Rasam, Glasthule Road, Glasthule

Rasam is often described as the best Indian restaurant in Ireland so needless to say my expectations were high in visiting this restaurant which is above a pub on the main street of Glasthule. 

The decor is refined and comfortable.  On a Sunday evening the restaurant was two thirds full so there was a nice atmosphere and a relaxing ambience.  They offer an early bird every evening from 5.30-7pm except Saturdays and it includes a starter, main course, rice, plain naan, side dish and tea/coffee.  This seemed like good value as the main courses on the a la carte menu were around €17.

The menu is interesting, and slightly different from your typical Indian fare.  For starter I went for the calamari, as I’d never seen it on the menu in an Indian restaurant so I wanted to see how it would be done.  The squid was perfectly cooked inside a semolina batter.  It was accompanied by a home-made tomato chutney, which was very nice, but there was just not enough of it.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable and elegant starter.

Rob went for the Pork Chatpata, which was pork meat marinated in chili and mango powder and served with peppers.  The meat was tender and flavoursome and again the presentation was good.

For main course I went for the safe option of chicken tikka, which was served with a spicy tomato sauce.  The chicken was moist and there was lots of it.  The sauce was just the right level of spice for my tastes, however there could have been a bit more depth to the flavour.  The accompanying rice was fluffly rather than fragrant but was still nice.  The naan bread was excellent.  It was thin and slightly charred; just the way it should be. The side dish of potatoes with mustard seeds added another dimension to the meal and all in all it was a considerable amount of food.

Rob had the Kosha Mangso, which was lamb flavoured with fennel, peppercorn, curry leaves and finished with coconut milk.  It did not look very appealing as the sauce looked like thick gravy and there was something overpowering in the spice blend which was quite an unusual taste and made the dish difficult to finish.

I would definately return to this restaurant as the flavours being used are more exciting than an average Indian restaurant.  The dining room is very pleasant, as were the staff.  A nice bottle of Chilean sauvignon blanc for €20 was also favourably received.