Rasa

Living in the east bay and being from Mumbai, I’ve had my share of Indian Food. I’m quite critical of it and usually the best is from a whole in the wall restaurant. Usually a full indian meal is under $ 20, and I have leftovers for the next day. RASA is not that kind of place.
It’s Indian food served with sophistication and pizzazz. It’s also got a shiny michelin star to showcase it’s accomplishments. The restaurant itself is a two floor seating arrangement with good clean décor. It isn’t too stuffy, nor do you need to wear a suit and tie. Infact, when I went, it happened to be a random weeknight and I was in jeans and tshirt, I fit right in.
The food is traditionally South Indian, but has notes from North India as well. I got the vada pav for starters, which is potato sliders served on a grilled bun. It even came with the authentic «gun powder» which is a dry chili powder meant to be mixed with butter for a added kick.
The service was the one thing that wasn’t the best. Our waiter was hard to find and we had to flag down another get a refill for water. If its one thing they needed, was a fine tuning in their service.
The food overall definitely had a kick, but worth the punch.

The besssssstest restaurant in terms of service and taste :)
I would give it more than 5 stars :)
I loveeeee their dahi vada, mutter paneer., parathas, white elephant dosa… actually i like all their veg items :)
Occassionally i drive 45 mins just for the great food and the greaaat service.
I would suggest them to improve their dessert menu though, their desserts are, i would say not my most fav.
But a very fav restaurant to me :)

With high majority of Unilocal reviews and a Michelin star, we decided to try diner at Rasa. Sadly it didn’t live up to the Michelin expectations. Small restaurant. The downstairs looks nicer than the upstairs, but feels more cramped, while the upstairs is a bit less claustrophobic, but feels like a cheaper restaurant. The bar area is tiny, doesn’t feel like a place to really hang out.
Service was just okay, food was okay, nothing special and could of used more seasoning or spices. Prices were high for the food quality and quantity even with their location not being on Burlingame Avenue.

Walked in for lunch. Food and ambience were perfect. Together we ordered the beet salad, Shepard Dosa, seasonal vegetable curry, Uthapam, ginger lemonade and mint cucumber cooler.
Beet salad had an Indian twist with addition of fried lenthils for crunch. The Shepard dosa was perfect in Taste (You get 2 chutneys, sambar and ground lamb curry) — all the spices were balanced. Vegetable curry had a coconut base and spiced well. If you love ginger, Make sure you try the homemade ginger lemonade. The Uthapam was also cooked perfectly.
If you love lamb like I do, make sure you get the Shepard dosa. Dosa and lamb go very well together. Droooooooling!
The prices are a little higher, but the flavors make it up.
Ps: if you like spicy food, please do ask them to spice it up. The spice level is milder than traditional Indian food.

Overall Rasa was a great place for dinner and drinks. I’m a huge fan of Indian food… and after Rasa was awarded a Michelin Star I knew I needed to check it out.
Note — Rasa specializes in Southern Indian specialties like Dosas and Uttapams. A dosa is essentially a super thin crêpe made of rice flower and lentils that you dip in chutneys or other sauces.
We ordered:
Crispy idli chaat — this is like little fried dough balls with a killer sauce. The sauce was amazing — but I’d probably pass on this one next time.
Shepherds Dosa — the dosa and lamb were delicious — but the chutneys were only OK.
Shrimp masala — the BF liked this one. It came with a good amount of shrimp too!
The food was good, and the restaurant was decorated well. However, I think I prefer some of the grungier restaurants in Sunnyvale more (Ullavucharu or Madras Café). More authentic (I’m not Indian — but I’ve eaten a ton of Indian food!!) — and bigger bang for your buck. However, if you’re looking for a fancier Indian restaurant… Rasa is the place to go!

ermergerd
black and white calamari
i didn’t care for the sauce but it was bomb without it
skipped the dosa (tried dosa at dosa in sf once, not crazy for dosa)
the wild mushroom uthapam! yum.
i skimped on using the sauces again, i knooooowwww, i knooww i’m missing the point.
but the soup that it comes with!!! so good.
the andhra chicken curry! and the roti or whatever buttery carbo bread thing it comes with?!! i died.
and finally the travancore style fish moilee (coconut fish curry)
d^^b
whatever fish it was, cooked perfect.
curry leaf rice, perfect complement.
snow pea salad, goood.
we were too full for dessert, which i’m regretting so hard as i’m looking at these pics
we seriously waddled out of there, it was glorious. glo. ri. ous.
service is great, presentation is on point, ambiance is lovely, it’s a great place to carry a semi quiet conversation and we were seated in the foyer, too.
also, we got seated without a reservation because we started kind of early for dinner. the place got packed real quick… and on a wednesday, fyi.

