It’s a whole new restaurant. India’s Rasoi has retained, seemingly, only its name as it moved around the corner with a new menu. a new attitude and some new prices. The long-time Central West End stalwart has gone upscale in a handsome new set of rooms in the old Forest Park Hotel on North Euclid Avenue and West Pine Boulevard. (N.B., the east-west axis is Laclede Avenue, not, as many folks think, Lindell Boulevard).
The warm yellow and red walls, with mosaic glass pillars here and there and a mural in the small north dining room, are urbane, and the room feels as if it will bask in the morning light and make a cold winter day seem warm. Ceiling fans in the bar area look as though they’re straight from Raffles in Singapore. And folks have caught on very quickly that this is not last year’s Rasoi.
It’s busy.
Some of the first courses are familiar, like pakoras, although no onion bhajis, alas. Others, like crab cakes, are a surprise. And the salads are far from the chopped vegetables washed in yoghurt that appear in so many Indian restaurants. Main courses include the familiar, like tikka masala (with chicken, lamb, shrimp or paneer, the Indian cheese), but the list of usual suspects is considerably shorter. Instead there are excursions into new-to-St.-Louis ideas like Kerala-style fish curry and a lamb shank.
Unlike many Indian restaurants where they appear at the table, pappadums must be ordered a la carte. However, the crispy lentil flatbreads remain as delicious and habit-forming as potato chips. They come with three sauces, the usual with tamarind and cilantro bases, plus a third, red and tomato-esque. Vegetable pakoras are fritters rather than tempura-like individual vegetables rolled in garbanzo flour. The mixture of minced, chopped and mashed vegetables yields various-sized hot, un-greasy bites, crunchy outside and tender inside, with a garnish of diced tomatoes and cucumber. Like most fritters, they’re irresistible hot, forgettable cold. A kebab sampler was listed as having three varieties, chicken, vegetarian and lamb; all we saw was two kinds of chicken, one tandoori and one rather spicier. It’s easy to overcook chicken breast, but this was nice and moist, the tandoori cooking method just the thing to gently initiate the newcomer to Indian cuisine.
Raita and chutney, often brought to the table as relishes, also are found on the a la carte menu. The raita is lush and delicious, with a hint of onion; the chutney was acceptable, but only mango was offered and it was sweet rather than sweet- hot.
And those salads? We tried one with spinach and hearts of palm, with a generous handful of mild cheese and some peas as garnish. It was fresh and splendid, with a dressing described as mild and sweet, but with some modest heat. The spicing included a little fenugreek, which tastes slightly maple-y. Despite our general thumbs-down on sweet salad dressing, this was a tasty exception that we’d be happy to eat again.
The lamb shank arrives in a korma sauce, slightly sweet, creamy and rich from the traditional cashew base, although not terribly handsome. This guy arrived on a bed of saffron pulao, rice seasoned with the saffron, what we think was kalonji, or nigella, and a few almonds and golden raisins. The combination of the korma sauce and the lamb shank is sinfully indulgent, the meat almost falling off the bone in its succulence. Those so inclined should take the leftovers home, so they can have a go at the bones, with their rich connective tissue and marrow. And speaking of nuts, this is a good place to point out that the menu designates certain items as having peanuts, a nice consideration in this day and age.
We also had what was called Pondicherry salmon, but we really didn’t want to take the leftovers home. After taking our orders, the waiter had returned to inquire about how well-done we wanted the grilled fish. Medium-rare to medium, we requested. There was a long, long gap between first courses and entrees, which makes us a little more vigilant; when the salmon arrived, we thought perhaps it had been roasting the entire time. The curried vegetables mentioned on the menu turned out to be batons of zucchini, and they, on the other hand, were not overcooked. The salmon, too, sat on some of the saffron pulao, rather than the ginger-lemon rice the menu promised. We thought the spicing of the whole dish was, at best, too subtle, at worst, insufficient. Perhaps, if the salmon is properly cooked, it would be good for someone new to the cuisine.
Breads in India are always fascinating to us, and it’s difficult for us to choose. Rasoi offers several kinds, including the whole-wheat paratha, layered and puffy and hot. Naan is available plain or stuffed with onions, cheese or meat. We chose the plain, and it immediately became one of those dishes we’ll order every visit. The breads are cooked on the sizzling-hot walls of the tandoor oven, and the naan, in particular, has lots of crispy, toasty bits interspersed with the warm chewy bread. Absolutely yummy.
Desserts, too, dance back and forth between traditional and modern. Ras malai is a traditional one we often describe to rookies as doughnut holes served in a sweet syrup. They arrived hot and delicious, in the simple syrup, another easy-to-like dish. Kheer, a rice pudding, was scented with saffron and included pieces of candied orange peel, which made a lovely improvement to an old favorite.
Service was pleasant and competent, though not exceptional. The bar area seemed too disorganized for comment on this initial visit. Maybe Singapore Slings to go with the Raffles-influenced fans next time. And yes, there’s a website, but it’s currently under renovation; we’ll add it when we find it’s working.
India’s Rasoi
25 N. Euclid Ave.
314-361-6911
Lunch & Dinner daily
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $13 -$26