Prithvi - Cheltenham

We absolutely love Prithvi. It's a smart, chic but understated little Indian inspired restaurant. The food is exceptional but most of all it's the staff who make it really special. Especially Jay. Probably the best host ever, Jay and the team always spoil us and it always feels like such a treat to be there! I listened to them speaking with the other guests last night and they always try to remember something about each guest, making recommendations and drink suggestions. It's just so lovely and I would highly recommend to all my friends 10/10

Absolutely exquisite, surpasses most of the Michelin starred restaurants we’ve been to. Our new fave. We shall be going again. And again.

I went there on 13th Dec and the food and service was impeccable. I had the tasting menu with tasting wines and every part of the meal was fabulous. I would highly recommend the restaurant.

Our prior visit to Cheltenham back in March took us to 2 Michelin star restaurant Le Champignon Sauvage. After lunch we wandered into town along the Bath Road and stumbled across a wall plaque which read ‘Brian Jones lived here for a time in 1962 before later moving to London to form The Rolling Stones’. As Mr R and I were reading we realised the building was currently occupied by a restaurant. The menu sounded mouth watering and hinted at being French- Indian fine dining cuisine. This was definitely not a traditional ‘curry house’. When we got back home and made some enquiries to get a reservation they were booked up for weeks in advance for dinner. A few days later and by coincidence a colleague asked me if I’d eaten there, he had lunch booked in May with his son visiting from new York. The feedback from him was that ‘the food is exquisite’ and he urged me to go. Prithvi is clearly a very popular restaurant and probably one I should have heard of before now. Since opening in 2012 the restaurant has received some fantastic press, more recently in particular. During national curry week in 2015 The Sun newspaper named Prithvi the best ‘curry house’ in the UK. The following year The Telegraph’s article listing ‘Britain’s top 20 curry restaurants’, included Prithvi among the very best. The feature went on to mention an interesting fact that there are more than 12,000 curry houses in the UK. This does give quite some perspective, although defining Prithvi to be a curry house is certainly questionable. Even more impressive though is that the fine dining restaurant, now in its 5th year has continued to hold onto its 5 star rating on TripAdvisor. Prithvi Restaurant has an Open Table reservations option on their website. Open Table named Prithvi their #1 ‘Fit for Foodies’ restaurant in 2016). We hadn’t attempted to book for a couple of months, until Mr R decided to have a look on the off chance and managed to secure a table for the 2 of us on a Thursday evening. Subsequently Prithvi came up in conversation yet again, this time with 2 local chefs who asked if I’d been. Their tip was that although you would never usually order dessert in an Indian restaurant, at Prithvi you really should. There is a car park situated directly opposite, lucky for us as it had been raining when we got there. The facade of the building is quite unassuming although somehow added to the charm. Stepping through the front door and immediately into the bar area, we were greeted by Jay Rahman, Director at Prithvi and taken by him straight to our table. An aperitifs menu was handed to us listing a selection of interesting gin cocktails, including a non alcoholic option Mr R took one of those as he was designated driver). Champagne was also available on the other side for the non gin drinkers or indeed for those celebrating. Whilst sipping on our drinks mine an alcoholic Ferdinand’s Saar dry gin from Germany; mixed with aromas of pine and juniper, pungent lavender, lemongrass, lemon meringue, vanilla and coriander) Mr R and I sat eagerly awaiting what was to follow. Jay Rahman came back presenting us with the dinner menu which offered the choice of a 5 course tasting menu £48 pp) or the al a carte menu on the opposite page. From the al a carte we opted for scallops and king prawns to start followed by the lamb and cod. Shortly after ordering we were given an amuse bouche presented in a small glass jar with a teaspoon. Inside was a refreshing mix of coriander, pomegranate and chilli complimented with a sort of bahji in the middle and topped with a mint and yoghurt dressing. It made us think ‘papadums’, which were exactly what came out next. There were 3 triangular, perfectly crispy papadums accompanied by a beetroot and horseradish relish and a creamy mint and yoghurt dip. Now they were really spoiling us as yet another pre dinner taster was brought out. This time we received 2 round pastry balls which our waiter told us to eat in one go. We bit into the light, thin pastry. a surprising explosion of intense yet delightful flavours instantly burst to awaken our taste buds. One of the things we loved was that the chef hadn’t been afraid to use chilli so they left behind a pleasant and fragrant heat in our mouths.

We waited three months to visit this restaurant, driving all the way from Birmingham to experience the amazing food with a unique twist. The Prithvi tour is definitely a must-do. The service provided by Jay and his team is exceptional, making the wait worth it. I would highly recommend this place!