rasa malaysian

being true south-indians, we found this restaurant to be a very big disappointment. there were not many items from south india, and we could not understand most part of the menu. masala dosa was a great tragedy. it was burnt to the extent of tasting bitter. it was made of flour not ground batter. not complaining about this as they mentioned flour in their menu. the potatocurrywas good, but chutneys were no close to south indian standards. they tasted sweet (yuk with masala dosa), and the coconut chutney was cold and stale. sambar was no sambar. price was dear ($13 plus). they shouldn't be called a south-indian restaurant. this perhaps is only a malaysian restaurant. the service was courteous. but certainly don't wish to go there again.

great little place if you’re craving decent malaysian/south indian food. taste is great, ingredients are fresh and produce used is local. just a shame that thecurryquantities are a little on the small side but the taste more than makes up for it. highly recommended.

i thought i would treat the family to some delicious takeaways tonight and, having been a regular at rasa for quite some time, considered that this was a choice i could be confident in. sadly it seems much has changed as when we opened our order we were greeted with 2 very shallow containers of curry, 1 small pottle of rice (needs to be ordered seperately) and 2 very small rotis. @ $66 this just seems to underline a carelessness and lack of passion which i would have thought i'd never experience here. the goat curry, a signature dish here, was swimming in fat and looked like it had been skimmed from the top of the pot, and the fish in the goancurrytasted more like shark than anything fresh and worth it's value. i wont go on, but you get the picture. i don't often write reviews but would hate for other past believers in rasa to be as sorely disappointed! won't be back.

i loved this place. all the menu was really clearly labelled and there were plenty of gf, df and v options. i had a vegetablecurrywith a special peanutty sauce and poppadums, really delicious. small restaurant ro squeeze a wheelchair into, with littlw space between and around tables, and if we had tried to get seated at a busy time it wouldn't have been possible at all. but i would go back.

the goatcurryis the only reason i keep coming here. one of the best in wellington. goatcurrylunch combos with an ice cold kingfisher. perfect.

been to rasa several times because of the authentic and delicious food. based on my extensive research over the past 2 years, the chickencurryand fish sambal (very spicy!) win hands down! top tip from a fellow indian foodie; eat the fish with a plain dosa. superb! another hidden treasure is the pappadoms served with fresh tomato and coconut chutney. i would highly recommend this place especially if you're the sharing type. come early or book as this place is always packed!

on thursday night at 7pm, rasa was packed - it is very clearly a popular malaysian / south indian restaurant. 

walking in, apart from people and one lone available table (we had booked), we were met by warm smells of dinner plates being demolished and simmering pots from the kitchen, the noise of a dozen or so conversations, and an atmosphere of cosy chaos, that had been helped along by the red walls, amber lighting and odd malaysian nick-nacks on the walls.

service wasn’t slow. the menus were already on the table, and within a minute a young man was ready to take our order. 

unfortunately for him, arrival at a restaurant does require a moment for settling into the dining environment with a little relaxed conversation for a few minutes before the menus are opened and thoughts descend to the stomach. the phase need not last more than a few minutes but it was a phase during which the young man returned at least twice.

the menu is not extensive but it contained the most popular traditional malaysian and some south indian dishes. the greater focus was, as to be expected, malaysian.

our group of five ordered a shared entrée platter to pacify the young man while we explored the mains.

 

after an interval measured in only a fraction of a glass of the byo pinot gris we had brought, the platters arrived. they were huge – unexpectedly generous. 

lined up we found:

satay chicken skewers with peanut sauce: ok, not different from what you might expect. the home-made sauce was very good, nice texture and flavour.

curry puffs: good, dry flaky exteriors with a filling of kumara and spice. needed the moistening sauce accompaniment. would have again.

pan fried squid and prawns: enjoyed the squid texture - the sauce was very pleasant. would have again.

spring rolls, delicious, would definitely have again.

as the last crumb was being dipped into peanut sauce, the plates were swept away and the young man returned. we were ready for him.

