FOOD & DR INK
RESTAURANT REVIEW A tit h i THIS MODERN INDIAN EATERY IS AN UNMISSABLE ADDITION TO MILL ROAD
breasts – served with more of the same daal and breads. By now the table’s laden with bowls: we hold some back to add to the next course, clearing space where we can. The next main course pulls in: Railway Canteen Curry for the meat-eater – a creamy lamb curry finished with classic South Indian spices and potatoes – and a clever kale and potato dish for the vegetarian option, where the kale is turned into a rich sauce to coat the potatoes. Both dishes come with pulao rice, and we’ve held onto some of the bread from the previous course – so this takes us a while to work our way through. The restaurant’s busy by now, packed from the front all the way through to cavernous back (it keeps going much further than you’d expect), with diners either joining us on the Tour or picking dishes from the extensive a la carte offering. A trip to the bathrooms will take you past the neat kitchens, bustling with activity – try and steal a peek through the pass to see the chefs hard at work, making fresh breads by hand and keeping sauces bubbling. The finale arrives: a whack of sugar in the form of homemade halwa, made with heritage carrots and served with a neat disc of creamy mango kulfi. We polish this off swiftly and after being presented with single-use plastic-wrapped microwaved hot towels – the single element of the evening that leaves us with questions – we stroll out onto Mill Road, very impressed with the experience. The Tour of Atithi is a clever way to experience a range of the restaurant’s cooking but any option on the menu won’t disappoint. The team’s excellent service and fresh, modern take on traditional Indian dishes are a welcome addition to Cambridge’s restaurant scene, right in the heart of the city. atithi.co.uk
tithi – meaning guest in Hindi – opened earlier in 2019, and is now well into its stride. Nestled in the middle of the town
“The voyage begins with a pappdi chaat”
side of Mill Road, this smartly appointed eatery offers lunch and dinner options, as well as online-placed takeaway orders. Promising “modern Indian cuisine with a sophisticated twist”, behind the stoves is head chef Kamaladasan, who has extensive experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and who also led the kitchens at Navadhanya and The Tiffin Truck, while in charge of the front is Jose Conduto. We choose the Tour of Atithi: one of us picks their vegetable-led tasting menu, and the other opts for meat and fish – with seven courses ahead, we settle down for a feast. This format is a clever addition to the menu, allowing you to try a little of a lot of different dishes, which feels like a brilliant way to navigate so many intriguing and delicious-sounding plates of food. It also takes away any pressure of having to choose – wave after wave of food simply arrives at the table, and all you have to do is enjoy it. The voyage begins with pappdi chaat: spiced chickpeas, crispy wheat, sweet yoghurt and sour tamarind chutney spiked with pomegranate seeds. It’s a strong opener: we’re left resisting the temptation to simply order eight more bowls and take them away to be devoured on the sofa. That well-judged mix of tangy chutney, cooling yoghurt and crisp, spiced pulses is a simple one, but very difficult to beat. Next up is an entree of paneer stuffed with spiced figs, while across the table lands Harayali salmon: a hunk of Scottish fish coated with a herb and yoghurt- based green chutney that’s served with a coconut-ginger pickle. If you choose the tasting menu but were absent-mindedly expecting curry house-sized servings, these dishes might initially appear small,
but they’re well-sized and packed with flavour – with five more courses in this marathon to go, restraint is no bad thing. Both menus reconvene at this point with a violet potato samosa: a pastry parcel packed with spiced purple potatoes plus peas, blue cheese and Punjabi spices. It’s crumbly yet delicious, well-spiced and savoury, and easily held on the fork with the provided chutney. Next is a sweet fruit sorbet, a very traditional addition to a tasting menu that’s used as a palate cleanser between courses. Though we were both initially bemused by what looked like a mini dessert arriving mid-evening, its sweetness is a surprising contrast to the hot, savoury dishes that surround it – like a resting point in the journey before scaling the heights of the later courses. The main event begins: the vegetable experience presents Malai broccoli, roasted with nigella seeds, garlic, cream cheese and honey, and served with a small bowl of daal makhani and naan. This is an excellent meatless feast: the broccoli pairs beautifully with the fenugreek in the daal and the breads are perfectly structured for scooping mouthfuls of both elements. The other journey stops at a Safrani chicken dish where cream cheese, saffron and mace are used to flavour the chicken
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