BlendHouse Indian Fusion Restaurant — Restaurant in Utrecht

Amazing Vibe, Great Presentation, and Astounding Taste: My girlfriend and I went to Blend House for a nice evening with good vibes, good food and great cocktails with craving for some Indian food but a bit more fusion and more relaxed vibe. Blend House came highly recommended by my friend so we decided to give it a go.

Walking into the place it’s cozy and very welcoming as the owner greeted us. We were craving some cocktails so decide to open the night with that. By recommendation of the restaurant we tried Masala Chai Sour, Matcha Tea Sour, Mumbai Mule, Mango Margarita and something with Cucumber (I don’t. remember the name of that). All Cocktails were amazing and came in different presentations and looked fun and funky. One came a bubble filled with smoke on top and you get to pop the bubble, which is so fun.

We went for the three course menu with own choices. My girlfriend mostly prefers Vegetarian or Fish options and we were happy to have them as well on the menu. The starters were outstanding Soya Culcha, Banana Leaf Fish and Lamb Goulati Kebab tasted amazing. Fish is wrapped in banana leads and you get them, Soya Culcha was something new so that was refreshing to try the first time. And the lamb was juicy and melted smoothly in mouth. For the main we had Chicken Biryani and wow that was a delight, never tried so tasteful and on par spices Biryani before in the Netherlands. For my girlfriend she got the vegan option of Firdausi potatoes. They were super smooth creamy and with black rice a perfect combination. It comes with an sauce and it just fit perfectly together. Although we hoped the sauce was a bit more :) Dessert brought a cloud-topped Coconut Beet Panna Cotta, light and satisfying. Blush Dream Mousse, which, though delightful, left us wishing for a touch more cream.

Throughout our meal, the service was impeccable, with attentive staff providing detailed explanations of each dish and cocktail.

In summary, Blend House delivered an exceptional dining experience, offering a fusion of flavors, impeccable service, and a welcoming atmosphere. We look forward to returning for more incredible cocktails, innovative cuisine, and memorable moments, catering to diverse dietary preferences without...

I love the idea of gourmet Indian cuisine with a much more simple and curated menu and I think they are on the right path to pulling it off.

I didn't try the cocktails, which look amazing. The service was excellent by the two owners. It felt very personal. The dessert was also excellent and it was very reasonably priced for the quality.

My one piece of feedback would be that they could be a bit more adventurous with the spices (not heat, but flavour). Judging by the popularity of authentic Indian and Thai restaurants in Utrecht and Amsterdam, I think (some) Dutch people not only can handle intensely flavoured food, but they can enjoy it.

The tandoori prawns had an interesting and strong flavour of mustard. But there weren't any particular flavours that stood out in the chicken seekh or the butter chicken.

I think the idea of simplifying Indian cuisine is great. But I think it still needs strong flavours, even if they aren't as complex.

The chef is clearly very skilled, so no doubt they can cook amazing food. I just hope they don't underestimate Dutch people too much. From my experience, most Dutch people do enjoy intense flavours, they just don't know it yet.

Anyway, overall the experience was great and I'll certainly be coming back some time to try...

Good: drinks are above par, really impressive and the signature drinks were especially good. The atmosphere was fun, and the effort into the presentation of everything was great. I liked seeing novel menu items and the restaurant is definitely a fun place to bring friends or family.

Room for improvement: food execution was not as good as we hoped, it seems like it needs finessing. Our group has eaten Indian food hundreds of times, at a wide variety of restaurants, and unfortunately the flavours and textures just weren't quite there. I suspect one of the reasons is that spice is added after cooking so the flavours aren't really developed. When ordering they asked our group for the preferred spice level, we said spicy but the heat level was moderate at best. One of our group had 2 Lamb cutlets for a main meal, this is a very small portion for the price. The chocolate Pani Puri was a great idea but we found the chocolate sauce was a bit cheap and slimy, maybe nicer to experience with a richer crunchy chocolate case.

Agree with other sentiments regarding tap water, plenty of restaurants offer tap water for free especially when ordering alcohol or...