SO good! We had a reservation for Mother’s Day lunch and were seated promptly when we arrived. The restaurant was a bit cramped on the first floor, but ambience was great! Onto the food…
We ordered the Bombay Sliders, which were delicious! I was initially a bit hesitant given that the server indicated that the cilantro was already mixed into the potato fritters, but I honestly couldn’t taste it at all. The buns that the potato fritters were served on were so buttery and amazing. This is a must-​order! Following the sliders, we had the Truffle Dosa and Wild Mushroom Uttappam (my mom is a huge fan of truffles). I preferred the Truffle Dosa, and loved the tomato yogurt sauce it was served with. The truffle flavor isn’t super strong in either dish.
Lastly, we had the Butter Chicken, which was accompanied by four generous pieces of paratha. This was probably my favorite dish (close contender with the Bombay Sliders). It was SO flavorful and creamy and worked perfectly with the paratha. This was such a nice change from the typical butter chicken and naan. I can’t wait to go back soon!!!

I’ve had a few lovely meals here, and then it got too busy to get a seat because of the star it earned!
Rasa is a contemporary Indian restaurant, with the menu items a hybrid of traditions and modern tastes. My Indian friends might think it expensive, but the prices really are very reasonable for the food quality, the presentation and the service.
The small plates are delicious. I usually just get a few of those and my tummy would be happy. The Bombay sliders and the lamb pepper stir fry are must tries. As for main dishes, I mostly order their curries, but the dosa is good as well.
I think the food has ample spices, and the chef does a great job blending the spices with the natural flavours of the ingredients.
I would really like to come here again and again…

Rasa does a great job elevating Southern Indian food. This is one of the best valued Michelin restaurants but it will be more than your typical chicken tikka masala joint. I shared 4 cocktails and 7 dishes (5 small plates, 1 curry entrée, and 1 dessert) with 3 friends for about $ 50pp.
Tip 1 — don’t skip cocktails! My absolute favorite is the pykara falls. The waiter said it was an Indian moscow mule but it tasted like icy milk with a hint of spices. If you’re looking for something more fruity, try the hibiscus ginger.
Tip 2 — skip the large and filling curry entrees for more small plates. We tried the chettinadu lamb curry. While tasty, it was also very ordinary and lacked depth or complexity of flavor. I think I could’ve gotten something very similar for less than $ 30 per bowl. On the other hand, the bombay sliders, crisp idil chaat, seared scallops, and the lamb stir fry were bites bursting with flavor!
Tip 3 — save room for dessert, even if you’re not a sweets person! The cardamom brulee is unlike any crème brûlée I’ve ever had. It is so moist and the texture is more like a tres leches (milk cake). It’s very lightly sweetened and the cardamom adds an interesting balance.

I almost never write a review based on one visit but this dinner was awesome! We shall return.
Our server Christina was a perfect match to the good food and ambiance. I’ve tried the:
— curry leaf chicken (sweetest raw purple onion slices and tasty yogurt sauce!)
— heirloom winter salad (LOVE; just perfect all year long but esp to offset any super spicey stuff)
— asparagus soup (pepper has a high kick)
— lamb curry
— sustainably-​caught black cod
— mango ginger-​jito (LOVE)
— mango lassi (LOVE)
— chai (LOVE)
— affogato (YUM)
And already have a bunch I want to try next.
I really like the unassumingly small entrance that becomes a larger dining area on two floors. The décor is tastefully modern and super inviting. The sustainably-​caught fish and organic meats make it even more appealing! I would come back for every occasion — dinner with the fam, for dates, dinner with friends, work outing, anything really!
(I definitely eat a lot so the 2-​person table looked a little narrow but maybe that’s just me.)
If you can’t get a rez online or by phone, opt for a walk in. It’s not bad if you go on the early side. Will add to review after my next visit.

One doesn’t just get a Michelin star just like that !!
All the appetizers that we ordered were fabulous! The dishes were very authentic but with a twist… and with each and every bite you could taste the deliciousness !
Did not care much about the main course.
Service was very good.

