I tried Itihaas for the first time a month or so ago, at an event for their new menu, and wasn't left enthused by their dairy-free choices. For this reason, I was invited back for a sit-down meal to see what they could offer someone with my dietary requirements. Read on to find out how they fared!
Whilst we were deciding what to have from their extensive 3 part-menu, we asked for some poppadoms. This isn't a hard task but I have had raw and over-baked poppadoms in the past and I can say that Ithihaas did not give me either. Instead, the poppadoms were presented well and were hot and crispy. The accompanying dips were good too, I especially liked the mango chutney. Whilst chomping away on the poppadoms, we ordered our two starters. I had a little difficulty because the majority had yogurt or butter within them.
In the end, I went for the Mirchi Murgh, which was an Indo-Chinese dish and it had plenty of murchi (chilli's). It was tasty but I can't say it is something I would be in a hurry to go back for.
My mum went for the classic that is Chat Patti Gol Guppa from the chaat selection. She said it was really enjoyable but the gol guppas (crispy wheat shells) were missing the classic element of aloo and they seemed as if they had been refried and weren't fresh. So starters were done and we weren't sure what to expect for mains. We went for an array of choices for the mains, Gilmore Girls eat your heart out! The selection of mains was easy to choose from, as the majority did not have any dairy in it. We went for a chicken, lamb, seafood and veggie dish with the addition of a dish that was selected by the manager.
First up, it was Dhaniya Tahree Murgh. This was boneless chicken in a smooth gravy made of paprika and onions, that was seasoned with coriander. I really enjoyed this chicken dish. It was hot but not ridiculously so and not so rich. It reminded of a chicken dish I would have when I am ill.
The seafood selection was Maharaja Machali Masala. Me and my mother are quite partial to tilapia, so when we saw that as an option, we knew we had to try it. I really enjoyed this dish too. The tangy roast tomato and mustard seed gravy went so well with the steamed fish. I will be nudging my mother to make this very soon!
The manager chose Murgh Tikka Chetinad for us to try. I have to say this was the weakest of the dishes we tried. The chicken was hard and the whole dish just didn't work well.
However my favourite dish of the night made up for it, which was the Smoked Baingan Bharta. I love aubergine so when I saw this on the menu, it was a non-brainer. I also loved that they called it baingan and it was of the smoke variety. I wish there was such a thing as taste-o-vision because this was stunning! The right amount of spice, smokiness and a great non-traditional addition of peas. I need this again!
The lamb selection was the Lamb and Achari Gosht Masala. I like the tanginess of the achari (mango pickle) within the dish and it worked well with lamb. A lovely combo that was a taste sensation! Not something you see at the curry house.
To finish we were served tea and dessert. My mother received an array of the desserts on the menu and as a diabetic, she was in heaven and said the rasmali, kulfi and gulab jamun were lovely. But there was one selection on the dessert menu that I could try, which was the Apple Jalebi. It is normally served with kulfi but that was omitted for me. I love the decadence of jalebi and treat myself to it once in a while. I really liked the modern take on the dish and really enjoyed this dish. However, give me regular jalebi over this any time. I mean, why fix it if it ain't broke?
Overall, the meal was great and the leftovers had us sorted for a whole week.
Would I go back? Yes
Why? Great selection of Indian, Pakistani and Kenyan dishes.
How was the service? The service was very slow to begin with and then I think they realised I was doing a review and the whole service changed. It became attentive, apologetic and over-friendly. However, throughout the meal, the server was knowledgeable about the food and I was able to make my selections easily.
How did they cope with the dairy-free dietary requirement? Very well, as described above.
What are the prices like? Expensive but reflected in the quality.
More information - https://www.itihaas.co.uk/
Have you been? What did you think?
*Many thanks to the team at Itihaas for looking after us and the PR company for allowing me to do this review/complimentary meal*
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