Ambrosia India Bistro - Scotts Valley — Restaurant in Scotts Valley

We stumbled upon this place totally unexpected, on our way to big basin we wanted to stop by for a quick lunch on a Saturday and was pleasantly surprised with a lot of things. Below is my detailed review of the place food and service: The place is super well maintained, it’s spacious it’s clean ,it’s cozy and the warm sunlight seeping in makes it look really nice. The food was served on buffet and didn’t have a crazy lavish menu, just decent enough to satisfy your appetite, but don’t fooled at that. There is a pretty good spread, there are a good number of flavoured chutneys(pestos) that go well with the simple salad starter options. They have decent appetisers for today they had potato fritters and Grilled vegetables(Tandori vegetables). Which was super nice and absolutely non-spicy. The main course is pretty decent , it was 2 vegetarian curries ( for the day it was cauliflower and potatoes mashed and another paneer + vegetables curry) very subtly flavoured and pretty decent enough and non spicy. As for the meat based main course they have lamb and chicken( I didn’t try so don’t no comments on that 😁). The rice was very simple saffron flavoured rice and a mixed lentil curry. ( I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING ABOUT THE RICE AND THAT IS, THE RICE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO SODIUM BICARBONATE) which was huge huge blessing unlike most other places that add insane amounts of baking soda in food. The dessert was a simple mango panna kota which was nice. The breads were served on the table freshly made which was really cool. The buffet also comes a complimentary drink which ranged both alcohol and nonalcoholic. The service isn’t great they barely check on you, if you need anything at all. It’s definitely on higher price side than usually places but I guess that’s how it is. Over all the food is pretty decent and has no sodium bicarbonate( baking soda) which is good cause else it would leave you bloated for hours. The only drawback I found was even though it was a bit late, they didn’t choose to refill the buffet, which is okay but I think for the price we paid I would expect fresh refills. They have a huge banner of Gayatri Mantra (a religion Hindu holy phrase) right above the service place. Which is very thoughtful. Like taking pride in one’s religion and culture.( We really liked it) If we are ever in the area I’d love to go back...

Food here is decent, but their service and hospitality takes away from the food a lot.. We just got done dining there, and we are very conflicted.

They close at 9 PM during the weekdays, and we (family of 5, three of them being little kids) got there around 8:21 PM. I was still parking etc, and my wife and kids walked in, they were immediately notified that they have a limited menu because they are closing soon.

My wife started calling me while I was getting out of my car saying that I should hurry up, because they are closing soon. I was confused a bit because I clearly picked this restaurant over another one with closed at 8:30 PM.

I hurried in, and went inside by 8:26. They mentioned that a certain section of menu isn't available anymore. I understood as that menu was fresh part of the menu, and required their cook to be there, and he was probably gone by then. We were informed once again of closing time. We honestly did not feel welcomed. Rather, the employee who tended to us informed us he's "out the door at 9".

We ordered from the menu which was available (pre made Curries), I also ordered some dessert (Indian ice cream). I was asked if I'm ok with my dessert being served before my food. We declined and settled at 8:55 PM being the earliest time to be served those ice creams as kids would stop eating dinner.

They were true to their word on this one though, they legit brought my ice cream at 8:55 PM. Luckily, we were almost done with our dinner, as our dinner was served to us within 10 mins, as most of this was pre made stuff, and only naans were fresh/hot.

Dessert was good, food was decent, but their service and approach is something I'd never want to deal with.

We spent around $ hundred twenty on this rushed dinner for 2 adults and 3 kids, and we were still desiring a lot.

I would definitely not recommend this place, for...

My husband and I found this gem just around the corner from our hotel, and we were delighted as we are both Indian food addicts. After checking the reviews online we decided to give Ambrosia a try. Upon entering, we were greeted warmly by the gentleman at the bar, and were quickly seated. Since the restaurant was jam packed the only table left was a cramped two seater between two full tables. Not the best situation, but we were hungry and happy not to have to wait a long time for a table. Our server was very friendly and attentive- he thoroughly described the ingredients in each dish as well as the spice levels available. I usually go for the hot spice level in my food- but knowing how every place seasons its food differently, I usually start with medium then work my way up. I ordered the salmon Tikka Masala with the coconut rice...and it was out of this world. I ordered my dish medium hot, and compared to other places' interpretation of "hot" it was quite mild. However, the depth of flavour was outstanding, and the heat level didn't overwhelm the spices. The coconut rice was a thing of beauty- I swear, I could eat that stuff alone for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Rich, creamy and almost like rice pudding with a subtle coconut flavour. It's the perfect counterpoint for the spiciness of the curry. We loved our meal, the service and the ambiance so much that we made a second trip back the next night-and we had the same wonderful server. He actually remembered us from the night before, and he was happy to see us! When we come back to the area, we will...