We went here for my dad’s birthday dinner the other night with eight people. I am used to northern Indian cuisine so I didn’t really know what to expect from rasa. Our group knew we wanted to share plates so we asked the waiter what our best plan of attack should be. He was extremely helpful and nice walking us through the menu and repeating things when one side of the table could not hear. The service is part of the reason for the good review.
We started out with the black and white calamari (ehhh) and the crispy idli chaat. And to be honest after all the amazing reviews for the idli I was kind of disappointed. It was sort of tasteless little rice ball puffs. But the Bombay sliders. Man those were spicy as hell and delicious. I would order those again in a heartbeat.
Our waiter recommended that we order a dosa and an Uttappam to share. No naturally we ordered 3 Uttappam’s and one giant dosa to share. We ordered the lamb and two mushroom Uttappam. Those were both seriously delicious. The lamb was perfectly spicy and flavorful and the mushroom was cooked perfectly. My dad doesn’t even like mushrooms and he was raving about how good it was.
The dosa was one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. It’s a very delicious crêpe like southern Indian dish that comes with a variety of do it yourself fillings. Oh and did I mention these are both gluten free? Yep pretty cool.
For entrees we ordered the fish wrapped in banana lead, 2 andhra curry chicken and the butter chicken. All were super delicious and extremely flavorful. They serve it with paratha bread which is like this flakey doughy amazing thing. And lastly for dessert we had the ice cream and cardamom crème brûlée. Kinda disappointed by that one.
Regardless it was a delicious meal I will be back to try more of their interesting dishes

In all fairness the food was good but service was terrible.
1. Made a reservation and when we showed up they couldn’t find our reservation. We had to make the effort by providing a phone number and showing that we did call. They had it under a different name.
2. Had a table by the door and it was cold.
3. Told them we were here to celebrate our anniversary and no would you like a champagne or dessert to celebrate?
I don’t expect it for free but it is a nice gesture to offer to make it special. I would be more than happy to pay however, a suggestion of it is just nice at the bare minimum.
4. Waitress forgot that we ordered an item and when the bill came she shrugged it off without even an apology. Seriously and we still tipped you 15%
5. We were even asked to see a dessert menu and just given our check. Wow.
The food like I said from the beginning was wonderful. Portions were huge that we needed a doggie bag. If you are looking for a great experience or even service, your better off someplace else. This place clearly doesn’t care about repeat business’s

I ate here with my husband shortly after they were awarded their Michelin star. While we enjoyed the food (Indian is always a win!), we didn’t feel there was anything spectacular served to us. Certainly not Michelin quality. Things were overly fatty and relied on frying.
That being said, I would have given this place 4 stars, only I have been trying to get these people on the phone for over a month now. My boss has wanted to go to here for lunch with our team, but our team size is too large for reserving via Open Table. I have called at all hours of the day, so it’s not an issue of timing. Calling their number just rings and rings and rings. No voicemail, nothing. Presumably a place with a Michelin star has better customer service-​minded people running the show? I’m not going to drive to your business to make a reservation for 8 people because you cannot be bothered to answer the phone. For this, I think two stars is a suitable rating.
If you want pretty Indian food from people who have earned their Michelin star in every arena, including customer service, drive to the city for All Spice (formerly located in San Mateo). Don’t feel like driving to San Francisco? Try Burlingame’s nearby Mingalaba, which is extraordinary.

After hearing about Rasa from so many friends, I had been meaning to try this place for months – and it was SO worth it.
1. Parking & Logistics.
Parking is pretty easy, tons of street parking available and there are outdoor public parking lots on the street as well. I recommend making a reservation. I was only in a party of two, and got there right when the restaurant opened on a Saturday, and the waitress was just barely able to fit us in. We got there around 11:30, and by 12pm, the place was packed.
2. Food
I went there for lunch, but I really wanted to try the idli chaat, which is only on their dinner menu. Thankfully they were able to make it, and oh my gosh, it was amazing. I have never tasted anything like it! We also ordered the bombay sliders, which were absolutely mind-​blowing. I think that was my favorite dish in the entire meal. Also, they serve Kingfisher beer, which is one of my favorite kinds of beer! We ordered a truffle masala dosa and regular masala dosa. The regular dosa was ok, nothing amazing, but the truffle one was really good. If you go to a bougie south indian restaurant, you have to eat like a bougie south indian. So don’t try to play it safe here.
3. Service
The waiters and waitresses were all extremely friendly. Water was refilled just the right amount of times, they checked in on us, explained the food, etc.
4. Ambiance
So this was my first michelin star restaurant, and I thought it would be really fancy, but it’s not. Dress code is definitely casual. The area is clean and pretty small, but they play Bollywood music so that makes up for it.
Overall, really great variety on the menu. I definitely look forward to going back and trying more dosas & curries!

