Calcutta Port Dover Review: Chicken Handi, Goan Seafood and a Menu That Travels Far Beyond India
Calcutta Port sits on Dover High Street, but the menu travels much farther than its name suggests. Indian cooking provides the backbone, particularly dishes tied to Calcutta, Delhi, Goa and the tandoor, yet Thai curries, Balinese duck, Malaysian fish and Chinese-style squid appear alongside them.
That breadth could easily become chaotic. The restaurant is most convincing when the order stays close to its Indian core and uses the wider Asian dishes selectively rather than treating the menu as a passport challenge.
The strongest route begins with the tandoor, moves into Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi or seafood from the Goan section, and leaves the milder classics as supporting choices for the table.
Onion Bhaji and Tikka Are the Right Starting Point
The onion bhaji costs £4.95, while chicken or lamb tikka starts at £5.95.
Bhaji provides the crisp, savoury opening you want before richer sauces arrive. Onion sweetness develops inside the fried gram-flour coating, while the exterior needs enough crunch to survive the first few minutes at the table.
Tikka moves in a completely different direction.
Boneless chicken or lamb is marinated with spices and cooked in the tandoor, giving the meat char, smoke and a drier intensity than anything simmered in sauce.
Sharing one fried starter and one tandoori starter creates a much better opening than ordering several versions of the same thing.
Murgh Malai Tikka Shows the Softer Side of the Tandoor
The Murgh Malai Tikka, at £6.50, is gentler.
Chicken is marinated with yoghurt, cheese, cardamom and spices before cooking in the clay oven. The result is less fiery and more aromatic than a conventional tikka.
Cardamom matters here.
Its floral, almost citrusy character keeps the dairy-rich marinade from becoming flat, while the tandoor adds the char that the softer seasoning needs.
This is the starter to choose when the main course is going to be hot.
Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi Is the Dish to Order First
The Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi costs £11.95 and is the most obvious expression of the restaurant’s name.
Chicken on the bone is slow-cooked with Indian herbs and spices and served with boiled egg.
The bone matters because it gives the sauce more depth and keeps the meat juicier during longer cooking. The egg then absorbs the masala and turns what could have been a straightforward curry into something more substantial.
This is not a polished, delicate dish.
It is warmer, deeper and more domestic in spirit, and that is exactly why it stands out.
Lamb Pepper Masala Has More Edge
The Lamb Pepper Masala, at £12.95, is built around cracked black pepper and cream.
Pepper gives this dish a different kind of heat from chilli.
Instead of arriving sharply at the front of the palate, it builds gradually and brings a dry aromatic intensity that suits lamb particularly well.
Cream softens the edges but should never erase the pepper.
For diners who want something richer than handi but less aggressively chilli-driven than vindaloo, this is the better choice.
Garlic Chilli Chicken Is the More Direct Hit
The Garlic Chilli Chicken costs £11.95 and combines chicken with fresh garlic, onion and green chilli.
There is little ambiguity here.
Garlic gives weight, onion provides sweetness and green chilli delivers brightness rather than the darker heat of dried chilli.
The dish is assertive but straightforward, and it pairs especially well with plain rice or naan because the sauce already carries enough personality.
Seafood Goan Curry Is the Best Reason to Leave the Meat Section
The Sea Food Goan Curry costs £14.95.
Goan cooking naturally suits seafood because coconut, chilli and spice can amplify shellfish without burying its sweetness.
The sauce is creamy, aromatic and substantial, but the crucial element is balance. Coconut needs enough acidity and chilli to stop the curry feeling heavy halfway through the bowl.
This is one of the strongest orders on the menu for anyone who wants something distinct from the familiar chicken-and-lamb rotation.
Bombay Fish Masala Is Sharper and Less Creamy
The Bombay Fish Masala, at £13.95, goes in another direction.
Fish is pan-fried with diced tomato, tamarind and fennel seeds.
Tamarind gives the dish its backbone, bringing a sour, fruity acidity that cuts naturally through fish. Fennel adds sweetness and aniseed lift, while tomato provides body without the richness of coconut or cream.
Placed beside the Goan curry, it makes a useful contrast: one rounded and creamy, the other sharper and more angular.
Nehari Lamb Brings Delhi into the Picture
The Nehari Lamb costs £12.95.
This is a deeper, more robust preparation built around ginger, garlic, lemon and spices. The citrus is important because lamb and long-cooked sauces can become heavy without something to lift them.
Nehari belongs to the slower, darker side of South Asian cooking.
It works best with rice or naan and does not need another rich starter before it.
The Dum Biryani Section Deserves More Attention
The Chicken Dum Biryani costs £11.95, while Lamb Dum Biryani and Chicken Tikka Dum Biryani are £12.95.
Biryani changes the architecture of the meal completely.
Rather than sauce and rice arriving separately, the rice absorbs spice, meat juices and aromatics during cooking, creating a more integrated dish.
The best biryani has contrast within the grain itself: some rice remains light and fragrant, other parts darker with spice and cooking juices.
