On the weekend that the River Leam burst its banks, we decided to have a meal in a bank. Well at least it used to be.
The Rasoi restaurant has been built in what used to be a branch of LloydsTSB down in Old Town opposite the main Post Office.
Rasoi, which means kitchen in Punjabi, is the latest addition to Leamington's growing list of eateries and this one is wel
l worth a visit.
The owner Rangi has set out to do something quite different with the menu at Rasoi. His aim is to supply a range of traditional food from the Punjab, cooked freshly to order in the open plan kitchen. All the ingredients are fresh and sourced locally and even the sauces and chutneys are all hand prepared.
The restaurant itself has a bright modern look and feel, with red leather and chrome chairs, modern granite-look tables and stylish table decorations. The wall paintings were created by a local artist, to fit in with the restaurant's décor.
Upstairs is a modern, well-stocked bar, which serves as an ideal pre-meal meeting place or perhaps a quiet area to savour a coffee after the meal.
Have you eaten there? What did you think? Send us your views on this story by clicking here. Your opinions could be used on this website or in the Courier or Weekly NewsThe place was surprisingly busy for a Sunday evening, with a cross section of ages and ethnicity; an encouraging sign of authenticity.
The menu has a wide choice of starters and entrées, including meat courses, fish and 11 vegetarian choices. Rangi says that he will prepare to order, if a customer has a particular preference, as he is still developing his ideas for the menu. The wine list is interestingly different. The white choices included a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a Reisling from the Clare Valley, Australia. Amongst the reds were a Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir and our choice for the evening, a Shiraz from the Barossa.
I started with Tandoori King Prawns in Saffron, caraway seeds and yoghurt, while my partner ordered Lamb Seekh Kebab. Both starters were very tasty and very well presented on quality crockery with very good quality Italian cutlery. They were served with a side salad and fresh yogurt and mint. The lamb was very tender and spicy without being too hot. The yogurt worked very well with it. The king prawns were delicious too.
For main courses, we chose Butter chicken and Lamb Saag. They were both fantastic. The chicken was described as being in satin, smooth, tomato gravy. If anything, that description understated it. The lamb came sautéed in spinach, with dry roasted garlic and herbs.
At the end of the meal, we both agreed that this had been the best Indian meal we had eaten.
The bill for the meal, pre-dinner drinks and wine was under £60, which we considered to be a bargain for such good quality.
Trevor Roberts
