Rasa

Rasa is a very very good restaurant. They serve South Indian cuisine which was new to me. We came right when the place opened so things were pretty quiet. Our waiter was incredibly friendly and was happy to help us with any questions.
Our friends recommended this place and told us we had to try the Beet Cheera Pachadi and Parantha. We also ordered the Konju Manga Curry and Seafood Starter. It’s definitely different from any Indian place I’ve tried but I’m still coming out of my American shell and making sure to order things other than the Chicken Tikka Masala ;) Both curry dishes (I think they were both curry) had incredible flavours. Sweet and subtle but nice hints of savoury from the shrimp. Both were also very different. The Beet option was the most unique and I really enjoyed it.
I could have done without the starter but it was interesting to try the multiple items. The prantha though… holy crap that was amazing! It’s like a flatter more sweet naan. We both gobbled it down. (I did just say gobbled.) We had to order two.

What we ordered:
Nair Dosa — This was amazingly delicious. I’ve never had something like it in the States and all I can say is «wow!» The crêpe-​like pancake is out of this world. Good for sharing with 2 – 3 people.
Banana Boli — Love the texture of the batter and the flavor goes well with any savory starters.
Chicken Samosa — Surprisingly yummy samosa. One of the best I’ve ever had.
Kappayum Meenum — Tasty spicy fish dish. Remember to order a side of their coconut rice to go along with it. You won’t regret it.
Overall, Rasa might not be the fanciest Indian restaurant in London, but the food here is solid and tasty! I’d recommend making a reservation first since it gets packed quickly during dinner hours.

Not sure about the food other days but we specifically made reservations to go have the Vishu Sadhya. All I can remember was great food coming onto my banana leaf and immdly jumping into my tummy.
We had amazing fresh food that was served and a great variety for the saadhya. It was on a weekend so the restaurant was pretty full ! The servers knew to explain each item (although only when asked) and it was the right amount of quantity. They could have gone a little generous with the servings, but with the number of items I get that it was wise of them to have done what they did.
Overall a-​satisfied-​meal experience. A bit pricey for what they offer, but defly worth it, for the occasion.

It was okay not great although it probably all depends on what you order. We shared the stodgy Rasa platter of appetizers and then had a lamb and a chicken curry. Not terrible but I’m not likely to return, with so many other options for Indian around.

Most of my favourite Indian restaurants are named Rasa. Not kidding, there are many Rasas all over the world and I happen to like many of them.
This is one of such. A cute, pink, multi-​storied establishment, you won’t miss it when you are near it. The interior is nice and cozy, with a sleepy atmosphere — perhaps a tad too sleepy as the waiters were more than a bit slow.
The food was delicious though. The menu is more South Indian, although you can definitely find tikka masala amongst the dishes. The curries were delicious and complex in flavour profile, while the breads (or starch) didn’t disappoint. Leave some room in your stomach and round it out with one of their desserts.
It is certainly hard to compete with all the other great Indian restaurants in this city, where even the flights serve curry onboard. Rasa doesn’t disappoint and can definitely stand its own.

Excellent malyali food! Fluffy, fresh appams, flaky malabar parotta and delicious, spicy curries. They actually bring out the appams one by one so you can eat them hot and fresh which I really appreciated. The dining room downstairs is cozy, so one loud person can really overwhelm the space, I recommend getting a table upstairs if possible.

Nice authentic indian food! Staff is great. There are many indian restaurant in London but it is not always easy to get quality, tasty menus! I recommand this place.

Excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed all the dishes we ordered. I was worried about the spice level, but server pointed me toward the least spicy dishes on theme menu. Good food, good service. Recommend.

