Rasam. Indian Restaurant.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a restaurant in possession of a large reputation must come with a pretentious air and inflated prices.

When one decides to invest in culinary experiences it is often both an exciting and daunting prospect as going from fast food to "proper" restaurants might come with the feeling that these places are "too fine" or "snobbish"and we simply do not belong. Personally I find haughty people amusing but I will take warmth and manners over "exclusive club" treatment any day of the week. So when we headed to Rasam, a restaurant with bells and whistles as shiny as "Best Dining experience", "Best ethnic Restaurant" and a Michelin plaque, I was ready to enjoy myself in either direction.

Rasam´s staff turned out to be much like most people in the food business: Passionate about the subject and with a genuine desire to make others enjoy the menu, which was disappointing for my cynical side but did make the evening much more pleasant. The dining area is a world of rich woods, silver elephants, dim light, gleaming glass and colourful sheer curtains that transform this corner of Sandycove into a palace, there is a cozy feeling of being far away from noisy reality encouraged by soft ambiance music.

We arrived at 5pm ( Early Birds tend to work wonders on both pockets and introverts ) and after a warm greeting we were showed to our table were we soon enjoyed a fabulous array of dishes. For starters we chose a trio of chicken and Murgh Tika, all not so small bites accompanied by different sauces, as a woman on a mission to increase my spiciness tolerance, this was a fantastic option with both hot and cooling elements.

My main course was Dum Pukht Gosht, a lamb based dish with mint, cardamom and chilli powder served with the tastiest mashed potatoes, aromatic rice and nan bread. I have always shied away from mint dishes believing the strong herb would kill the rest of the flavours but lately I have been proven wrong, and my life is all the better for it. Rasam prides itself in serving authentic Indian cuisine that is heavily based on their use of the spices they roast and prepare themselves and I can say it works wonderfully. As a person that is hardly used to spices I found the food to be a full symphony of flavours riding on that sweet thin line between overwhelming and just the right intensity.

The Man splurged on an incredible Mansahari Thali, a feast of curries and accompaniments served on a silver platter. The Naan bread deserves a special mention, it is baked in the traditional manner in a tandoor oven which makes it both crispy and soft, it had nothing more than the basic ingredients and it didn't need anything else.

As the meal progressed the restaurant filled but, in contrast with other venues where the staff attention spreads thin and the noise level rises, Rasam remained steady. We had a couple with a toddler right behind us but the table position allowed for each party to not bother each other which is always something to be grateful for. The staff was polite, efficient and ever ready to our needs without falling into overbearing even with a full house.

Glorious mango cheesecake

I had heard fantastic things about this place and I am more than happy to join in the ranks of admirers. The full dinner costed us less than 85€ and although it is a far cry from a Friday´s usual it is worth it to splurge on a special occasion.

Rasam is located on 18-19 Glasthule Road,  Dun Laoghaire,  and accepts online booking on http://www.rasam.ie/