I tried MUSE Brasserie at Gloucester Quays - here's why I'd recommend going for lunch
It only opened its doors last month, but it's already a big hit
When Gloucester Quays' newest restaurant, MUSE Brasserie, opened its doors last month, I was immediately intrigued by the concept of a French-Indian fusion restaurant.
So when I was passing through the Quays this week during a particularly rainy lunchtime, I thought I'd take shelter from the rain and give the new dining spot a try.
MUSE has settled in to its new site in Gloucester over the past four weeks, marking the third restaurant for the brand which also has venues in Cheltenham and Bristol.
Surrounded by chain franchises like Nando's, Pizza Express, Zizzi and Wagamama, it's refreshing to see a local independent eatery occupying a prime spot in the city centre, and seemingly getting off to a flying start.
Already on Tripadvisor, MUSE in Gloucester has garnered a 5-star rating, with customers praising the "beautiful venue" and "amazing food".
Certainly, when I walked in on a Wednesday afternoon for lunch, I was immediately impressed while simultaneously feeling very underdressed.
MUSE has a gorgeous, striking interior, adorned with plush, velvety-soft seating and an eye-catching blossom tree on the back wall, its buds creeping along the ceiling and dotted with cosy fairy lights.
The staff are all immaculately dressed in smart suits, and the powder-pink and blue colour scheme gives the restaurant a classy but fun feel.
I'm offered a seat in the window and happily settle in to people-watch as people wander through the Docks outside.
When the menus are placed in front of me, I immediately spot an offer that's too good to miss (especially given this place has an overall very posh and upscale vibe).
MUSE offers a lunch special served between 12-3pm Monday to Friday, where you can get a main meal and a drink (a small glass of wine, a half-pint of beer, or a soft drink) for just £14.95.
The lunch special options are either a 5oz minute steak served with skinny fries and butter, or the MUSE vegan thali, an Indian tapas-style platter of small, taster-sized dishes.
A quick scan of the main menu tells me that the steak on its own would ordinarily cost £19 outside of the lunch special, while the thali is priced at £22, so it seems like an easy choice.
As I excitedly await my meal, I soak up the ambience of the restaurant, which isn't super busy on a Wednesday afternoon, but feels just a little bit exclusive, with a relaxing playlist of music playing in the background.
And it's not long before the thali arrives - and my first impression is that my eyes may be bigger than my stomach. It's a generous sized platter with six individual miniature dishes on it, plus a piece of flaky paratha flatbread that I can't wait to tuck into.
The thali includes a bowl of rice, a few miniature papadums, a pea kofta, a dal makhani (lentils cooked in butter and cream), the potato-based curry dish dum aloo, and porriyal, a South Indian dry vegetable stir-fry.
I almost don't know where to start, but once I've tried a bit of everything, the standout dishes on the platter for me were the dum aloo and the dal makhani. It was all delicious, but I love a buttery curry dish, and could easily have eaten more of those.
The paratha was also the perfect size to mop up the leftover sauce in each dish, and was lovely and light and buttery.
I skipped the desserts, but couldn't help notice a couple on the table next to me tucking into the rhubarb crumble trifle, which looked like a delectable way to finish off their meal.
If you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a meal out that feels just a little bit fancy, but without breaking the bank, I'd definitely recommend popping into MUSE. I'll be back to try more offerings from the menu, for sure.