I had some friends visiting, and when Americans come, Indian is always a safe bet. Even the okay stuff goes over well with them. My usual go-​to has recently had a menu overhaul (not in a good way), so I thought about trying out Rasa.
We arrive. There’s a ton of space which is nice, but not many people. Of course, it is a Tuesday night, so that may have something to do with it. But after careful consideration, we decide to go for the non-​vegetarian feast (£30 pp). And we order a bottle of red wine. Which turned out to be really good.
The non-​veggie feast started with snacks (poppadoms, banana chips plus more delicious goodies) and SIX chutneys. It was like being back in South India again. And they were all really good. The coconut and the lemon chutneys were my favorite. This is followed by some starters. You can also tell them what starters you’re interested in, and one of my friends wanted the samosa and my partner wanted the lamb puffs, so we made sure to get those both. There was also a fried prawn. And a couple of really nice sauces.
But then the feast arrived! FOUR different curries, two different rices, potatoes, paratha and chapati. Wow! It filled up the table. And it was really good. The potatoes were spicy. My partner said the paratha was better than usual (I get them quite a bit because I love them, and he always tries them). The curries were great. My favorite being the lamb and the spicy chicken. The fish curry had nice flavor, but the fish was slightly over cooked.
The meal ended with some rice pudding. I loved the flavor. I think if I had a choice, I’d probably get a different dessert as the banana dosas sounded great. Speaking of dosas, the table next to us ordered them and they were huge. I’m definitely going to go back and try them.
I loved my time at Rasa. Good food, good service and good company. I’ll definitely be back and probably be bringing visitors who want some good South Indian food.

Ein sehr angenehmes Restaurant mit indischer Küche. Das Personal ist höflich und aufmerksam. Die Speisen sind aromatisch und harmonisch gewürzt. Wer sein Gericht scharf mag dem wird hier entsprochen. Die Preisgestaltung und das Speisenangebot empfinde ich als ausgewogen. Als Spezialität gelten die Krabben-​Gerichte.

We ended up here because Masala Zone was booked for reservations. We tried the paratha, chicken biryani, and the chicken curry. It’s descent indian food, but nothing special. Good service.

Good find. Used to North Indian food so much of it was different from things we’ve tried but really enjoyed the paratha bread, and coconut curry chicken and coconut rice. Things were fresh and service was efficient. Cute atmosphere and decent prices.

Really good service, nice and quick.
Amazing food, even though the lamb dish was super spicy.
I recommend it as it was a really good experience.

Mediocre food, terrible service.
We had a reservation for 7 p.m. and we were there right on time. We sat on the second floor (there’s a weird spiral staircase to get up there) and placed our orders pretty quickly. I don’t know if this is just standard for England, but rice isn’t included with your dishes; you have to order it separately. We also asked for water.
The waiter brought over sparkling water to pour in our glasses, but that’s not what we wanted. I don’t think you should assume people want sparkling water. We told him we wanted still, and he seemed really pissed and went back to the bar to get a bottle of still. I saw him putting down the glasses rather forcefully.
Our appetizer came quickly; we got the selection of various fried starters. I thought the frying was heavy and nothing seemed particularly inspired, though the eggplant (tempura-​style) was probably the best. The dish also had plantains, a lentil donut-​type thing and a potato ball.
Our entrees took FOREVER, about 45 minutes. The table next to us came later and got their food faster – they didn’t order appetizers, but I still don’t think they should be all the way through their main course before we even see a main course show up. The waiters never took any time to explain what was going on and seemed to avoid eye contact with us when they walked by.
The food, when it finally came, was just fine. It lacked any hint of heat– we understood it wouldn’t be Indian-​level spicy, but thought it would have something– and came in pretty small portions. The best was probably the chicken biryani and the roti. Everything else just seemed rather uninspired: the chicken tikka masala, the fish curry and the spinach and lentil vegetarian dish. It was also very hard to see how any of these dishes could take that long to make.
They tacked on a 12.5% service charge at the end, which seemed high, given their attitude problems and our interminable wait.

Excellent all around experience at Rasa. We had the veggie and non-​veggie feasts (tasting menus) and all the selections were good or great with not a single misfire across a dozen dishes. Quite impressive indeed but no single dish was epic like at Roti Chai or Trishna so that’s why it’s just short of 5 stars. Also, service while attentive and polite was not always in sync with the cadence of the meal (we had long waits between courses). Décor is cozy and traditional, nothing too chic like the modern venues but holds it’s own homestyle charm. Highly recommended, and great value for the cost.

