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| Outer signage at RASA - Contemporary Indian |
Tonight I was accompanied by five other work colleagues, who for various reasons had no scheduling conflicts, so I was able to convince them to join me on this little blog scouting trip. Two of them hail form the subcontinent (with one having joined me for dinner at Rooh), so I was curious what their impression would be. The five of us met up outside of the restaurant just in time for our reservation, and after speaking with the host, were quickly ushered upstairs to a long table where our meal commenced.
The restaurant itself is bi-level, with a small dining room and bar area on the main floor, and larger dining room on the second floor. Walls are off-white, pairing nicely with the dark brown tables and coffee hues coming from the leather upholstered chairs. Chandeliers offer notes of sophistication, yet the overall vibe is thankfully neither stuffy nor pretentious. Just a great overall place to enjoy good food with friends.
After some back and forth with the group, we settled on a feast to share that included:
Starters
- Chutney prawn: spiced prawns grilled, grandma's chutney, cucumber salad, cherry tomatoes
- Indian railway peppers: crispy Sweet banana peppers, Greek yogurt, lime, black mustard
- Bombay sliders: spiced potato patty fritters, soft pav bread, tangy tamarind chutney
- Crisp idli chaat: crisp idlis, whipped homemade yogurt, tamarind, mint chutney
Mid course
- "White elephant" butter paper dosa: buttered dosa, gunpowder dust, masala potato hash
- Bollywood dosa: spiced potato masala hash, ghost chili chutney spread
Entrées
- Travancore style fish moilee: coconut fish curry, black mustard, red chilies, curry leaf rice, snow peas and sugar snap peas
- Andhra chicken curry: bone-off chicken, onion, ginger, poppy seeds, cashew nuts, cilantro, coconut milk and kerala paratha
- RASA chicken biryani: chicken cooked in house masala blend with basmati rice, flavored with mint, brown onions, and served with raitha, chutney and papadum
And with that, let's delve in to tonight's spread!
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| Chutney prawns 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
First to arrive was the chutney prawns, served with a beautiful garnish of sliced cucumber, blackberry, raspberry and edible flowers. The prawns were lined up in a row, and sported a nice coating of grandma's chutney along with subtle char marks.
These prawns certainly tasted as good as they looked. They sported incredible curry flavor, which really burst forward on the palette due to some nice saline notes. Perfectly cooked; the shrimp had a nice firm texture, yet were not overcooked. Overall, an excellent starter that could not kick off this meal any better.
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| Bombay sliders with accompanied 'gun powder' 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
Batting second tonight were the Bombay sliders. These were served with two ramekins, one containing a signature spice blend called 'gun powder,' and the other ghee (clarified butter). We were instructed to mix the two to create a spicy-buttery dipping sauce for the sliders.
Once again, we have another killer starter. The potato fritter had an almost creamy consistency, and really melded well with the other flavors of the dish. Tamarind offered sweet notes, while the ghee - gun powder combination added a buttery, spicy kick to result in an excellent flavor profile.
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| Indian Railways peppers 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
Third up, and our penultimate starter, was the Indian Railways peppers. The peppers are fried, and served topped with black mustard, slivered carrot, sliced radish and yogurt.
The pepper itself had beautiful texture with its slight crisp from being fried, and subtle heat. This paired nicely with the yogurt, allowing the dish to both heat the palette, and cool it down in the same bite. Mustard added a nice acidic note to the dish, thereby keeping the palette refreshed. Finally, the slivered carrots added a nice herbaceous quality to round out the dish's flavor profile. Simply excellent!
Before delving in to the middle courses, I should touch on the Idli chaat, which sadly I forgot to take a picture of. Idli is a savory cake served across India, and is made by steaming a batter consisting of de-husked and fermented black lentils, and rice. RASA's preparation is served with whipped yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney. Overall the dish had tremendous balance: idli offered a soft crunch, contrasted by the creaminess of the yogurt. Yogurt also offered slightly sour notes, again balanced by the sweet tamarind, and herbaceous mint flavors of the chutney.