Not gonna lie, I was intrigued by Rasa by the fact that they recently earned one Michelin star AND it’s affordable. Michelin and affordable are hardly ever used together, so I knew I had to try it!
Reservations were easy to make online and there was plenty of street parking on a Saturday night.
We ordered:
Bombay Sliders — MUST ORDER. The reviews aren’t kidding when they state these are BOMB. So much flavor in just 1 tiny slider.
Crisp Idli Chaat — I thought this dish was good, but bf thought it was too tangy. However, I really enjoyed the different textures and tastes all going on in one bite.
Truffle Dosa — DELISH. The potato on its own is extremely truffle-​y, but inside the dosa and with the dipping sauces it all went perfectly well together. Would recommend as long as you enjoy truffles.
Butter Chicken — incredibly tender pieces of dark meat chicken. But what really put this dish over the edge was the kerala paratha that came with it. TO DIE FOR.
Chettinadu Lamb Curry — I don’t eat lamb so this was all the bf. He enjoyed it thoroughly. However, it came with coconut rice and he’s not crazy about coconut, so he wasn’t crazy about the combo.
Cardamom brulee — If you have room for dessert (or even if you don’t) PLEASE GET THIS DESSERT. There were a lot of mixed reviews on this dessert but I decided to try it anyways. One of my favorite desserts I’ve ever had. And I’m not even crazy about bread pudding! I thought it was a perfect way to end a fantastic meal!
Portions were large (especially entrees) and the dishes are on the heavier side, so expect to take your food to go! They taste just as good the next day. BF is a huge carnivore so he was surprised that none of our appetizers had meat, and he didn’t even notice!

HANDS DOWN THE BEST INDIAN CUISINE EVER.
Not extremely fancy like the other Michelin starred restaurants but the food was definitely michelin star worthy.
The ambiance– very trendy, hip décor. Intricate lighting, orange and cyan designs, sleek utensils, I loved it. The restaurant is multi leveled and the atmosphere is fairly causal and relaxed. The atmosphere is very warm and laid back. This is perfect for a date night or a dinner out with your friends.
The food-​absolutely perfect. I had the truffle dosa and I DIED. I wanted to cry because it was so perfect. My friend ordered an idli chaat and I ended up eating half of it (oops! Couldn’t help myself). Oh but wait, it gets better! The DESSERT was superb. I shared a cardamom brûlée with my friend and every bite was perfection. I would definitely order it again.
The service– extremely professional and warm. Not only were they friendly but the entire waiting staff was so disciplined. I was very impressed.
Overall, I would definitely come back soon.

Date night at a Michelin star restaurant? Yes, please.
It’s not so fancy that you feel like a pretentious foodie.
You don’t need to be able to dissect flavors or identify every prominent spice in each dish.
Rasa straddles that sweet spot of good food, nice ambience, fair prices and you leave feeling like you had a satisfying ‘hit the spot’ dinner.
Just the husband and I, on a chilly Saturday night.
We ordered:
Wild mushroom uttapam to start. Accompaniments came with a couple of kicked up chutneys and a small cup of lentil soup. Everything was on point. Hubs was really enjoying the chutneys.
Andhra chicken for me and Lamb curry for him. Both were very tasty. The curries were not greasy, very flavorful and came with coconut rice and buttery flaky Indian pancake bread. All were so aromatic and delicious.
We couldn’t resist dessert, so Adffogato for him and cardamon crème brûlée for me. The crème brûlée was like a bread pudding with a nice caramel crackle on top. The ice cream was light and came with berries and rice crisps. All were so good.