We arrived at this unassuming din spot in the early evening. It was jammin’ already. We got seated upstairs, in eyesight of the two lil’ elevators responsible for transporting food to the guests upstairs. Nice. I ordered a glass of Merlot, and was pleasantly surprised. I opted for the vegetarian feast tasting menu. Ay. Ay. Ay.
Course #1: buncha’ amazing chutneys served with crispy chips (mmmmmm ya, they were solid)
Course #2 potato, plantain, aubergine fritters served with a chutney for each (least fav was the plantain, the aubergine with tomato chutney was great)
Course #3 lil’ bowls of greatness: mixed veggie curry, daal saag, mango yogurt (ah-​may-​zingggg) served with roti (paratha was a win), spiced potatoes
Course #4 rice pudding (had a taste, but didn’t eat the rest. Not their best work)
Service was a little slow, as they were slammed and basically only had one waiter upstairs. Everyone was super nice tho. There was a bit of a lag between courses, but other than that, it was a great dining experience! I’d go back, no doubt.

Although the portions were pretty good for Europe something was just missing! we had couple of starters and they were quite good. Esp. the lamb puffs. The meals were just OK 2 chicken, lamb and veggie dish. We asked one spicey and it real was as we like it. But they were just OK. The nan was very poor compared to what I am used to. Very similar to the frozen ones we buy.
Price was very expensive for us. Has to be the most expensive indian food I ever had. But then again everything seems expensive here in London. I thought Canada was expensive!!! Everywhere else in Europe seems very fair even Paris.

This was a good, not great, local spot… They didn’t have all the dishes that I normally like (like Vindaloo, etc…) but think it is traditional of the area… The food was not as spicy as I would have liked, but had a very nice meal.
The staff wasn’t the most helpful when it came to recommendations or descriptions. Especially difficult for someone who didn’t see his usual favorites.

Ok so. First things first:
do you remember last time you went to an indian restaurant? Ok take everything you remember from that experience and throw it away, as this is NOT the usual indian. It’s Kerala cuisine! Much more similar to Tamil/​Sri-​lanka food than to Rajasthan!
You will understand the difference from the very beginning: more flavored, with bananas, coconut, lots of fresh cardamom, different types of curry. Take a minute and try to understand the different flavors you find in every bite: amazing uh!
Anyway, speaking more in particular about the place: it’s pink, SERIOUSLY PINK. I call it (in italian at least!) «ancient pink», I’m not aware of any actual translation… Anyway, the restaurant is developed on two floors and it’s quite small: that means that it will be crowded and noisy, please don’t bring your date here (as I saw today…)! Bring your friends or your at-​least-​two-​or-​better-​three-​years-​partner here and have fun!
We took the non-​vegetarian menu: a set of flat bread/​dry bananas with sauces (awesome sauces!!), a starter composed by three pieces, lamb puff, chicken samosa and fried prawn (please don’t ask me the exact names!), and an assortment of main dishes, chicken, lamb, fish, potatoes and rice (something like a biryiani), and a small dessert to close everything, the classical rice pudding (if I remember well it’s called kheer…).
Damn! this food is good! I mean, it’s not simply good (maybe not for everybody. it’s hot! but well if you don’t like spicy food why the hell you are in an indian restaurant???) but it’s INTERESTING: As I said before, try to think about what you’re eating at every bite, it’s simply unbelievable! wonderful raw products and with a lot of experience in mixing them in a terrific result! Thatìs why I’m suggesting the menu, so that you can actually taste the highest number of different plates in a single meal!
Just a bad side-​note: they were a bit slow (but that’s ok, it’s saturday night!) and I hate to pay for white rice in indian restaurants usually rice is for free! but anyway totally recommended, come and discover a new state of India and its wonderful flavors!

