Rasa N16

I’ve given this 2 out of 5 because:
* The entrance to the restaurant smelt like urine
* The food was extraordinarily bland. We had the Rasa Kayi and the Beet Cheera. I couldn’t recommend either.

I’ve been excited try Rasa, the original and vegetarian only location, since I’ve moved and it did not disappoint! We squeezed in before the 10:45pm closing time, but we were still seated and told to order quickly as the kitchen was about to close and that the restaurant closed at 11pm… fair enough. There are few vegetarian restaurants open late in this town on a weeknight and the hard-​working staff understandably needs to go home at a decent hour. The service was very polite and the food came out super-​quick.
The bright pink décor was eye-​catching from the outside and the unique folk art on the walls provided a nice touch. There was a nice warmth to the ambience on a cold night.
We ordered the vegan Kerala specialities since we hadn’t had Indian food from Kerala before. We had the Banana Boli to start, which were plantain fritters that were savory and sweet at the same time. The peanut and ginger sauce picked up the tastebuds onto something special… so good. The Nair Dosa was very nice, with bits of chopped beetroot and ginger in addition to the usual potato filling. It was so big that we two could only eat half. The meal was rounded out with Cheera Parippu Curry, a mild creamy curry with spinach and lentils in a thick daal, rice, and Appam, a bowl-​shaped rice crêpe that was slightly sweet and satisfying for any dessert cravings.
I couldn’t believe how reasonable the prices were for the gourmet-​quality food! Most dishes were less than £5, except our giant dosas which was was £6.75. The entire dinner with tea was about £23, such a bargain and leftovers to boot! We’ll definitely be back.
FYI, parking can be a challenge even at 10:30pm at night, so you can try the residential side street (Lancell Street) to the east, where we had luck.

Third visit to this place for my birthday. First time I tried it I wasn’t too sure because the flavours aren’t as rich and over packed with herbs and curry as I’m used to. However, I loved the seafood soup starter and I found the food easier on my insides than my usual Indian (no wind or diarrhoea) as I am very sensitive to various ingredients. However, me and my BF are a fan now had some prawns fried in rice batter for my starter and I could literally order those everyday. (absolutely delicious). Where my usual favourite Indian across the road is empty this place is packed solid. The only thing is the place is dark, they could add some kind of lighting, and create a more inviting atmosphere.

The best Indian food i’ve even had. They actually have two locations opposite of each other — one of them is vegetarian and the other one is not. We tried both and were really impressed. The vegetarian place is always very crowded. I will definitely be coming back.

This place has two spots opposite each other, one veggie and one for the meats! Given it was a mates birthday and that mate happened to not eat meat, we found ourselves on the veggie side of the street. New territory for me then.
The restaurant is quite small and like most curry joints, feel a little rammed but we jumped in on a big old table at the back. Drink options seemed a little limited, no cider which is a little disappointing but some solid wine options and beer.
Given we actually had no experience of ordering curry without meat, our friend ordered an array of starters and mains to all come out at once. A little wait, probably for the amount of food for 12 people, and the food covered the table, there was a ton! Loads of different options, with the majority including cauliflower and lentils, both great. A highlight was this black bean and lentil spicy mix, went amazing with the deep fried plantains.
After the food, it took ages to get the table cleared, the staff seemed to forget about us a little. Little annoying as we were all parched and needed another drink or at least some water.
Not a bad spot and worth a try but if I was going back I’d be found across the street topping up my protein. Be nice if it was BYOB too!!!

Now I’m not vegetarian but this place is pretty good! Food is banging and prices are great. The only way it loses stars is the service and table space. Me and my friends were in the back room which was way too cramped for the amount of people. And the service was slow! So I’d say if you do go make sure your on a table with plenty of room and in good view of the waiters.

What the hell is the fuss about? These curries were positively average. Even the pappadum starters I was looking forward to were very plain! Bill was 20 quid each with a beer which is pretty pricey. We ordered different curries but the base was exactly the same except mine had some chilli. Left feeling bloated and poor value.

Großartiges außergewöhnliches Essen, das man sonst in keinem anderen Indischen Restaurant bekommt.

great indian food in stoke. always packed but seem to have room for me!
my go to pace for sit down Indian in stokey.
they have a vegetarian place across the street.
the best dish we had that nice was the lamb in coconut sauce, but the curry lamb was amazing as well.
the fried aurbegine appetizer was underwhelming.
rice, nan — its all good…

I’ve been hearing about Rasa for a long time:
Had a few dishes that I’d never heard of before. Namely.
Kathrikka — Tasty battered aubergine. I do like aubergine so could see myself getting this again.
Medhu Vadai — I found these dumplings rather flavourless. They seemed completely reliant on the coconut chutney to have any flavour, which I found a little disappointing. Not awful, just not interesting.
Masala Dosa — Ah the dosa, whats not to love? Pancake, potatoe and spices! Will probably order some kind of dosa anytime I eat at one of these restaurants and this was a good one!
Bagar Baingin — An unusual curry. Its an aubergine recipe with onions, corriander, chillies, tamarind, yoghurt and cashew nuts all in the mix. It was tasty, but odd. I liked it, would order it again but would probably try some other new things before going back to it.
The mains were accompanied by some very nice lemon rice and a Paratha! Right now having only recently discovered this kind of Indian food, every meal at such places is like an adventure. I guess I’ll get used to the genre eventually!
Place filled up very soon after we sat down, with a large group occupying most of the rest of the back room that we were in. Could get a little crowded in such a case.

