Rooh Columbus — Restaurant in Columbus

For elevated and flavorful dining experience, Rooh is a must have. I always wondered what such restaurants brought to the table, and the food here was worth every dollar sign assigned to it on the Google page. My overall rating remains at only 4/5. In accordance with their menu I’ll break it down by small and large plates.

Small plate (easily shared by two):

Sweet potato chaat - an unexpected and pleasant twist to the idea of chaat, this dish is a wonderful example of the out-of-the-box thinking Rooh brings to Indian dishes.

Lamb keema Hyderabadi - the flavors in this dish were so authentic, so well balanced, I was instantly transported to India from the first bite. I cannot stress how beautifully nostalgic the taste of this dish was. Better than any keema I have had in any of the Indian restaurants in Columbus.

Kerala fried chicken - this take on fried chicken exemplified Rooh’s spirit (not sure if that means spirit’s spirit but there it is). The chicken was treated with great thought as it retained its juicy texture while providing an unforgettable crunchy bite. The flavors were of course something that one will never have come across anywhere else in fried chicken and so, are a must try for any fried chicken lover any where.

Amritsari shrimp - Perfectly cooked shrimp laced with the perfect cocktail of sauces, resulting in one of the most iconic shrimp dishes I have ever tried at any restaurant. It is a must try item on the first visit of any sea food lover and I will definitely revisiting just to tickle my taste buds with dish again.

Large plates (shared by two):

Paneer pin wheel - I thought I had tried a good variety of Indian cuisine. I was wrong. This dish blew me out of the water. The depth of flavor achieved in the sauce was spectacular. The pinwheel was well conceived and carefully prepared to keep textures in mind, creating an absolutely amazing, well rounded dish. The sauce here was too amazing for words to describe. If you think you’ve had paneer, think again. This dish re-defines what paneer can be.

Butter chicken - The sauce was amazing. Despite being butter chicken, the dish was not oily, and had the depth of flavor that would be envied by any chef. HOWEVER, the chicken was mistreated. It was a travesty. It felt as if it had been boiled, and then placed into the sauce. Traditionally the chicken is prepared in tandoori style and then cooked into the butter sauce to crate the iconic dish that is butter chicken. It didn’t even have the time to absorb the flavors of the sauce which lead me to think the chicken was not cooked in the sauce. Truly a let down after being geared up to expect so much.

Lamb shank nihari - what my taste buds told me, I didn’t want to believe. One bite, two bites, and by the third I knew something was not quite right. The lamb shank was flavored with spices of its own and cooked separately from the sauce. While the shank was cooked to perfection, it tasted distinctly different from the sauce it was presented with. They complimented one another, but that is not what Nihari is. If you want to do something different, it has to be better than the original. The SAUCE WAS NOT GOOD. Something went wrong here. The cumin over powered the dish, and had a slightly burnt taste towards the end of each bite. Perhaps during the sauté process they got burnt, or when they made my sauce, an extra spoon fell in, but what was supposed to be the highlight of my meal turned into a literal “bitter” disappointment. Compared to everything else I had the pleasure of eating so far, this dish was the finale, and just did not deliver. 1/5. I can refer you to many other restaurants with a much better nihari. I guess you can’t win them all.

Overall a must have dining experience. I hope they revisit/reconsider the butter chicken and lamb nihari. For so much perfection and innovation, those two were a serious oversight. I only keep the rating at 4/5 because everything else was just that good. If not for them, there would be much fewer stars if we were to consider just the butter...

Excellent experience all around. We’ve been looking forward to this place opening for months, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

Walking in, and immediately the ambiance and decor is striking but welcoming. Some unique art ordains the walls, and the lighting is very warm and comfortable. The layout itself is very cool, with a long one-sided bar separating the bar area (also with tables) from the more traditional dining room.

There is a plethora of small plates to choose from. We tried 5 total (including one that we ordered to-go to snack on at home), and each was unique and very flavorful, with interesting combinations. I highly recommend each of them, which include the Gun Powder Scallop, Lamb Keema, Potato Tikki, Tandoor Smoked Pork Belly, and Chicken Malai Tikka. The assorted papadum (not listed on the menu online) was also nice, and came with three different dipping sauces.

