Traditional and tasty fare

Chef Subir Chowdhury’s East-meets-West creations will take diners on a spicy journey that aims to tantalise the taste buds and remind them of home.

With more than nine years of culinary experience under his belt specialising in Indian cuisine, Chef Subir is serving up traditional, flavourful fare at Ramee Grand Hotel and Spa’s fine dining restaurant in Seef.

Rasoi, which means kitchen in Hindi, actually has a live kitchen which allows patrons to witness the chef and his four cooks in action grilling with the tandoori oven and whipping up savoury curries.

Since Indian cuisine ranges in spice and flavour from one region to another, the menu offers diners a variety of options to feast upon from North, South, East and West. And while Chef Subir doesn’t waste any time dishing it out, his mission, along with the friendly team of servers dressed in saris and pyjama trousers, is to make sure customers savour the fare produced.

Chef Subir said: “I want diners to feel at home here. We have a friendly atmosphere and serve food from the heart. We are flexible in spice and can customise a dish to suit the customers’ needs. Some like the heat … while others don’t.

“We strive on making our guests feel comfortable and happy. I also like giving my guests options. For example, at some restaurants you will be offered only one style of kebab. What if they taste the dish and don’t like the kebabs? My dish, for example, will have three different types of meat kebabs giving customers a sample of each. If they prefer one to the other, they can order more of it next time.”

My husband Sam and I were treated to Rasoi’s five-star service and can honestly say ‘mission accomplished’. The venue, which can seat 80, is modern and sophisticated with touches of India from beautiful murals of the Taj Mahal and elephants to large lanterns and wooden elements.

The food complemented the contemporary decor as it too was presented like a work of art. Each dish was so beautiful to behold that it was almost a shame to tuck into ... but we are glad we did.

Chef Subir started us off with crispy papadums which were accompanied by a trio of tasty sauces including tamarind, mint and mango chutney.

Within minutes a sensational seafood platter appeared which included salmon cake with onion, cucumber and dill, tandoori shrimp and crab chutney with deep fried soft crab. The crab was unlike anything I had ever sampled and the salmon was beyond tender that it was devoured instantly.

After cleaning our plates, the chef’s favourite was brought to the table, a lamb shank with spinach sauce on a bed of biriyani rice and topped off with citrus, lime foam. The lamb melted in the mouth. I can understand why it’s the chef’s favourite as it was heartwarming and filling.

A server then brought over a medley of curries including palak paneer, spicy chicken masala and yellow dal with the most delicious naan bread. One offering was cheesy with a cute combination of mozzarella and cheddar.

Since Sam loves his spice, the chef brought over copper bowls of onion, chutney and green chilli to add extra oomph to his meals.

We ended the experience with my favourite Indian dessert, gulab jamun, a dumpling smothered in sweet sugary syrup and condensed milk. And, while full, as the saying goes, there is always room for dessert. The sugary delight was complimented by the creamy vanilla ice-cream which is made fresh in-house.

Pleasantly impressed with the quality of food, presentation and service, Rasoi is now one of our new favourite destinations for hearty Indian-style eats and inviting atmosphere. The restaurant also offers traditional, folksy, instrumental music by the Gazal band in the evenings.

Perhaps next time we will try the mezza-style business lunch, served from 12.30pm to 3pm, offering vegetarians and non-vegetarians an array of up to seven curries including starters, mains and dessert. It’s priced BD6 for vegetarians and BD7 for meat lovers.
For details, contact 17111999.

The Royal Golf Club will open its fourth public dining outlet, Repartee, on September 1.

It will feature a light menu with a Far East flavour and views of the golf course. There will also be an outdoor terrace.

The restaurant will be open from 5pm to midnight daily.

For details, call 17750777.

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Head down to the Royal Golf Club for its Links Friday Carvery Brunch which includes a range of starters, live cooking stations, traditional carved meats, desserts and more.

There’s also a special section for children including a ‘create your own cupcake’ station.

The brunch, from noon to 4pm, costs BD18 net for adults including unlimited selected soft drinks and BD27 net for adults with unlimited selected house beverages. It’s BD 9.500 net for children under 12 and children aged four and under can eat for free.

For details, call 17751262.