I love Indian vegetarian food and so was looking forward to coming here. Rasa on Stoke Newington Chuch St. specialises in southern Kerala cuisine was distinctly different from other places I’ve sampled.
We opted for the Keralan feast. The flavours that stand out here are different from your standard Indian dishes with coconut, tamarind, some yoghurt and fruity tastes and more delicate too but quite heavy onion flavour also.
Snacks of popadoms, banana chips and some crunchy bites came followed by fritters and some great chutneys to accompany (sour, sweet, coconut and tangy). A mix of veg curries and tamarind rice with cashews, then an aubergine dish with a creamy sauce, a more tangy ‘dry’ mix veg curry, dahl and some yoghurt with soft sweet mango slices which went really well together. The paratha bread was the best I’ve had and made of coiled strands that pulled apart into soft threads. Perfect for scooping up the delicious mixture.
We were full and satisfied at the end. Service was great and the food came pronto. Great value.

This place was nice but too tight. Then again everything in this county is a tight squeeze. That being said not a bad place but don’t plan on dining with a huge group of people.

I really don’t like being the ‘odd review person’ but unfortunately I did not enjoy the food at Rasa.
I’ve ordered crab, beetroot curry, idli (the rice pancake) and Kesari.
Crab: wasn’t fresh: the meat wouldn’t separate from the shell and I basically ended up having tiny bits shells being mixed up with my food because it would get tangled up with the meat. Ruined crab. And — it’s not a whole crab! Just one side of it — without the delicious body!
Beetroot curry: sour. Very sour. I had to send it back. Waiter substituted it with some coconut pea and carrot curry. But I would eat coconut with anything anyway — I actually believe if you add coconut milk to anything it can save majority of the foods. Well, it saved the curry. But it was lacking that something special.
Idli — was ok, dry on the outside. I got used to the small putty buns in South Indian places rather than an actual crêpe-​looking idli.
Kesari — made up for my misfortunes with the above — a contributor to a two-​star review. Nice, fresh and delicious pieces of the dessert with the mango sorbet on top. If you’re at Rasa — definitely try this one.
Service — very good — another contributor to the two star. Waiter advised against a green mango curry saying that it was sour and if I’m not a fan of sour I wouldn’t enjoy it. He substituted the curry I didn’t like and just generally was very nice.

I am a big fan of the Rasa chain. Service is great the food is even better and the atmosphere is always lovely. This where London and not just keralites come for keralan food and that doesn’t mean they tone down the spice it’s exactly where my mother has it.
One criticism would be that because of the way they prepare the food bases made early and ingredients add after ordering I always come away feeling very bloated. Doesn’t take away from the taste when I am eating tho!

The food is the best Indian I have ever had.
Everything is yummy, far better than small town sloppy Indian’s i’m used to.

I love this restaurant. The very thought of the moru kachiathu, or the beet cheera pachadi, their parathas, their flavorful rices, the salted lassi… sorry, where was I? Too busy salivating to continue… oh right, the very thought of their food drives me to distraction. It’s all so good.
The restaurant can get busy, and the back room can be pretty loud, but once the dishes are laid in front of me I cease to care. Make reservations or try to go on a weeknight. I’ve yet to bring anyone here who wasn’t impressed.

Well its fabulous and pink, and the food was good, but is this really the best curry in London? Well, let’s see…
We were off to a good start with the snack plate and lovely pickled items, which I can recommend without reservation. Its always a good idea to start a meal this way!
Pictures of Jamie Oliver and Tony Bordain on the walls. Okay, confirmation that this meal is likely going to be good!
Next a dosa that was tasty and solid. All vegetables and a tomato base in the filling contained in a crunchy pan fried dosa pancake.
Whatever that eggplant dish with cream and curry was, it is a stand out. Absolutely fantastic and decadent, and a must order there for any visit to Rasa. Actually, I will be dreaming about this dish for some time to come. Maybe this is THE dish that keeps Tony and Jamie coming back. It was the winner of the evening.
We also shared a dahl and spinach curry dish and a tamarand rice. Both were solid and the dahl was packing full heat. A solid offering, but not particularly memorable. (All I could think about was that lovely auburgine dish.)
The incense aroma was strong, pungent, unnecessary in the dining room. Should be a rule against incense, scented candles: no thanks in the dining room!
All in all, I’m not sure if this lived up to the expectations you might have for a Sauveur award winning and Jaime Oliver and Tony Bourdain lauded establishment, but Rasa’s certainly provided a solid and reliable effort, and an enjoyable South Indian meal.