We opted for the Butter Chicken and Beef Short Rib Curry for entrees, and both were superb. The butter chicken was sweet but complex, and a nice little kick of spice kept it from being too sweet for me. The Short Rib was the most interesting dish we had - the flavor profile was very unique and unlike anything I’ve tried. The meat in both dishes was wonderfully tender - you can’t go wrong with either of these dishes. We ordered some rice and chili-cheese naan to accompany the dishes, as they aren’t included with the entree.

Cocktails were all great, but one in particular (the Mango Mule) stood out. It wonderfully blends sweet and spice, and though I don’t normally enjoy spicy drinks, this one was perfect. I will certainly be ordering it again. I also loved the drinkware in which it was served - beautifully decorated and it exuded Indian culture.

For dessert, we had the Phirni Mousse, which was a small portion but was excellent. According to the bartender, it blends North and South Indian takes on the dish (as one region uses white rice for the pudding, whereas the other uses black rice) by using white rice pudding topped with a black rice wafer. The cashew cake was delightful, and the black rice wafer was very unique and flavorful. All around a great way to finish the meal.

In terms of service, we were pleasantly surprised. This was only the third day of being open, so we excepted hiccups, but encountered none. The bartenders (we like to sit at the bar) were very friendly and informative, and we never felt as if we were bugging them with our friendly conversation and questions. The front-of-house manager was very kind and hand-delivered our boxed and bagged leftovers, and was a pleasure to chat with. The bartenders happily offered to place the leftovers on their side of the bar to free more space for us, which was a nice touch (as the leftovers were plentiful due to us liking to over-order and then snack on the leftovers later that evening or the next day for lunch). You can tell that they place a lot of emphasis on service here - it compares favorably to other high-end places in town.

All in all, we had a wonderful experience at Rooh and can’t wait to go back. We’ve always loved Indian food, but had never had the chance to try any non-traditional takes on the cuisine. This place has a very specific vision, and in my opinion, they execute it very well. Most of the decor (including seats, dishware, etc.) is of Indian origin, which I appreciated. The cost can certainly add up, but the food and service are well worth the cost. This place is definitely...

My first experience with Rooh wasn't the best. I found strands of what I later found out was from cardamom pods. I reached out to the restaurant and GM/Owner Bhavesh Kishinchand returned my email quickly. He explained to me that those fiber-like strands were from whole black cardamom pods that they simmer and blend into their homemade spice mix (who doesn't like homemade spice mix made from love!). The chef was also more than willing to speak with me about the process. The customer service has been spectacular. I was so impressed! I was offered a refund for my experience. I told them that I would definitely like to give them another try and another try I gave. I ordered the same exact thing I did last time - the non-vegetarian dinner-chicken for one. It includes butter chicken, masala chicken tots, 2 pieces of garlic naan, raita, and basmati rice.

I was very hesitant at first as an Indian restaurant did not have a heat scale option. I can say that as someone who cannot handle heat spice well, Rooh is right in the middle. It is not too mild but enough heat to satisfy the majority. First off, the butter chicken. Not a single strand from cardamom pods to be found (thank you Mr. Kishinchand for taking note and resolving the concern!). The dish absolutely delicious! They do not skimp on the butter chicken sauce. I paired this with the garlic naan and a bit of raita right on top for that perfect bite. The garlic naan is wonderfully fluffy. The raita is a great pairing to cool off your tongue. The smell of raita may throw some people off at first but I promise you it is delicious! The rice is also nice and fluffy as it should be.

Overall, my experience with Rooh is extraordinary. Even with that first experience, everything ended up spectacular. Short North restaurants can be a hit or miss but I hope this one is here to stay for a long time. I also want to add a thank you to Rooh for offering Dinner for One specials! As we are all at home during this pandemic, this is absolutely wonderful as some of us who do not live with family can still try a few dishes at a great price instead of having to order bigger portions of one item. Give Rooh a try if you haven't. It is quite a food adventure with above-and-beyond...