Is Rasika over-rated?

[Anonymous]

So would some of the desis on this forum give me their opinion of Rasika's food as opposed to the ambiance and service?

I have not been there but over the past week - most recently today - I have had several desis tell me that the food is really quite mediocre and is really geared to the Western palate.

[Anonymous]

No - not overrated.

[Anonymous]

I'm married to a desi and he and all of our desi friends like it mainly because it is so different from the typical desi restaurants.

They especially love the palak chaat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm married to a desi and he and all of our desi friends like it mainly because it is so different from the typical desi restaurants.

They especially love the palak chaat.

DP here. How is it different?

[Anonymous]

No. Love it.

[Anonymous]

I had something there I didn't love -- paneer chili fry or something -- and I was so surprised it didn't taste good because everything tastes good there. Indian here, btw.

[Anonymous]

Not desi, but...

The palak chaat and service are amazing. Everything else is above average. Decor is meh.

[Anonymous]

Desi here.

Somethings are good and somethings are mediocre. I found the Palak chaat good. It is basically palak dipped in besan and fried and layered over a normal chaat. The difference is the crispness of the fried palak on top.

Their appetizers are great (non-veg ones specifically). The entrees are ok. Some are as good as the other Indian restaurants (butter chicken is good like many other restaurants), but some should be avoided (like railway chicken)

I did not find the desserts appetizing at all. The fusion did not work well and one has eaten better stuff from the freezer section of the Indian grocer (Nanak's rasmalai is yet to be beaten by any restaurant).

Staff, servers, ambiance is very nice.

I have yet to find an Indian restaurant that can cook vegetable curries and dals better than I do (so thank God I am a non-veg eater), and I have yet to eat goat curry in a restaurant where the goat is properly butchered with the perfectly sized pieces that are meaty and where the bone has no rough edges and are filled with marrow. (suggestion to the owner - how about getting someone from "back home" who knows how to carve the "raan" pieces perfectly.)

All said and done, for special occasions, I would still go to Rasika. It has a very good vibe and food is good too. It is just that I am a Delhiite and in my mind nothing I have eaten in this country ever topped food that I ate at Kareem's in Nizamuddin in the 80's -90's.

[Anonymous]

Yes. It's totally overrated. My husband and. I have been several times and have been throughoughly underwhelmed. We really want to like it but we just don't. The problem is that people LOVE it so you can never say anything bad about it without having people jump down your throats. Glad for anonymous forums like this!

[Anonymous]

No. It's delicious.

[Anonymous]

I'm Indian, so I always keep comparing Rasika to the phenomenal restaurants back home which is not really fair. I am also a pretty good cook, so I like the place but I haven't been blown away.
However it is definitely many steps above most of the Indian restaurants here, and we do take guests there when they request Indian food.

[Anonymous]

So to those who have been to Rasika and think well of it, is it a case of the cuisine being authentic, well prepared or is it more the ambiance and service that makes it a better dining experience than some of the better Indian restaurants in the area?

Other than the Palak Chaat that seems well received by several posters are there other dishes that are exceptional?

I have not been to Rasika but have been to Haandi which also seems to receive good reviews by primarily American customers but as an Indian I was quite underwhelmed by the food served there.

[Anonymous]

Went ther once_liked the palak chaat. And some. Kurma. And the toffee pudding. Fish dish was mediocre. Indian here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So to those who have been to Rasika and think well of it, is it a case of the cuisine being authentic, well prepared or is it more the ambiance and service that makes it a better dining experience than some of the better Indian restaurants in the area?

Other than the Palak Chaat that seems well received by several posters are there other dishes that are exceptional?

I have not been to Rasika but have been to Haandi which also seems to receive good reviews by primarily American customers but as an Indian I was quite underwhelmed by the food served there.

You will probably be underwhelmed by the food. Some of the appetizers are good. But mainly it is a place you take American guests to. Tandoori stuff is as good as any other restaurant - but seriously, there are very few Indian/Pakistani/Nepali places where vegetarian food is better than what is cooked at most Indian homes. I have not understood why this is so? Most of my American friends like the saag paneer or cholle that is served in Indian restaurants and I always cringe when I hear that because it is one of the most terribly cooked subji in Indian restaurants. Most of the time you are stuck with eating butter paneer or malai kofta.

[Anonymous]

I'm not Indian but I am a huge fan of Indian food. I thought Rasika was mediocre and over priced.

I used to live in another city and there was a Indian restaurant with an incredible cook. I went for years until he was fired because he threatened a customer who complained about his cooking. That customer ruined it for everyone because the new cooks couldn't hold a candle to the first guy. I have never had Indian food as good as that again but I keep trying