply can’t parent adequately after that amount of food, so more tapas-style dishes might be a better option.
It’s fair to say that once you’ve sampled what they’re serving at the Cinnamon, you’re unlikely to visit any other local Indian restaurant, but it’s getting those feet through the door in today’s post-pandemic environment which is key to ensuring it’s still here in another 15 years, so please give it a try…