Rasa has a few restaurants around London, some are Veggie, some are meat and some are fish. The original 2 are on Church street (opposite sides of the road to each other — both Pink, can’t miss them really) and are veggie & meat.
It’s South Indian /​Keralan food at it’s best!
This is the guy who taught Jamie Oliver how to cook Indian. Rasa also sells his own cook books in his restaurants, I love them, the recipes are really easy to follow and use really fresh ingredients.
The few dishes on the menu are so nice and different from the usual English/​Indian places (the ones with the dodgy carpets, 20 different types of the same curry and mildly annoying waiters that stand and stare at you whilst you eat because you are the only one in their place, yes, you know the ones!)
The popodoms and dips are great, all different shapes and unusual flavoured dips.
If you get the chance, I definitely recommend you try one of his restaurants.

Stoke Newington favourites for many years, I was keen to try one of the outposts of South Indian restaurant Rasa. Specialising in Keralaite cuisine and particularly that from the southern part of the region, it’s traditionally vegetarian or fish based, steeped in coconut, rich spices and fruit flavours and served with plain rice or flaky, butter filled parathas.
The two restaurants face each other across Stoke Newington Church Street; Rasa on one side, the more established and entirely vegetarian original and the mixed and more meaty Rasa Travancore on the other. I don’t mind a vegetarian restaurant, indeed, some of my favourite restaurants are vegetarian, but given the choice, and seeing the reception that the veggie end of the Travancore menu got from my more health aware guest, we went for the meaty side of the street.
Once inside the garish pink portal, you’re not transported to a open air joint on the humid Kerala coast, more a generic curry house on a suburban high street. The thick faux leather menu that clumps down does its best to get you there though. First there’s the pricing, and that pleasant holiday sense of surprised «how much!». Then there’s the list of food, rich in interesting difference, a world of exotic Malabar, Keralian and Travancore rarities poetically arranged in Ariel Bold.
A starter of lamb puffs were slightly irrelevant. Homemade sausage rolls in perfectly fine pastry cocoons, the mince richly and appropriately spiced, but nothing that would be cause for more than a murmur appearing in a home packed picnic on nearby Clissold Park.
The meat free Travancore Kayi Curry was, considering the restaurant’s vegetarian roots and the fact it was labelled as signature dish, surprisingly pedestrian. Potatoes, peas and carrots in a thin mild coconut curry sauce. A student staple, though at £3.90 for a big bowl, student pricing too.
Tharavu Roast Duck was a different beast altogether. A thick, technically dry curry, brought to life with a hefty whallop of black pepper, cardamom and ginger. The richness of the meat, braised and shredded, contrasted with the deep and complex sauce. Suggested with the aforementioned doughily delicious parathas, it was the sort of cooking you’d come back for again and again. I wouldn’t necessarily say the same for the veggie main, but maybe that’s what you cross the street for.

This ain’t no normal India meal I tells ya, it’s a taste experience in itself. Dishes I have never tasted or even heard of before are lovingly described on the menu.
I mean, how can you not love a place that as you sit down put some fish chutney in from of you…“enjoy“
So I had eaten in the veggie version of this place just across the street and decided to try, now in my full carnivorous state, to sample to meaty menu. I was actually surprised, I mean the menu is not as extensive but the service was by far better and the food just as tasty! We ordered a selection, as I always like to, from the starter and mains menu and some soft drinks. It was lovely, really lovely.
Now what I think swayed me a little bit more to like this place was where they say us. The venue is 3 rooms and we were on a little table in the back connecting «walk-​way» room. This meant that my eating partner got to sit next to each other and not at opposite end of the table, which is something I love, as well as watch everyone else’s yummy food pass us… mmmmm. Perfect!

Rasa Travancore if it wasn’t for your vegetarian sister across the road I would have given you 4 stars. Sadly, by comparison, you will always be second best. Your curries are still great (vegetarian selection starting at £3.90) and your lemon rice so, so tasty. Sadly, your sister just has far more buzz about her. She is the Kylie to your Dannii, the Beyonce to your Solange, the Britney to your Jamie-​Lynn (pre-​crazy of course!).
The food here is still high quality but the service slightly lacking. I hate being seated against the window of an empty restaurant– it’s always uncomfortable to have people looking in, staring at your food and weighing up whether it’s worth popping in. There was a little fuss when we asked to move tables but to give Rasa its credit, they shifted us over fairly swiftly. We shared a poppadom selection which was great but spiced chicken chutney had an unpleasant foamy texture. The two vegetarian curries we ordered were very tasty but we had to choose from half the selection we could have had across the road. Sharing an over sized beer kept the price down to a reasonable £10 a head. All in all, good, but not great, try Rasa Vegetarian instead!