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| 'White elephant dosa' 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
Moving to the mid courses, first up is the 'white elephant' dosa. At close to two feet in length, the dosa easily eclipses the plate that it is served on. Accompanying the dosa are various ramekins of chutneys and potato filling.
My first observation is that the dosa itself has a subtle coating of ghee and spices that offer sweet notes that pair nicely with the various chutneys and potato filling. Furthermore, the combination of buttery ghee with the gun powder in the dosa glaze really offered a subtlety of flavor that can be rare for Indian cuisine.
Sadly not pictured is the Bollywood dosa, which aside from being a fraction of the size of the 'white elephant' dosa, features the same potato filling inside, instead of on the side. We asked for the ghost pepper chutney spread on the side after being warned by our server. This may have not been necessary, as the chutney - while hot - was not pure magma. Instead, it offered a spicy flavor that paired nicely with the potato filling and overall flavor of the dosa. Broad strokes: both dosas were nice bridges from the starters to the main course. My preference for the bollywood dosa is mainly due to more potato filling and the ghost chili chutney, but there is no doubt that the 'white elephant' dosa is the more elegant of the two.
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| Travancore style fish moilee 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
As to be expected, the fish was perfectly cooked to the point of just past translucent. The gravy itself offered a beautiful pairing of coconut and curry flavors that was soaked up by the curry leaf rice. The rice itself offered subtle herbaceous notes, and along with the sugar snap and snow peas, rounded out the flavor profile of the dish. Excellent.
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| Andhra chicken curry 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
The chicken itself was tender, while the gravy offered a nice combination of coconut, spice, nuttiness from the cashews, and herbaceous note from the cilantro. A delightful take on a standard chicken curry dish. One final note: the paratha was excellent, but given the dosas, a different type of naan would have been a nice change of pace.
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| Chicken biryani 2017 RASA. Burlingame, CA |
Tonight's final entrée is RASA's take on another standard Indian dish: chicken biryani. This is served alongside papadums, raitha and various chutneys. Biryani itself holds a special place in my heart, as it (along with lamb vindaloo), was my entry point in to Indian cuisine. I would be remiss if I did not give a big shout out to the Khana Khazana Indian Grill of West Lafayette, IN for providing my first Indian culinary experience!
Back on topic, the biryani had a nice combination of chicken and spice flavors. The rice was not overly oily, which easily separates pedestrian biryani from excellent biryani. More on the masala: it had a nice balance of sweet and spice that acted as a nice bridge between the spiced chicken, and the sweet elements. Overall, another excellent preparation of a standard Indian dish, proving the adage that even the finest restaurants still need to do the basics right.
And with that, and a couple empty wine bottles, our meal was complete. Some overall thoughts for those interested in checking out RASA. While it may be seductive to follow our suit and order a bunch if dishes to share, I would possibly structure the meal a bit differently. All the starters really should be shared by no more than two people, and for those with decent appetites, the entrées should be ordered individually as well. I feel like we split our dishes by too many people, resulting in not getting enough of a bite to truly appreciate the flavors.
With that being said, there is no doubt why some critics have, over the past couple of years, called RASA the Bay Area's best Indian restaurant. The menu sports dishes ranging from staples to unique creations, and it's evident that the kitchen team puts a ton of effort to ensure that all are excellent. Price wise, dishes are reasonably priced given the quality one is receiving. Going as a couple, one can order: their own Bombay sliders ($13), split another starter ($6), split a dosa ($9) and order an entrée ($36); and come out under $70. This places RASA firmly in my Tier 1 (Aster, Al's Place, The Progress, etc.) group of restaurants between $50 and $100. Combine that with a smart, inviting atmosphere, and one has an excellent place that doesn't require a serious occasion to visit.
Dining date: July 29, 2017
For people who would drive to this place, there is plenty of parking (street and parking lots)!
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