If you follow me on instagram you will know that I’m a devoted foodie. I just love all types of cuisines but one of my favorites has to be Indian cuisine. I love the diversity of Indian food and the colourful spices that result in mouth watering flavours. The good news is that Birmingham has some great fine-dining Indian restaurants to offer, one of which is itihaas on Fleet Street. I got invited to a private bloggers dinner at itihaas restaurant for an evening of food, drinks and lots of selfies AND of course, to check out the new menu eekk.
Arrival
itihaas is located on 18th Fleet Street, the entrance to itihaas gives a real authentic but contemporary vibe and sets the scene for this lavish Indian restaurant. The great thing about this location is that it has on street parking which is really convenient, especially for me, as I wear super high heels…I literally parked outside the restaurant.
Canapes to start
So on arrival itihaas served some cocktails and mouth watering canapes, luckily for me they had prepared some non alcoholic mock-tails. I literally did’t eat all day because I was saving myself for this food, and it was totally worth it. The canapes were seriously delicious…I ended up over indulging in one to many Aloo Tikkis…oops.
Aloo Tikki Chana this tasted amazing and the pomegranate was a great touch.
Salmon & goats cheese samosa, to be honest I’ve never tried this filling in a samosa it was different. I’m not a fan of goats cheese but this didn’t taste too bad. But the Aloo Tikka was my favorite.
Starters
After enjoying the drinks and canapes, we were seated on our tables. The new menu kicked off with some delicious starters followed by the main course and dessert.
Non-alcoholic mock-tail made just for me, it tasted very nice.
To kick off the starters, this Soft Shell Crab Pakora was served as an appetiser. I have to admit that i’m not much of a crab eater but this tasted really nice. The chilli tomato relish complimented the dish well.
Next up was the Reshmi Lamb Tikka, this was right up my street it tasted delicious. It really had a nice charcoal flame grilled taste which I loved. And the lamb was cooked to perfection.
Main Course
The main course was a combination of Jaipur Lamb Tikka, Lobster curry, Soya Tikka masala and a Methi Chicken curry. This was accompanied by two types of naan breads, a truffle oil and poppy seed naan and chilli olive naan. In addition to this, a popular dish called Chicken Biryani which was made with a blend of unique and different herbs was also served.
Although all the main dishes tasted great, my personal favourite had to be the Lobster curry, it was incredible.
Chicken Biryani made with basmati rice, saffron and a unique blend of herbs.
Methi Murgh Mirch – Tender Chicken Curry. The Chicken was incredibly soft and tasted great.
Desserts
To finish off the new menu, two desserts were served. The first was Mango Slice and the second was GajarHalwa (Carrot) Cheese cake. Out the two my personal favorite was the GajarHalwa Cheese cake it was amazing. I loved the added pistachios and walnuts it complimented the dessert really well.
Mango Slice
GajarHalwa Cheese cake
Verdict
Overall I love that the new menu still maintains the authenticity of Indian food, but with a unique and contemporary twist. I would never have though to put salmon & goats cheese in a samosa but the combination works well, and taste great. Of course the much loved Aloo Tikka Chana was my personal favourite, but I love that itihaas are pushing boundaries with this menu. Each main dish was uniquely different, and I loved how it was all presented in a traditional thali (plate). The GajarHalwa Cheese cake again was very unique, and was a great way to finish off the new menu.
Overall I was impressed with the new menu at itihaas together with the service. It was a brilliant evening filled with delicious food and great company. I’d highly recommend itihaas to anyone that enjoys fine dining Indian cuisine.
Poonam x
Disclaimer: Delicious PR and itihaas Restaurant invited me to try out the new menu at itihaas. But as always views and opinions are 100% my own and are based on trying out the menu and my experiences before I wrote this review.