itihaas restaurant

i visiteditihaastwice and both were amazing experience. good quality food. affordable. quick service. cool place. little crowded whenever visited.

i came toitihaasall the way from coventry for a pre-birthday dinner. i must say it was the best indian food i have had since i came to england. now this indian restaurant can afford to call itself authentic among hoards of aspiring but under achieving novices.

at the offset, the ambience beckons images of royalty in a quaint historic corner of india. as soon as i entered, i was blown away by the sheer elegance of the decor. this is no ordinary casual dining restaurant.

starting from the menu - which gave me major india feels - with papad and a signature accompanying mint chutney, smooth and tender paneer makhani with real paneer instead of tofu and creamy dal makhani to amazingly soft butter naan, everything aboutitihaasis as indian as you can get in england.

itihaas is mildly on the pricey side, but with what they had to offer, i'm not complaining.

tip - make a reservation as a lot of people love this place!

nestled on the edge of the jewellery quarter,itihaasisn’t in a place where i’d usually head to for indian food, but as soon as you walk in you can feel the authenticity. the decor is stunning, with ornate, dark wood furniture, traditional indian artwork, stone elephants and incense burning. we were greeted with a drinks reception where i had a mojito and canapes. there were 2 on offer, paapri chaat which were little pastries filled with chickpeas, potato and a tamarind sauce, very nice i may add, and amritsari cod with tomato relish – lightly battered and spiced cod pieces fried until crisp, which were really good. after we finished our drinks we were taken downstairs to our private dining room for the evening.   after a champagne reception as we went in, we were all seated and had a

birmingham and curry go hand-in-hand. despite the wealth of cuisines from around the globe, this city will always be famed for its indian culinary connection. which is why a recent trip to the newitihaasrestaurant food stall in selfridges was doubly disappointing. it’s rare for hot food to leave me cold, but on this occasion, it unfortunately did.

atmosphere

the strength of the new outfit is its location. seated slap-bang in the middle of the sleek white food hall of selfridges department store, diners at theitihaasconcession can indulge in people watching and enjoy the general entertaining bustle of birmingham’s favourite place to shop and be seen.

food

the street food menu offers a good variety for those who like to try a bit of everything, tapas-style. we ordered dahi puri, crispy wheat shells with potato, chickpea, tomato and sweetened yoghurt, which i found just a bit too sour and overwhelming. the very similar but yoghurt-less gol guppa, which were also stuffed with potato and chickpeas, were much more friendly to the palate.

we also ordered some samosas – a staple of the anglo-indian repertoire. the chicken samosas that turned up, however, were frankly greasy and lacking in flavour. we were very kindly treated to an unusual salmon and goat’s cheese samosa as well. despite being quite delicious, this option unfortunately doesn’t appear on the standard menu.

when it came to choosing a main, i opted for a non-spicy option – the butter chicken curry, while my guest went for the fiery classic lamb rogan josh. both of us were underwhelmed. while the delicately seasoned naan and fragranced basmati rice accompanying the orders were faultless, the curries themselves were unexceptional. the flavours weren’t robust enough, and the spices hardly came through at all, leaving us both feeling unsatisfied. bland is not a word you can usually apply to indian cuisine, but in this case, it sprang painfully to mind.

drinks

wine lovers will find the selection minimalistic, with just two reds, two whites and two sparklings on the menu. a better option might be to go for an exotic refresher. the drinks list includes a selection of traditionally-inspired kulfi shakes – indian ice cream blends with malai, mango, pistachio or coconut; and juices including lychee and mango.

overall

in my opinion, this was a case of enviable location and attentive service let down by disappointingly bland dishes.