How the award winning restaurant is looking ahead to the future
It takes a strong contender to succeed on Altrincham’s rapidly globalised foodie scene. But Rasassi, opened in 2018,– is on a mission to bring authentic Indian to the area, starting afresh after lockdown, with a global accolade, a new chef and a reinvented menu leading the charge.
Rasassi has just been announced as a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice winner 2020. Each year, the worldwide eating-out site comb through reviews, ratings, and saves from travellers everywhere, and uses that information to honour the very best.
Rasassi is now part of the exclusive group – the award is afforded to just 10% of restaurants across the globe.
It’s a great tribute to owner Dr Vidya Patil from Mumbai who has paved her way and built a successful business and has brought the new team on board.
Over the past two years, she has developed a passion for cooking and now knows exactly what creates delicious curries. She has rediscovered her roots of traditional cooking with traditional ingredients and dishes that take diners from the remote northern reaches of the subcontinent to the glassy waterways of Kerala.
She has found the secret behind Indian cooking and now only freshly handmade ingredients, such as garam masalas are being used at Rasassi. Vidya is intent on showcasing bona fide Indian cooking and has brought in chef Ansar to steer the helm in the revamped-Covid 19 -safe-kitchen.
Ansar, having worked in restaurants across India and Qatar, arrived in February to bring his culinary flair to spice-seeking diners in Altrincham.
The good news is the tables at Rasassi are now re-laid, the tandoor is smoking, and Ansar is back doing what he does best with the well-curated menu.
The classic dishes that earned the team a devoted following are still on the menu and there are plenty of vegan options, plus a certificate of approval from the Vegetarian Society UK.
One can do as the regulars do and go for fine -tuned favourites starters such as the prawns koliwada and the seared lamb chops, tearing every last mouthful of meat from the bone or order a plate of its signature curries: beli ram, murg tikka lababdar, and meen kulambu salmon – a deep and punchy seafood supper that’s a cut above your average curry dish.
New dishes set to shake things up are the biryanis – sizzling plates piled high with Mughal-spiced rice and topped with juicy prawns, hunks of chicken tikka or baked paneer. The march of the vegan takeover has bubbled over to Rassasi’s new menu, too, with a focus on fresh veg, chickpeas and lentils and a clever tumble of spices – all of which is prepared by hand in the kitchens.
There’s crisp papri chat with a dollop of tamarind chutney and a scattering of coriander leaves; there’s dal makhani, creamy buttery black lentils simmered overnight in tandoor oven with traditional spices; tarka dal, humming with intense garlic flavours, and jeera aloo with a waft of cumin that will sweep you to a fragrant café in Mumbai.
And if you like your desserts to be tooth-achingly sweet, the chocolate and pistachio samosas will do very nicely, dipped in a saccharine syrup and extra blobs of chocolate sauce and moong dal halwa full of protein and jaggery, a healthy replacement for sugar.
Feel like staying in?
Rasassi has also launched a take-out service via its very own Rasassi Express app with 10% discounts on every order.
Here is a restaurant maintaining a balance of comfort Indian dishes (smoky lamb sheesh kebab, coconutty prawn curry, deep dal makhani list is long) while keeping a firm eye on new and exciting flavours.
Rasassi is back and better than ever, taking care of freshness, cleanliness and taste, and taking guests’ health into consideration.
Rasassi Altrincham
21 The Downs, WA14 2QD,
T: 0161 9281430
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