TAJ MAHAL: WHEN YOU CRAVE GOOD INDIAN FOOD

The name Taj Mahal is universally associated with the stunning beauty of the white mausoleum in Agra and its tragic story. In Sofia, Taj Mahal means that, and more: it is the name of one of the best places in the city for delicious Indian food. Located in a central street, Taj Mahal takes Indian food seriously. The restaurant is aware of the pitfalls when offering exotic food far from its place of origin – from the need of proper ingredients to trained cooks to finding the balance between authenticity and local palates and avoiding adapting the recipes beyond recognition. The result is a rich and diverse menu of classics and less known options prepared by dedicated chefs from India and Nepal.

The person responsible for Taj Mahal's success is the owner and manager Martin Mazhdrakov. A man of broad interests and a passionate traveller, he established the restaurant 21 years ago. He talked to us to share more about how Taj Mahal became what it is today.

Taj Mahal is an institution on Sofia's culinary map. How do you manage to keep your reputation as one of the best Indian food restaurants in the country? 

Thank you for your opinion, I have never had the confidence to describe Taj Mahal with such words. What we actually did throughout all these years was to take care to provide quality service and to make our clients happy with our food.

How do you select your staff?

I am happy to share that there is hardly any turnover in Taj Mahal’s kitchen. Currently, there work two professional chefs from Nepal and three from India. Our head chef, Chandra Kandel, has worked at the restaurant for 20 years. Taj Mahal itself celebrated its 21st anniversary in the summer of 2023.

We selected our chefs with the help of professional agencies in India that partner with large international hotel chains. I personally visited India many times to select the chefs together with them.

How do you supply the more exotic ingredients that you need for the dishes?

The exotic ingredients in the restaurant are our spices. We have always organised the deliveries from India or Europe by ourselves or through trusted partners. When we were starting, 21 years ago, achieving this was hard and we experienced many challenges, but we always dealt with these successfully.

What are the most ordered dishes from Taj Mahal's menu?

Chicken tikka masala, butter naan bread, chicken biryani, paneer butter masala, yellow dal and batter chicken. However, our menu is extensive and our clients like and order everything in it.

What inspired you to become an Indian restaurant manager in the first place?

It all happened as in a joke 21 years ago. I was a fresh graduate with a Master's degree in informational technologies and I was looking for a job. And then, together with two friends, we decided to open an Indian restaurant because there was nothing of quality in this respect on the Bulgarian market. We had exactly zero experience. In the beginning, when we were establishing and managing the restaurant, we made all the mistakes that we could make. We even repeated some of them, in order to learn our lessons better. 

About ten years ago I became the restaurant's sole owner and, I must say, this had a positive effect on it. 

By profession, I have a Master's degree in engineering with experience in information technologies. The restaurant was my hobby that evolved into a successful business and a service that the clients love. I am happy that my and my team's efforts were for a reason.

As a passionate traveller, what other culinary traditions that you have tasted around the world would you like to see in Bulgaria?

I will not exaggerate if I call myself a traveller – I have been to 95 countries and have visited many of them multiple times. My passion is travelling and exploring and learning more about foreign places and cultures.

When I am in Bulgaria I am focused on my work and do not have time to dine in restaurants, but I know that there are some quality exotic restaurants. I personally love authentic Chinese, Thai, Indian and Indonesian food, but I also like other cuisines. I would be really glad if there is a truly good, top level Chinese restaurant in Sofia. If there is such a place and I am not aware of its existence – my apologies.

Sofia, 11 Eleventh August St

bookings: 0876 600 776

tajmahal.bg@gmail.com

tajmahal.bg