Rasa: Flavours of India — Restaurant in Halifax

Since I cannot reply back to the review I posted earlier so I have attached screenshots of my review and the owner's response. Reply to the owner- Hey, I knew that it would not be worth even a min to write a review but I thought I should give it a shot maybe someone can really bother to know that what exactly happened,that's why I specifically mentioned that "before anybody reaches back please make sure to check everything". But after a customer puts a review instead of even asking what happened and trying to know the whole situation you came back with a fake scenario . Now since you asked for it lemme highlight everything for you- That day when your staff came to take our rest of the order( which was not placed on uber) he told my order was cancelled. I went to that guy at the front and asked him about the same and he said yes he had cancelled it and uber will refund the money. Now to Highlight it as I know you won't read this again - " I NEVER ASKED HIM TO CANCEL MY ORDER". If I am capable of placing the order I think I can cancel it too, I really don't need your staff to do that for me. I knew he must be lying that is why I was sitting there I talked with uber and they said if restaurant had canceled my order, uber can't do anything. So I went back to that staff and he said he will send me my money back by tomorrow once the manager arrives. So basically I didn't had to ask your staff to cancel my order just to get harassed for my money for almost a month. After everything happened I never even wanted to come inside RASA but since your manager never got back and I had no word from him, I waited for couple of days and then called your restaurant your manager said to give him 2-3 days to figure those out, and then again I never got a call or email from him so I called again after 1 week and again asked to wait for few more days, I was patient till then but then again he never called back that is why for the 1st time I went to your restaurant to talk to him and then he told me to wait few days and he will etrf me the money so waited again but I never received anything that is why I went to your restaurant the 2nd time your manager was not there so then one of your staff called him and said I am waiting for him and when he realized it was his fault he etrf me my money within a min while I was waiting in the restaurant but I waited because I wanted to meet him after so much of a harassment and hassle and he behaved with me as if I am asking for somebody else's money. So even after this he never apologized and was arrogant even though I waited for my own money for almost a month So if it really was true according to you that if I placed order through uber and I cancelled it so RASA won't be responsible for paying back then why would you change your rules and send me the money as e transfer. I guess you don't do this every-time unless you know it was your fault. I have no clue whether your staff is just lying to you or you are just trying to save the reputation of your business. So before you get back to your customer and tell them they are lying you should check your cameras and know everything that happened in...

Review based on my first visit to this restaurant, being a Chef and Indian Cuisine Instructor I can give this restaurant an honest opinion based on food, atmosphere and service.... I appreciate simplicity and a relaxed dining experiences. We ordered the Chicken Vindaloo ( $18 ), non-veg Tandoori platter ( $22 ), Basmati rice ( $5 ), Raita ( $5 ) and Butter Naan. ( $4 per )

THE GOOD... • Decor was welcoming, ample parking and manager/owner said he would validate parking if we needed to park indoors while speaking on phone to reserve a table. • The Vindaloo was decent, chicken was tender and the curry had good depth in flavor and not over-powering with heat.... just right. • Service was good but restaurant was empty when we arrived, our server was very pleasant and efficient, cracked a few appropriate one-liners and offered us a few samples of beer to try as we were undecided.

THE JUST OK... • Pricing was on the high end so value was just OK. We did leave full and satisfied only because we ordered plenty of naan bread which will fill you up quickly. • Basmati Rice $5 not very hot and barely enough for two people. • Raita was too thin and lacking in flavor. • Naan bread looked authentic BUT a bit dry and brittle, not soft with a dense chewy texture as it should be... cannot say for sure but seemed as though it may have been pre-made then re-heated on the grill, which would be fine if not over grilled and dried out. • The fish and shrimp on the Tandoor platter were ok, luke warm though....the other items on platter will be mentioned below.

THE BAD...

• Atmosphere awkward and uncomfortable, tension in room was obvious and most staff seemed to be walking on eggshells.... seemed to be micro-managed by owner/manager who never cracked a smile all evening while we were there. For being open since May one would expect some exuberance towards their clientele. • The two pieces of Tandoor chicken on the platter were barely warm and missing important essential charring, this immediately tells there most likely is no tandoor oven in the kitchen, or it's precooked and poorly reheated on a grill or regular oven. It was moist dark meat but we had to send it back... got an apology from server but not the hostess or the manager/owner..... was not impressed as this was not a servers error.

So the questions are......

Will I go back?..... maybe in a years time Would I recommend going for dinner?...... yes give it a try, you may have a different experience than we had and...

Finally got to try here for lunch on a sunny Friday in August. At noon, my friend and I were the only two customers in the place, and no one else had arrived by the time we left, so I feel a bit bad for that. Nonetheless, it provided a very relaxing quiet meal. Excellent service. Tasteful, nice decor with some Indian touches, a fair bit of natural light coming in, very comfortable tables with soft benches along one side. They give warm face cloths for your face & hands upon arrive. I tried the Palak Paneer ($18 cottage cheese in a spinach gravy with Indian spices) which didn't come with rice, but I ordered butter naan to go with it. Delicious, not too greasy, just a well rounded flavor. The dish alone would've been enough for dinner for myself. My friend had the chicken tikka masala ($16 barbequed chicken cooked in a creamy onion, tomato & ginger-garlic sauce) and loved his as well, with a side of roti. I taste a bite and the chicken melts in your mouth it was that tender. Neither dish was spicy. I can't wait to go back and try lots more on the menu.

2nd visit: 6:30pm Sat Mar 13 2021 - had reservations with a friend and we were seated at a table in the back room. Started with the Maharaja Platter ($24) which was the PERFECT appetizer to share. You get two of each of the four separate items. The chicken tikka hariyali and malai chicken were both so tender and bursting with flavor. The Lamb seekh kebab was good, but not as tender as the chicken, so I dipped this in the mint sauce to add some moisture and taste, which was still good. The Machhi tikka melts in the mouth and couldn't have been better. Then we shared the vegetable korma ($15) which was delicious and creamy, with an order of saffron rice and plain naan. We debated when ordering if we wanted to add another dish to the table, but smartly decided to just get these items, and then add more later if we were still hungry enough. It was just right to be full but not in agony. So then we split the Pistachio Kulfi ($9) for dessert, which is not large, and just a nice way to end the meal. I look forward to getting back here again for lunch or supper to just try more dishes. FYI the washrooms are very clean and...