Atithi Cambridge for an Indian feast

Last week we enjoyed sampling the delicious food at Atithi, the new Indian restaurant on Mill Road in Cambridge which offers contemporary Indian cuisine with a sophisticated twist. (The premises were formerly known as Kebabish.) Cooked by Kamaladasan, the award winning Michelin star background head chef, I knew we were in for a treat as we know his food from Navadhanya and the The Tiffin Truck. Atithi features dawat sharing options, vegan and vegetarian menus, a 6-course tasting menu, a la carte and lunch at weekends. With the tandoor oven at the heart of the kitchen, the menu draws inspiration from flavours and techniques used from all over India using the only finest and fresh ingredients. In fact we enjoyed the food so much that Steve and I are returning this week for the special Valentines Day taster menu!

Two of our party chose this Butter Chicken Masala for our main course. It was a lot hotter and more spicy than I expected!

The Naan bread at Athithi is perfectly cooked

We started our feast with Poppadoms and chutney

Stuffed Paneer – Cottage cheese, pickled dried figs and five Indian spices

Beetroot Tikki – Deep fried spiced beetroot with lentil, ginger and smoked apple raita

Hariyali Scallops – Tandoori grilled scallops, curry leaf, pepper with smoked aubergine mash

Masala Fried fish – Grilled seabass, ginger, carom seeds, gram flour and chilli

This Awadhi Lamb Dum Biriyani was the star dish of our evening!

Diced lamb and rice cooked with pastry lid served with smoked apple raita

The Naan bread at Athithi is perfectly cooked

We shared a side dish of Kale Aloo – Potatoes with cumin, garlic and puréed kale

Two of our party chose this Butter Chicken Masala for our main course. It was a lot hotter and more spicy than I expected!

We sampled Gajar Ka Halwa – Home made heritage carrot fudge with mango kulfi for dessert

The taste and presentation of all the dishes was exceptional which is a hallmark of Kamaladasan’s fine dining style. The menu at Atithi is reasonably priced too and the service overseen by Manager Jose is very attentive. We drank a selection of bottled beers and wine from an interesting list. My only gripe is that they don’t serve any draught beers.

Atithi is a welcome addition to the vast range of eateries on Mill Road and I am more than happy to recommend it. By the way, Atithi is the Hindi word for guest which is the way we all felt we were treated!

ATITHI

52 MILL ROAD

CAMBRIDGE

CB1 2AS

Tel: 01223 662102

http://www.atithi.co.uk