Lunch at Rasika

My cousin La and I have been wanting to try Rasika for a couple of years already and finally we got to try it last December.

Rasika is the most popular Indian restaurant in Washington DC. Yelp, Urbanspoon, OpenTable and so many other sites rate it 4.5 stars. Majority of the reviewers gave it glowing reviews. So you can just imagine my excitement and high expectations.

I really liked the interiors.

Almost all the reviews I’ve read online raved about the palak chaat. I didn’t really know what it was except for the description “crispy spinach, sweet yogurt, tamarind, date chutney.” I was thinking, “what’s so special about that?”

palak chaat $9

I can’t forget the first bite. The intense flavors of sweet, tangy, salty was umami to the max. The spinach was still incredibly crisp in spite of all the sauces. Crispy slivers of fried shallots boosted the flavors even further. There was a very subtle heat too. It was truly an incredible dish.

I saw the other diners around us all ordered the same dish. I’m pretty sure everyone who eats at Rasika orders the palak chaat. I wouldn’t have minded a second order.

We ordered the black cod, the second most raved about dish. They split an order into two plates without us having to ask them. The black cod’s marinade was fresh dill, honey, star anise and red wine vinegar.

It was simply spectacular! It didn’t have the usual Indian flavor that I was used to. Instead it was slightly sweet, very fragrant.. It was perfectly cooked. The cod had a very buttery flavor and it literally melted in my mouth.

black cod $25

Of all the dishes we ordered the lamb curry was the most ordinary. It wasn’t bad at all but it paled in comparison to the first two dishes. The lamb was tender enough but I just found it boring. In hindsight there were many other dishes we should have ordered instead.

lamb roganjosh $17

The lamb came with a bowl of rice but we wanted naan instead. The naan had a drizzle of truffle oil. That’s the first time I’ve had such a combination.

naan $3