Please throw all your preconceived notions on how and what a Michelin Star restaurant should be. If you’re looking for a fine dining experience with white linen cloths, a chef’s tasting menu, and/​or an award-​winning sommelier then go to Saison, Atelier Crenn, or Gary Danko. If you like to enjoy a canapé menu of veggies sprinkled with unicorn piss and pay $ 800+ for two, knock yourself (and your wallet) out at Meadowood.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved all those restaurants (except Meadowood) but it’s refreshing to see more affordable restaurants like Rasa and Kin Khao make it on the 2016 Michelin Star List. You know, the ones you won’t have to forgo your first born for.
Rasa is not a place for an intimate, romantic dinner for two. It’s a very lively restaurant. And yes, there are kids but they were no louder than the group of older drunken Asian dudes next to us who kept asking the staff to take a pic of them while throwing up the double peace sign.
I think the Michelin star came to a surprise to the owner (s) of Rasa and now they’re trying to live up to those Michelin standards, whatever they may be. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and have their own tastes but I enjoyed Rasa more than I enjoyed some of the Michelin starred restaurants I’ve spent 4−5x as much money (thank you, Heather C. for dinner). The South Indian menu is creative and it was a good value for locally grown and sustainable ingredients. You can definitely get away with spending around $ 35 pp without drinks. My only disappointment was there’s no full bar (beer, wine, and sake cocktails only).
First things first, make reservations. Next, do trust the Unilocal recommended items – for once, they were spot on. Thank you, Unilocalers!
My friend and I ordered the following:
*Bombay Sliders: Spiced potato patties, soft pav bread, tamarind chutney, gunpowder + ghee, market salad ($ 10) — 5 STARS
and
Better than most meat sliders I’ve had, the combo of the soft, buttery toasted bun and the crisp, flavorful potato patty and tamarind chutney was a umami bomb! Make sure to mix the gunpowder + ghee together to form a paste and slather it on the bun for more of a kick!
*Crisp Idli Chaat w/​whipped homemade yoghurt, tamarind, mint chutney ($ 10) — 5 STARS
Ok, so the combo of the brown and green chutney makes this look like oxidizing guacamole but I promise you, it’s deliciously addicting! The idli are like baby rice flour fritters that’s dressed with cool, creamy yogurt, tangy tamarind, and refreshing mint chutney. Great textures and layers of flavors.
*Summer Truffle Dosa w/​trumpet mushrooms, curry leaves, veggie sambar, cilantro & tomato chutney ($ 15) — 3 STARS
The combo of the earthy mushrooms and overuse of truffle oil was a little too much for me. The dosa had a great crispy, crêpe like exterior though so I would try another dosa next time.
*Butter Chicken: Yoghurt marinated chicken, ginger, garlic, creamy potato & fenugreek curry, paratha ($ 23 + $ 4 coconut rice) — 4 STARS
The white chicken pieces were über tender and the sauce was more tomatoey than buttery. Spices were very mild – more for the American palate? The accompanying paratha had great crispy layers but I prefer rice to sop up all the sauce so we also ordered a side of nutty coconut rice.
*Cardamom Brûlée: bread pudding, vanilla ice cream, market berries ($ 8) — 5 STARS
A light, fluffy bread pudding with a subtle lemony-​mint flavor and caramelized crown alongside creamy vanilla ice cream – how can you go wrong? This is a must order!
*Coconut Espuma: Mango sorbet, coconut foam, candied basmati rice, pistachio dust ($ 7) — 5 STARS
Look no further if you’re looking for a refreshing and tropical dessert. The coconut foam light, airy, and oh so creamy. The sorbet was chockfull of luscious mango pieces. With a sprinkling of refined «rice krispies» for some crunch, this is another must order dessert!
Service was knowledgeable, upbeat, and attentive by our waiter, Jordan (I hope that was his name). Considering they were a full house, our orders came out very timely. Again, this is not a fine dining restaurant so service is casual but professional.
Just like the food, the ambiance is very contemporary and trendy: sultry red walls, black furnishings, grandiose chandelier, and gold shrines. Great for a casual date or a small group dinner (no more than 6).
Finding street parking was pretty easy on a Saturday night.
Rarely do I find Peninsula restaurants worth leaving San Francisco for. Rasa is the exception, it’s the unicorn of Indian restaurants.

This place is so good and merits the rare five star rating. We got the following dishes, which was way too much for two people (probably more for three to four people):
— crisp idil chaat
— wild mushroom uthappam
— Andhra chicken curry
— paneer and fresh English peas curry
We almost got the butter chicken instead of the Andhra chicken curry but the server said it was too similar to the paneer and fresh English peas curry. I really enjoyed everything I tried.
The chaat was quite tasty, basically they taste like crispy but very delicious and flavorful round pieces of dough. If you like mushrooms, I’d really recommend the wild mushroom uthappam. It’s a savory pancake chock full of mushrooms and has a delicious truffley taste.
The curries we got both came with Kerala paratha. Some of them come with rice. If you’ve had a green onion pancake, Kerala paratha is kind of like that but without the green onions. It’s a bit different from naan which I usually use as a yummy vehicle to sop up curry but it’s just as delicious.
Next time I come here, I will probably try the dosa and some of their desserts. Those look super tasty too and it’s too bad I didn’t have room to try them!