Guru

A quality Indian restaurant that manages to stick out in a very crowded market.
Having had a very busy day Sam N and I decided to abandon our transport in Bishopston and wind down over some much needed food and drink.
There is something about the haze of soft electric blue lighting that makes me feel like someone has taken enough care to create an ambiance that surely the food must be created with the same care. I personally think this is especially the case with the massively over crowded Indian restaurants, where the amount of competition seems to perpetuate a cycle of mediocre, lackluster food. Anyway, call this a psychological flaw but I’m a sucker for it, the blue lights drew me in like a fly to… um… blue… lights.
The restaurant itself was visually appealing, with a slight nod to more formal dining, Upon entering the we were immediately greeted by the seemingly busy but friendly faces of the Guru staff. They sat us down promptly and asked whether we wanted drinks, papadoms and a pickle tray. The swiftness of the drinks service was welcome, however, I felt the papadoms and pickle tray were a little too swift, we’d barely picked up the menus when they presented them to us. Naturally this meant they weren’t hot and fresh like we would have hoped, but nice nonetheless.
The menu was vast but we were quickly able to distinguish the standard stock, more common currys from the large specials box which was full of a very appetising array of dishes, with brief descriptions. We were delighted to find many of these dishes we didn’t recognise. One of the waiting staff could see our ongoing struggle to decide between some of these dishes and was quick to offer his opinion on which of those dishes he would recommend. it was the kudo goost we’d been eying up. Having had some very tough lamb in Indian cuisine before, his assurance that the lamb was tender was all I needed to take the plunge.
Our starters of pitta paneer sag and chicken tikka (starter) were both delicious, the pitta paneer sag was actually a dish of several small wraps reminiscent of spring rolls found in Chinese cooking. These however were filled, unsurprisingly, with spinach and paneer cheese. The chicken tikka were nicely spiced, very moist and tender. Both great for sharing.
The mains were equally delicious. The Haryali chicken was rich and creamy without being sickly. It was mild but with enough flavours going on to make it interesting and it certainly wasn’t mild in taste despite the lack of heat. The Kudu goost was as delightfully tender as promised, a very full flavour which made me wonder if it was lamb or rather mutton, but regardless the dish was well balanced with enough spice to make it exciting without alienating those with a milder palette. The combination of the spices, the richness of the lamb, and the sweetness of the pumpkin made it a noteworthy dish. We ordered two mushroom rice but probably only ate the equivalent of one.
The service was excellent, the staff very attentive. There was a slight issue with some crackling from the speaker above us at one point and upon hearing this they immediately rushed to rectify the problem.
It was a little on the pricey side. Our meal came to £73.00, which is a little on the expensive side even taking the starters, wine, and calypso coffees into account.
Despite some very minor flaws I’ve given it 5 stars. The service was faultless and the food really was that delicious. On our visit t was a cut above a lot of the curry houses we’ve been to. Some really exciting dishes on the menu and if our meal was anything to go by then I excited about returning for round two.

If you like bright, modern décor then you might +1 extra star to your review. I prefer to rate restaurants on the food and service, both of which had room for improvement. Dad and i came after he read about the make over at this former pub and was hoping to find a guru in the kitchen, as well on the sign above the door.
Our lamb gosht £9.50 should’ve been at least tender. It was not. The lamb was more like old mutton. The sauce was flavorful but the whole dish felt like it needed an extra hour in the pressure cooker to tenderize the meat and lock in the flavors. The king prawns £14.50 were tasty and nicely cooked and not rubbery. When I compared the sauces of these two dishes they seemed very, very close in flavor profiles. If you’re a diner who thinks that there are the same couple of sauces used throughout the menu you might be right.
When I asked for some recommendations from the manager/​head waiter I was given no guidance or useful info. He was more interested in counting the poppadoms and started to write up the bill even before we’d ordered our entrees. I ordered Bombay potatoes. Why didn’t he tell me that the lamb already comes with potato? Or, that 4 poppadoms is too much for us. (After all, he suggested 5 poppadoms for the larger table of people in the corner.) Instead of trying to upsell us on naan bread may be he could’ve suggested we order a rice each, instead of just one.
This is a nice addition to this party of Gloucester Rd. I May be we’re too demanding, but this should’ve been better for a £50 meal.
If there’s a next time the Balti smelt like a winner and the biriyani looked pretty good. (Not far from the version the inventor of the chicken biryani serves up in Hyderabad, India.)