By David Landis, the Gay Gourmet–

Indian restaurants in the Bay Area can be, quite frankly, a dime a dozen. Typical curries, ordinary naan bread, and mediocre tandoori dominate in a region known for its culinary chops.

But there have been a couple of standouts: the now-closed August 1 Five on Van Ness; and Michelin-starred Campton Place, when chef Srijith Gopinathan was at the helm (be sure to watch for his new restaurant in the old Dosa space on Fillmore, scheduled to open late this year).

Then there’s possibly my current favorite: ROOH, which means “spirit” or “soul.” ROOH San Francisco shines as a star of progressive Cal-Indian cuisine: marrying the spirit of traditional recipes with a modern flair.

Co-Founders Anu and Vikram Bhambri have teamed up with Executive Chef Sujan Sarkar and Chef de Cuisine Pujan Sarkar to create a space that is magical, sophisticated, and design-forward. From the moment you step into this chic restaurant, you feel transported, bombarded with color, light, and contemporary, cosmopolitan decor. 

The restaurant (which also has outposts in Palo Alto, Chicago, Columbus, and New Delhi) has been open in San Francisco since 2017, but I hadn’t been back since the pandemic. The good news? It’s better than ever.

Putting safety first, we opted to dine on the gorgeous outdoor patio with our dogs. The parklet is itself a marvel of design, with crystal chandeliers, green hanging plants, and, best of all, comfortable chairs that provide bold accents of red.

ROOH is renowned for its innovative craft cocktail program, inspired by the “Ayurvedic rasas of taste” (those being sweet, sour, salty, pungent, butter, and astringent). Headed by head mixologist Marco Hernandez, the selections are described on a menu pinwheel that can help guide the diner to their taste profiles of choice. My husband chose the “Berry Cool,” consisting of green brier whiskey, macerated strawberry, fig shrub, and salt—a nice ying and yang of savory and sweet. I selected the “Lychee Fizz,” with Reyka vodka, lychee, butterfly pea, and egg white foam—a delicate, light, and tasty way to begin the meal. Besides the cocktails, the wine list is lengthy, and offers many varietals to balance the spices of the creative Indian cuisine.

At ROOH, you can either select a la carte or a tasting menu. Since we wanted to sample many of the dishes, we chose the tasting menu. But buyer beware: there are many courses and the portions are ample. Our starting amuse bouche, inspired from Indian street chat, was a yogurt puff with mango and raspberry chat masala: light, airy, and eminently yummy. Next, we sampled a classic south Indian pepper fry with asparagus, lentil, cilantro, curry leaves, and a Brik pastry tart, where the freshness of the vegetable still dominated. Our next offering, the Jidori liquid scrambled egg Bhurji, which, according to my husband, was “a salty and savory Indian version of zabaglione.” Taking advantage of summer produce, the next course featured a stuffed homemade naan with fresh green peas, goat cheese, truffle, and Indian spices (almost like a variation on matar paneer, inside an empanada).

Our small plates started with the freshest Massachusetts oysters with a local Sacramento sturgeon caviar, served with solkadi, a coastal Indian sauce made with kokum and coconut. The fruit accent provided a nice balance to the creamy oysters. Next up? A compressed melon salad. The compression intensified the fruit flavors and heirloom tomato rasam (a classic south Indian cold soup), serrano peppers, and ramps oil accompanied the fruit.

From there, the chef sent an edamame fava kebab with huckleberry jam, sugar pea broth, and pea shoots. I didn’t realize that kebab doesn’t necessarily mean “on a skewer” and this variation was a standout. Then we were delighted with the foraged Himalayan morel mushrooms, stuffed with reduced milk solid, nuts, ricotta and Kashmiri sauce, topped with a summer black truffle. It sounds like a mouthful, and it was, but the flavors complemented one another beautifully.

For our large plate, we had the traditional butter chicken, a favorite Indian offering of mine. This one is made from dark meat marinated overnight, cooked in the clay oven with a smoked (but not too smoky) tomato and bell pepper sauce with butter powder. One can judge the quality of an Indian restaurant by evaluating the preparation of this dish. Moist and flavorful, this classic might just have been our favorite of the night.

Our stomachs were saying “enough” at this point, but isn’t there always room for dessert? So, we had a spoonful of the cashew praline cake with rice kheer mousse and a black rice wafer that melted in our mouths; the second sweet was a coconut and lychee payasam (usually, rice boiled in coconut milk with cardamom and nuts), with the addition of fresh coconut granita and gelato, sprinkled with raspberry dust.

Service is always paramount at a restaurant of this caliber. At ROOH, it’s professional, attentive, responsive, and welcoming. Server Anselmo and manager Yury were on point all evening. Another added plus.

Besides “spirit” and “soul,” I’d say ROOH means innovative, creative, unusually tasty, and simply divine.

At its beautiful outdoor courtyard, the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco just launched its new Solaire Terrasse champagne and seafood bar, partnering with Veuve Clicquot. The space is a gem (I can’t believe it hasn’t been open to the public before), offering urban cityscape views in a protected setting with the property’s herb garden as well. Guests can reserve Thursdays–Sundays from 1–6 pm in the summer and fall, weather permitting. There’s even a gelato cart, to boot!

Two new wines of note: Vina Robles Sauvignon Blanc from the Jardine Vineyard is a dry, clean, citrusy white wine that is grassy but not overpowering. A perfect, light complement to the takeout Chinese dinner we ordered from Dragonwell.

Also of note is one of my favorite vineyards in Paso Robles, Justin. Its still rosé is in the Provence style: dry, light, but packing a punch at 13.5%. The Paso property also includes The Restaurant at Justin; the Justin Downtown wine bar; and the elegant JUST Inn adjacent to the vineyards.

Looking to pack a healthy lunch now that kids are back in school? I just tried Wild Planet’s albacore wild tuna and it’s a winner. It’s ready-to-eat in a can, but sustainably pole and line caught with no added water or oil (just tuna and salt). It’s a little less flaky than its counterparts, but that makes for a more flavorful choice. My husband and I made a tuna salad with Wild Planet tuna, mayonnaise, fresh Armenian cucumbers, and heirloom cherry tomatoes from a friend’s Sonoma farm, onion, hard-boiled egg, and pickle relish, all served on a bed of fresh greens. If you top it off with the robust PRMRY Olive Oil, it gilds the lily. Really delicious. 5 stars! (They also can Skipjack tuna and mackerel for some tasty alternatives.)

And, finally, celebrity chef Joey Altman has just opened Hazie’s, a new “contemporary handcrafted California cooking” eatery in Hayes Valley in the former space occupied by Stacks.

ROOH San Francisco: https://tinyurl.com/yeyse6mm Solaire Terrasse at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco: https://tinyurl.com/5n94ssuv Vina Robles Sauvignon Blanc: https://www.vinarobles.com/ Justin: https://www.justinwine.com/ Wild Planet: https://wildplanetfoods.com/ Hazie’s: https://www.haziessf.com/

David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com

The Gay Gourmet Published on September 8, 2022

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