Prithvi: The Bath Road Gem

It was The Chap's birthday last week; given the freedom to choose whatever and wherever he wanted to eat - my treat - he predictably chose Indian. You could probably put the most expensive cut of steak in front of him, but next to a plate of curry, he'd always go for curry.. I've given up.

Anyway, we'd been desperate to try out 'Cheltenham's Number 1 Restaurant' (on Tripadvisor) for ages, Prithvi on Bath Road, and as luck would have it, it's Indian cuisine. Two birds, one stone. I'd heard it was pretty tricky to get a table on a weekend, so having an excuse to go out mid week for dinner, because of a birthday, worked out perfectly. What with it being race week, Cheltenham was heaving, and as flocks of people were making their way through town, we quickly darted over the road into Prithvi. The serene environment, with murmurs of people eating and relaxing after a lengthy day at the racecourse, was a far cry from what was occurring on the other side of the door.

The restaurant, just 2 years old, prides itself on being 'all about the detail', offering a sophisticated approach to dining Indian, and upon entering, you immediately get these vibes. Decor is minimal, no ghastly gold printed, tacky/ornate stuff hanging on every inch of the walls (those things have their rightful place in many other Indians, just not here); tables are well spaced out, so even though it's a small restaurant, you don't feel as though you're on top of anyone; it's low lighting, very moody, and the wine glasses are a decent size - hooray! It's probably my biggest pet hate when going out to eat/drink; small, stubby glasses, with thick stems, are just horrible to drink out of. End of.

We went for the tour of Prithvi, a five course tasting menu of a selection of their favourite dishes, which at £39 per person, was such a good deal; in reality, with all the little in between nibbles, it was more like a 9/10 course dinner. To go with it, we chose a bottle of Viognier, which our waitress said was the perfect match; fragrant foods with lots of spice generally go best with white wines, and it's best to avoid ones which are very sharp and acidic. So whilst Viognier is predominantly dry, it has a much smoother, fuller finish. (.. see, I'm learning!)

In true Indian style, our dinner began with poppadoms; first, a tiny 2 pence piece sized one, which was presented to us on a slate, with a dollop of spicy chutney spooned on by the waiter table-side, then out came the big guns with a selection of dips that we demolished pretty quickly.

Our 'amuse bouche' was a cube of marinated chicken, served with a swipe of coriander sauce; there are a lot of swipes, splashes, smears, blobs, edible flowers and micro herbs here, which I wasn't really expecting, but I love all that jazz, so I was in my element.

Next was the first dish off of the menu, a cayenne pepper coated scallop, a tandoored butterflied prawn, with a coriander and mint coulis. If I were to be picky, I'd have liked my scallop to be a bit caramelised, as it was it had a very raw texture; but eaten with the charred prawn and herby sauce, the textures and flavours balanced out well.

Following this was The Chap's favourite of the night, a piece of smoked lamb fillet, sauteed okra, fried onions, with a coriander and chilli chutney. The lamb looked a bit unfamiliar, I don't think I'd seen a thin rectangle of meat like this before, at least not one which hasn't been processed within an inch of it's life, but it was super tasty despite appearances. And as for okra, I've had it way too many times where it's been flavourless and a little slimy - gross - but Prithvi has converted me, and I'll not bad mouth it again.

Another in-between-er came out: a crisp like puff, filled with something that I really cannot remember, but, it was brought to us in a little tear drop shaped bowl, a sauce was drizzled in by the waiter, and we were to instructed to eat it in one. It was kind of like eating a non-oyster.

The next course was one of two 'mains'; a plate of monkfish, potato juilenne, and fried purple sprouting brocolli; 'whole mustard jus', as they called it, was poured over at the table, and it was served with lemon saffron rice. I think this was probably my favourite, maybe the addition of edible flowers swayed my judgement, but there was something so delicate about it, and the citrus scented rice was the perfect accompaniment.

Having had our glasses topped up throughout, and being fed pretty much constantly, I didn't have a clue where we were up to on the menu, so the other main came as a bit of a surprise - we were getting full! Braised duck breast, cumin and honey crust, and chantenay carrots, in a creamy coconut 'jus', served with the most melt-in-the-mouth nan breads I've ever tasted. Though the duck looked a bit grey and dry and, it was actually really succulent, and it basically fell apart as soon as you got near it with a knife. The sauce; sweet, spicy, and if I'd have had any more bread, I'd have mopped up every last drop.

Our dessert was a saffron scented doughnut, saturated in syrup and served warm, with pistachio kulfi and a lime-y sauce. It was sweet vs sharp, and warm vs ice cold, the only thing missing was perhaps something crunchy to counteract all the soft elements. I tend to associate doughnuts with 'stodge', and would definitely not choose one after an lengthy meal, but this was just the right size, and the saffron infusion made it an interesting dish.

In all the theatrics of dinner, we'd not noticed how busy and noisy the restaurant had become; champagne was popping at the big table at the back, and tweed-clad gents were sinking beers with their curry behind us. The fact that we were unaware of the stream of people that had come in says a lot about the food; it was stunning. We asked for the bill, and in a sneak attack style, out came a couple of truffles; milk chocolate and hazelnut, and white chocolate and raspberry; a deliciously creamy ending to a spice-tastic dinner.

A late night curry feast takeaway - where you've over-ordered massively, and you spoon as much of each thing as you can on your plate - will always have a place in my heart, but for something fancier and more refined, I'd recommend Prithvi. The Chap was happy, and no turmeric stained plates for me to wash up either. Winner.