Out of Town: BAUJI, Worthing
Opened in April 2026 on a smart residential road just off Worthing’s seafront and a short stroll from the town centre, BAUJI is the second contemporary Indian restaurant from chef Dayashankar Sharma, who also owns Heritage in Dulwich. Born in Rajasthan, Sharma trained at both the Oberoi and Taj hotel groups in India (the equivalent of an apprenticeship at The Savoy or The Ritz) before moving to London to head up the kitchens of Tamarind and Zaika. In her review of Heritage, Grace Dent called Sharma’s food unmissable and described the signature shatkora jhinga as ‘wondrous, bulbous, heavenly super-shrimp’.
I got to sample the shatkora jhinga during a media dinner in the restaurant’s private dining room earlier this week. It was indeed wondrous and bulbous, marinated in the ‘rare’ Bangladeshi citrus fruit shatkora and then grilled. It was great, but to be honest, it wasn’t even the best prawn I ate that night. Kasundi prawns, equally as plump, came in an addictively spicy mustard sauce which I greedily mopped up with the outstandingly good coriander and garlic naan. The rich and creamy dal makhni, cooked overnight, put me in mind of the version I ate at the legendary New Delhi restaurant Bukhara.
The meal (see the full list of dishes below) covered nearly every part of the menu, including small plates, grills, curries, bread and rice, and sides. Everything hit the mark, even the popodoms, flavoured with red and green chilli and cumin and served with a selection of chutneys, were terrific. However, I wasn’t as convinced by the combo of warm avocado, tomato salsa, spiced cream cheese and strips of venison, or the cranberry paneer kofta. But I loved everything else so much that I’m going back next week for the biryani, the one menu category we didn’t get to try.
BAUJI Media dinner 8 April menu
Popodoms with Chutney
Kale and Spinach Chaat
Tandoori Avocado and Venison
Grills:
Lamb chops
Shatkora Jhinga
Mains:
Lal Mass (slow-cooked Rajasthan-style lamb curry)
Kasundi Prawns (West Bengal-style kasundi mustard gravy)
Cranberry Paneer Kofta
Served with:
Bauji Dal Makhani
Rices and Bread Basket
The details
BAUJI
67 Rowlands Road, Worthing BN11 3JN
bauji.co.uk; 01903 962 911
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