Chicken is the gentler version; lamb naturally gives the dish more depth.
Tandoori Mix Grill Is the Table’s Big Sharing Move
The Tandoori Mix Grill costs £15.95.
This is the order for diners who want smoke rather than sauce.
Several meats from the tandoor arrive together, giving a broader picture of marinades, char and texture. It also provides a welcome break if the table has already ordered two or three curries.
A mixed grill, one handi and one vegetable dish make a far more balanced dinner than four heavy sauces fighting for attention.
Vegetarian Cooking Has Proper Range
The vegetarian section is not limited to one paneer curry.
Palak paneer, channa masala, aloo gobi, aubergine bhuna, tarka daal and saag aloo cover several different textures and levels of richness.
Tarka daal is particularly valuable at a mixed table because lentils, turmeric, garlic and cumin provide warmth without overwhelming the palate.
Aubergine bhuna brings more body, while palak paneer adds the richer combination of spinach and cottage cheese.
These dishes should be treated as part of the meal, not as backup options.
Pairings
Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi: Kingfisher Premium Lager — crisp carbonation keeps the slow-cooked masala lively.
Sea Food Goan Curry: Kurtatsch Müller-Thurgau — aromatic and fresh enough for coconut, spice and shellfish.
Lamb Pepper Masala: M. Chapoutier Belleruche Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge — peppery fruit and moderate structure suit lamb and black pepper.
Rice and Bread Matter More Than They Look
With a menu this sauce-driven, rice and bread are not side notes.
Pilau rice is the better choice for aromatic dishes, while plain rice makes more sense when the curry itself is already complex.
Naan provides softness and char from the tandoor, and its value becomes obvious near the end of the meal when the plate still holds sauce but the meat has disappeared.
Butter naan belongs with the hotter dishes.
Plain naan is better when cream or coconut already dominate.
Set Menus Keep the Bill Under Control
The restaurant also offers compact set menus.
A set menu for one costs £13.95, combining onion bhaji, papadum and chutney with one classic Indian dish plus pilau rice or naan.
The set menu for two costs £26.95 and includes onion bhaji, chicken tikka, two papadums, chutneys, two classic Indian dishes, pilau rice and butter naan.
These are particularly attractive when you want a straightforward dinner without navigating the full menu.
Service, Atmosphere and Prices
Calcutta Port is casual and built around generous portions rather than formal pacing.
The menu is broad, but dinner works best when the table stays disciplined: one or two starters, two contrasting mains, rice, naan and perhaps one vegetable dish.
Prices remain moderate. Signature mains mostly sit between £11.95 and £14.95, classic curries around £8.95, dum biryanis around £11.95–£12.95, and the tandoori mixed grill at £15.95.
A dinner of onion bhaji (£4.95), Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi (£11.95) and rice or naan stays comfortably below £25 before drinks.
For two people, ordering one handi, one seafood curry, rice, naan and a starter to share gives a much better picture of the kitchen than choosing two nearly identical classic curries.
Useful Information
- Address: 24 High Street, Dover, Kent CT16 1DR
- Cuisine: Indian and broader Asian cooking
- Signature dishes: Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi, Lamb Pepper Masala, Seafood Goan Curry and Bombay Fish Masala
- Onion bhaji: £4.95
- Murgh Malai Tikka: £6.50
- Calcutta Traditional Chicken Handi: £11.95
- Lamb Pepper Masala: £12.95
- Sea Food Goan Curry: £14.95
- Bombay Fish Masala: £13.95
- Chicken Dum Biryani: £11.95
- Tandoori Mix Grill: £15.95
- Classic curries: Around £8.95
- Set menu for one: £13.95
- Set menu for two: £26.95
- Vegetarian and vegan choices: Available
- Takeaway and delivery: Available
- Telephone: +44 1304 449090
- Best for: Curry, biryani, tandoori dishes and an informal dinner in central Dover
Our Rating of Calcutta Port
Food: 8.8/10
The restaurant is strongest when Indian dishes lead and the wider Asian menu remains secondary.
Starters: 8.7/10
Bhaji, tikka and malai preparations provide enough contrast without overcomplicating the opening.
Signature Curries: 9/10
Chicken Handi and Lamb Pepper Masala show more personality than the generic classics.
Seafood: 9/10
Goan Curry and Bombay Fish Masala are two of the most distinctive dishes on the menu.
Biryani: 8.8/10
Generous, aromatic and better treated as a complete main course than a side.
Tandoor: 8.9/10
The mixed grill brings welcome smoke and dryness beside the richer curries.
Vegetarian Cooking: 8.8/10
Daal, paneer, chickpeas and aubergine give the section genuine breadth.
Service: 8.6/10
Relaxed and suited to a restaurant built around sharing several dishes.
Atmosphere: 8.5/10
Straightforward rather than theatrical, with the food doing most of the work.
Value for Money: 9.2/10
Signature curries mostly below £15 and strong-value set menus keep dinner accessible.
Overall Rating: 8.9/10
