Cheltenham Restaurant Guide

“On our foodie tour of the area’s culinary heavy hitters (four in four nights) Lumière was by far the best in every way! – the food itself, the artistry and invention of the cooking, the front of house…!” Jon & Helen Howe’s small (just 24 covers) venture “benefits from a feeling of intimacy and calm” and scored the top ratings in town this year. Jon Howe’s food is “out of this world” with “some very good flavour combinations, some very clever and precise cooking” – all “without pretentious twiddles”. Dishes are delivered by the “serene and endlessly helpful Helen in charge of a small team” and “you are made to feel your dining experience is uppermost in their minds rather than your visit being an opportunity for them to ‘showcase’”. “We liked it so much that we went back to Cheltenham just to eat there again!” (STOP PRESS, the restaurant closed for eight weeks in summer 2019 after Jon Howe broke his ankle walking, but is now up and running again).

“Clever, well-imagined” and “delicately spiced food, unlike any normal Indian restaurant” distinguishes this “superb” venue, named after the Skanskrit for ‘Mother Earth’. Opened in 2012, it has now moved house into a “much more elegant setting” opposite Pittville Park. Top Tip: “a relative bargain for lunch”.

After six years in business this popular Indian closed its doors in August 2018… only to relaunch with a new Indian BBQ and South Indian plates concept (plus thali deal) just weeks later. On early reports, it’s “another great addition to the surfeit of excellent locals”, delivering “sublime food and exotic tastes”.

“Shame on the inspector who was responsible for removing one of this outstanding restaurant’s stars” – fans are still scratching their heads about Michelin’s October 2018 decision to demote David & Helen Everitt-Matthias’s famous venue to a single gong. To be fair, the “somewhat suburban” décor has always grated with some diners here, as have odd incidents of “stuffy service”. And our own survey has seen a rise in minority reports of “well-cooked but unexceptional” cuisine (with a slight hit to its ratings as a result). And yet, for the most part, feedback on this “calm” and “low key” dining room just outside the city centre – where David is, famously, always at the stoves, with Helen front of house – remains a rhapsody of praise: “a one-off passion project from husband and wife team demonstrated in every superb and gimmick-free dish” – “a masterclass in ‘fine’ dining with very precise preparation, presentation and exciting flavours” that’s “expertly and efficiently run both front of house and in the kitchens”. (“It is the yardstick against which we measure everything else: we visit four or five times a year despite it being a six-hour round trip – it’s worth the price, and why they lost a star is a total mystery!”)

“Quaint” and “very French” (“in a non-posey sort of way”, i.e. “like being in a really good quality restaurant in provincial France”), the Ogrodzki family’s diminutive Gallic haunt was “thoroughly enjoyed” by reporters again this year thanks to its “beautifully presented and perfectly cooked” traditional fare.

“A real gem”, Gareth Fulford’s “friendly” backstreet outfit is “far better than the rather unprepossessing exterior suggests”, with “very well cooked fish” the star of a menu that’s “creative” – with “exquisite flavour combinations” – if a little too “cheffy” for some tastes. It took some flak for seeming “a little overpriced” this year, and an interior that’s “buzzy” and “very relaxing” to fans is, to sceptics, “dreary”.

“Fantastic small plates of Japanese food” win solid ratings for MasterChef finalist Andrew Kojima’s “great place – right in the city centre”. There’s a “changing menu” of izakaya-style dishes, including a beer drinkers’ menu – but a ‘no sushi’ policy as Koj strives to extend understanding of Japanese cuisine.

Not a huge volume of feedback, but good ratings all-round from those who do comment on this cheap ’n’ cheerful, modern Sri Lankan street food café: the original of a now five-strong mini-chain stretching from Oxford to Cardiff.