A luxury hotel and spa is to have a pop-up Indian restaurant take over for one night next month. Billed as the ultimate Indian night out, Flavours of India will take over the Garden Room at the Greenway Hotel and Spa off the A46 Shurdington Road, in Shurdington, near Cheltenham, on Saturday, July 8.

The six-course tasting menu has been designed by head chef Abhijit Dasalkar, drawing on his heritage and memories of food growing up in India. The rustic menu has been given a fine-dining twist and includes a selection of dishes which originate from different Indian cities and states, from a Pav Bhaji – one of the most popular street foods from Mumbai – to a chicken reshmi kebab, which is Abhijit’s subcontinental take on the nation’s favourite scotch egg.

Abhijit said: “I really want to expose Indian flavours more than the dishes themselves. Indian cuisine is looked at as being a nice curry, naan and rice, but it is much more than that. I want to change perceptions as well as deliver the ultimate Indian experience.”

READ MORE: Cotswolds hotel opens up dessert bar for summer 2023

He added: “To me Indian food is all about the burst of flavour and the profile in each dish. Street food in India is one of the top five street foods in the world and I’ve tried to bring some of those flavours into this, as well as classic dishes in a fine-dining format.”

Highlights include the chicken reshmi kebab from Lucknow which is a quail’s egg encased in chicken mince kebab enriched with cream and light spices and cooked over charcoal, as well as a spiced crab salad which originates from Tamilnadu, and smoked spiced lamb popular in Kashmir.

The Pav Bhaji – which consists of a buttery tangy mashed potato thickened with vegetables, served with a soft milk bread roll and chopped onions – is not only one of India’s most popular street foods, but Abhijit’s recipe was also inspired by his mum.

He said: “This was the first dish that I made as a kid when I was seven or eight years old, learning from my mum. I think finally I have got it as good as her but not better than her! My mother is a cracking cook, so I was very nosy and watched what she did and how she used spices.

“People used to come down and praise her so much for her cooking so as a kid I used to feel like I should get that praise! So that’s what inspired me.”

You can take a look inside the hotel in the gallery above

The 41-year-old started training to become a chef in 1999 back in India but – keen to expand his knowledge – he packed his bags and moved to London to complete a diploma in French Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu in 2004. Classically trained, he then built his way up the ranks at The Eden Hotel Collection to take on the head chef role at The Garden Room in 2020, and has now developed his own unique kitchen team which predominantly includes staff from Sri Lanka and India.

His Indian takeover is held on July 8 from 7pm at The Dining Room at The Greenway Hotel and Spa, on Shurdington Road. Diners are advised to book due to demand. For details and to book, visit here.

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A luxury hotel and spa is to have a pop-up Indian restaurant take over for one night next month. Billed as the ultimate Indian night out, Flavours of India will take over the Garden Room at the Greenway Hotel and Spa off the A46 Shurdington Road, in Shurdington, near Cheltenham, on Saturday, July 8.

The six-course tasting menu has been designed by head chef Abhijit Dasalkar, drawing on his heritage and memories of food growing up in India. The rustic menu has been given a fine-dining twist and includes a selection of dishes which originate from different Indian cities and states, from a Pav Bhaji – one of the most popular street foods from Mumbai – to a chicken reshmi kebab, which is Abhijit’s subcontinental take on the nation’s favourite scotch egg.

Abhijit said: “I really want to expose Indian flavours more than the dishes themselves. Indian cuisine is looked at as being a nice curry, naan and rice, but it is much more than that. I want to change perceptions as well as deliver the ultimate Indian experience.”

READ MORE: Cotswolds hotel opens up dessert bar for summer 2023

He added: “To me Indian food is all about the burst of flavour and the profile in each dish. Street food in India is one of the top five street foods in the world and I’ve tried to bring some of those flavours into this, as well as classic dishes in a fine-dining format.”

Highlights include the chicken reshmi kebab from Lucknow which is a quail’s egg encased in chicken mince kebab enriched with cream and light spices and cooked over charcoal, as well as a spiced crab salad which originates from Tamilnadu, and smoked spiced lamb popular in Kashmir.

The Pav Bhaji – which consists of a buttery tangy mashed potato thickened with vegetables, served with a soft milk bread roll and chopped onions – is not only one of India’s most popular street foods, but Abhijit’s recipe was also inspired by his mum.

He said: “This was the first dish that I made as a kid when I was seven or eight years old, learning from my mum. I think finally I have got it as good as her but not better than her! My mother is a cracking cook, so I was very nosy and watched what she did and how she used spices.

“People used to come down and praise her so much for her cooking so as a kid I used to feel like I should get that praise! So that’s what inspired me.”

You can take a look inside the hotel in the gallery above

The 41-year-old started training to become a chef in 1999 back in India but – keen to expand his knowledge – he packed his bags and moved to London to complete a diploma in French Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu in 2004. Classically trained, he then built his way up the ranks at The Eden Hotel Collection to take on the head chef role at The Garden Room in 2020, and has now developed his own unique kitchen team which predominantly includes staff from Sri Lanka and India.

His Indian takeover is held on July 8 from 7pm at The Dining Room at The Greenway Hotel and Spa, on Shurdington Road. Diners are advised to book due to demand. For details and to book, visit here.

Get all the stories you love straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Gloucestershire daily newsletter today right here.