Ah– MA-​ZING! This was the best South Indian food I have ever eaten. From the first bite (to the completely stuffed) last, I found myself humming and closing my eyes and saying «mmm,» through the whole meal.
The menu is a little daunting for me because there is so much text. I would have like to have taken it to the hotel to read a day before to understand all the great stories being told about the food, how the smells remind the author of one thing or the next from his childhood, etc. But I didn’t have that luxury. It was 10pm on a Sat, I was starved and Unilocal said they closed at 10:30p. (Luckily, on Sat– they don’t stop seating till 11pm).
I am traveling alone and unlike many prix fixe menus I have seen around town, this one was not a min of 2 ppl. So I ordered the «Non Veg» FEAST. Here’s what came with it:
— Part 1: Pre-​Meal– a basket of cruchies of all sizes, including savory banana chips. All perfectly seasoned and delicious enough that I almost got full just snacking on those! Also included was a small sampling of spicy pickles and a garlicy yogurt
— Part 2: Appetizers — served with a small cucumber, carrot and lettuce bed, the apps were a lamb puff, chicken samosa (this was THE BEST SEASONED SAMOSA I HAVE EVER HAD) and a fried prawn. The prawn was just at the right temp, not rubbery or overcooked. The lamb was mixed with potato and a little bit dry– but compared to everything else– a small textural note.
— Part 3: Mains– there were three curries– Chicken, lamb and fish– a large helping of lemon rice and a large pancake roti. The fish seemed hard at first, but did not taste dry at all. It tasted almost like it was compressed. Not sure what fish it was, but it was wonderful. The lamb was a solid curry in a dark sauce. It was cooked perfectly. The best of the three was the chicken curry. This wasn’t your average tikki masala, the seasoning was just spicy enough and went perfectly with the roti they included to mop up all the juices. Before I could finish this part I was bordering on stuffed. I couldn’t resist noshing on more of it, so I barely left any behind. Then I was truly stuffed. and along came…
Part 4: Dessert– this was a delicate tapioca rice porridge with hints of coconut, cardamon and little slices of cashews. Unlike other tapioca that I have gotten to finish and Indian meal, this one really knew how to hint at spices without overpowering it. Cardamon is a difficult spice to work with if its not toasted properly and (preferably for me) strained out rather than included whole. They handled it perfectly.
The service was spot on, I was visited several times, but not enough to feel intrusive. There was an entertaining party sitting nearby, so I heard some fun conversations. The only downside was the lack of wi-​fi and spotty phone reception, or this review would have been posted while i ate.
PS: I heard from the waiter that the cousin of the chef/​owner has a restaurant in Culver City on Venice Blvd. He wrote down the info for me. Now I have a place to check out when I get back to LA!

There are actually a few restaurants called Rasa in London, but this one is pretty hard to miss. It’s the bright pink building on Dering Street. If you’re standing there, you’re in the right place.
We came here with a giant group of about 15 people for a night out and the service was top notch. Walked in, they lead us up a set of winding stairs to a long rectangular table waiting for us. Love when they’re ready to go on a reservation for a big group. Big points right there.
It’s South Indian cuisine, which means you won’t get the normal range of items that you might be used to (for instance, no Naan bread but they had Paratha, which was flat and soft bread which went amazingly well with the curries, and Dosa, or paper-​thin pancakes filled with meats and cheeses, which was a meal all on it’s own.) We tried a ton of stuff and all of it was quality, so a good chance to experiment with something new.
Some stands outs were the chicken masala, was was hot and sweet with soft cubes of chicken and the green Kozhy Curry, mmmm. And the prices are crazy reasonable, about £8 for a main dish. Nice.
We were checked on often through the night and the food came quickly. A really nice spot for a really nice meal, especially with a large group.

They do Take Away! It’s a great thing to have such a good restaurant in such an expensive area, but to also have the offer of Take Away makes it amazing. Although its a take away with a difference. One can only decide between three options: vegetarian, meat or big meat Mealbox.
I normally go for the Vegetarian Mealbox, which includes two sorts of spicy curry, rice, a mini bread, a side dish and some milk pudding for desert. It’s a good sized meal for £4. It makes me happy. As the curry flavours don’t change this is not something for every week, but for special «I need a treat.» days.

Wir wurden sehr herzlich von dem Geschäftsführer empfangen, und zu unseren Plätzen begleitet. Die vegetarische Vorspeisenplatte war umfangreich, lecker und preislich perfekt. Zu den Hauptspeisen haben wir Reis und ein sehr leckeres indisches Brot auf Blätterteigbasis geordert. Unsere Hauptspeisen bestanden aus Hühnchen und Lamm. Beides war sehr sehr lecker!
Vor den Augen der Gästen wird ein Brot-​/​Teigspezialität zubereitet. Unsere neugierigen Blicke sind dem Kellner aufgefallen und haben prompt eine Portion zum probieren erhalten. Das ist echte Gastfreundlichkeit!
Indische Pärchen, Touristen und Geschäftsleute stellten das Publikum dar. Insofern kann ich das Rasa in der Dering Street herzlichst empfehlen!!!