masala dosa: a beautifully formed and cooked south indian dosa but the potato filling was rather sludgy and dull – i would have preferred something a little more textural with some flavour interest - the traditional incorporation of slightly crushed potatoes not completely mashed. the coconut chutney, sambar and tomato sambal were all ok, not spectacularly interesting but good. if i was having again i’d probably go for a different filling.

ikan panggang: malaysian gently spiced and perfectly cooked fish. possibly the highlight of the mains – this was delicious, i’d go back just for this.

goat curry: usually one of my favourite dishes at indian restaurants sufficiently interesting enough to serve it. unfortunately this wasn’t a good one. rather (very) tough bits of some animal in an otherwise pleasant sauce. i couldn’t really get much in the way of goatiness. would have preferred a cut more suitable to long slow cooking. unpleasantly firm.

lamb biryani: nice gentle spices – a good biryani, but again the chunks of lamb were extremely tough (no i don’t wear dentures!). to be honest they were indistinguishable from the pieces of goat.

a chicken dish – i think it was ayam panggang. delicious, perfectly cooked chicken and lovely warm spices.

i’d personally recommend booking a table, taking a byo wine and having the entrée platter, ikan panggang and ayam panggang. i couldn’t recommend the goat.

the bill for two, of our party of five, was $75 (the wine was byo) which i think is very good value by any measure.

if i could, i’d give it a rating of 3.75, with a 4 if the cut for the goatcurryand biryani was improved.
would definitely go back.

came here for an anniversary. atmosphere is cosy and busy. goatcurryis a must. the savoury pancakes weren't our favourite.. bit too filling. great restaurant though!

we were told we had to try the goatcurry- and that we did. i believe this was was first time trying malaysian cuisine, and i definitely enjoyed it. my partner order a traditional malaysian dish that was a little bit like a pizza, and was the size of two big plates. we ended up sharing both meals, and really enjoyed the flavours and the atmosphere in this great little restaurant. the waiter seemed very genuine when checking back to make sure we liked the food. you should go, and try the goat curry.

i’ve never been to rasa and always intrigued by their dosai (fermented crepe or pancake made from rice and black lentils) and thali (a selection of different dishes, usually served in small bowls on a round tray) dishes. jono ordered a dosai with his prawn sambal dish while steve had goatcurrywith rice and both boys washed down their dinner with teh tarik. i had a penang laksa – hmm, not the best laksa in town, i must say, but the dishes both the boys had were nice. jono’s dosai took a long time to come out (there was a sign in the restaurant stating that it takes time for them to prepare the dosai) and was served like a cone shape on a plate. tasted sour which wasn’t quite what i was expecting – i was thinking more roti tissue (the thinner version of traditional roti canai). should have looked up the meaning of dosai before we came here! the price of food averages $15-$30 and for the tiny restaurant, it sure get busy and very crammed when the place fills up. hey, but busy restaurant

another fantastic lunch here, the dosai rivals ones we ate in india. paper thin perfection, the dahl and chutneys excellent, the goatcurrya standout. great service as usual. best time to eat here is a late lunch as very crowded in the evenings

rasa is a good cheap eats place in cuba street. the service was friendly and efficient, and the hostess made clear what was available that night before we ordered.

to start, i had cold half-cookedcurrypuffs. i sent this back to the kitchen.

next i had a yummy lamb curry. i appreciate that the kitchen made mycurrymild. it was hot and steamy, and was served with a lovely steamed rice tower.

a down side however, is they try to cram too many people next to each other, so if you want to go out for a romantic dinner, this is not the place! i am also not a fan of having to go through a working kitchen to use a toilet facility.

an issue i had was that they charge you to use their merchant services like mastercard and visa to pay the bill. this is actually against a store's merchant agreement and illegal.

been here last week with my flatties. had the goa fish curry, fish fried rice and also seafoodcurrylaksa. the portion is aplenty for the price you pay. the laksa was a sure winner and goes really well with a plain roti, and the mango lassie was simply yum! however, the downside, the fried rice was slightly too oily, other than that,we had a pleasant dining experience.