Raas — Restaurant in Lewes

Excellent start to the weekend with a little bit of spice!

Raas has a very large menu so it is hard to make a decision. In the end, we selected some winners. What an experience. The wait staff is well-trained and very professional. The chef, GG, came to our table and talked through almost every menu selection with regards to spice and allergens. We found out the waiter was on his 5th day but you would never know it. He explained to us that he has been doing this for many years and had been a server in NYC, Vegas, Chicago, etc and that he was a true professional server. It made for one of the better dining experiences that I’ve had in a long time.

Of course, always start with a cocktail.

I went with the Indian spin on a Marguerita with mango, Indian chilis and peppered tequila. Hot!! My wife had the “Indian Winter” which is Vanilla Vodka, Honey Cardamom Simple, Lemon Juice, Angostura bitters, and Star Anise. She loved it (no pic).

Raas offers several different types of naan and I insisted on the chili cheese. Spicy!

For appetizers, we selected Tandoori Prawns and Chicken Seek Kabobs. The shrimp were grilled and delicious but that fresh “slaw” they were served with was outstanding. The chicken kabobs were interesting. It was ground chicken mixed with herbs. The appearance is unusual but after one bite I made the statement, “I could eat a whole bucket of those”.

Dinner was a tougher choice. My wife and I both had numerous entrees that we were debating but in the end we went with Cinnamon Curry Chicken and the Lamb Shank Rogan Josh. What you first notice is the perfect preparation of the rice. It is small grain, light, fluffy, and doesn’t stick. It’s spot on. My wife was very pleased with her dish. Like most Indian food, it has a lot of herbs and spices with the cinnamon at the front. My Lamb Shank originally came out in a copper bucket where the server carefully pulled it out of the bucket to keep the meat intact. It was literally falling off the bone. It was tender and the sauce was outstanding (not spicy). However, there was a saffron pulao on the side that almost melted my face off. Spicy and delicious.

By this time we were stuffed but why not get dessert? They make their own ice cream and we went with Mango, Tamarind, and Saffron. I love tamarind but that flavor was just ok for me. I found the saffron ice cream to be my favorite and it is very smooth and light for a saffron-based dish. The star of the dessert show was the chocolate mousse. Very complex and very dark, it paired well with our aged port.

One note, we found ourselves loving the music, a blend of lounge covers of songs from bands like Radiohead and the Beatles. One Shazam and we found an artist named Karen Souza. Understand there is a time and place for this type of music but it is definitely late night bourbon background...

We are regulars at Raas, and I don't write a review every time we visit, but we were there last Sunday for a special dinner with friends, and the meal was astounding! We started with crispy okra, papadam, smoked eggplant, and prawns. Everyone loved them. I had promised my friends the large branzino, we were not disappointed! The 4.5 pound fish was melt in your mouth delicious, crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked inside and "just caught" fresh! The presentation was beautiful with vegetables and ginger sauce. We also shared the pea and mushroom masala, chana masala, spinach and corn from the vegan menu, and saffron pea rice. The flavors in every dish were distinctive, well balanced and fresh. We needed a bigger table!!! What a feast!!! The chocolate mousse is quite simply the best I have ever eaten! Thank you Chef GG, and David and Aldrick (for my special cocktail) and all the chefs in the kitchen, for making this a truly memorable evening!

Congratulations To Raas on winning the recent well deserved award from the Sussex County Council! Chef GG, Chef Bikram, Chef Sadaam, Chef Sashikan, Aldrick, David, Brian, Noni, Damian, you all worked very hard for your recent awards! Congratulations, and well done!! We're so happy for you!

My husband and I have dined at Raas many times but this is my first review. We were guests last evening at their first Valentines Day event, and were so impressed with the amazing menu and food that was offered for this special night! Chef GG obviously spent many hours preparing the four course menu, with vegetarian, fish and meat options. There was truly something for everyone. Dinner started with complimentary champagne, and a red rose! The courses were interesting, varied and beautifully presented. Portions were adequate for the hungriest of diners! Chef GG visited tables, as he always does, to explain the menu or make suggestions to diners with specific food preferences. Everything we tried was excellently prepared! Chef GG's talent for combining subtle flavors in his preparations shines through in every course. Even the ice cream is homemade! This is a lovely restaurant, beautifully restored and decorated. The staff are conscientious and caring, the food outstanding. Raas is a fantastic addition to the Lewes restaurant scene and Chef GG and his family an asset to the...

The community raves about Raas however I will not. We visited Raas for a birthday dinner. and upon being seated we asked if we could have a different table. The host said he'd look into it however our waiter (head waiter David) said, "absolutely not, we are stacked with reservations." This was our first visit so when we were trying to decide what cocktails to have David became frustrated with our need for a few more minutes. When he returned to take our drink order, we placed an order for small plates as well. He asked about entrée order and we said we wanted to have our appetizer first and then order dinner. David said, "chef prefers all food orders placed at same time so he can pace himself" . Whilst we were waiting for our drinks we heard the waiter , Brian, tending to the table behind us say to the table, "would you like to order small plates or enjoy your cocktails for placing an order?" Additionally, we heard the host tell another couple as he was seating them, "there a few tables to choose from". When David delivered our drinks we inquired about both these things. He put the drinks down in front of us and yelled, "I cannot do this anymore, I will not be treated this way!". He slammed menus he had in his hands on the floor in front of us, walked away and barked to Brian, "you take that table over." Needless to say, I flagged Brian, asked him to cancel our food order and for the check. David delivered the check, i handed him my credit card and he proceeded to tell me that we have been nothing but argumentative since being seated and he has never been treated this way. I shared I will call to speak with the general manager and that I knew quite a few people who frequent Raas and that they will be disappointed to ear of our experience. He said tell your story, I will let them know you were argumentative and rude and he walked away. The birthday girl left upset and crying. When I called the next day to speak with GG the Chef, he let me know he was awre of the story as David had spoken to him. He shared with me his culinary history, and let me know he can't change the past and said "sorry". He also said come back, call me, and I will host you for a great dinner. I am firm in saying I will never step foot in to a place that appears to be LGBQT unfriendly and treats women with...