royal indian curry house

how i lived in makati for a long time and only came across this place just recently is beyond me but i'm  thankful i finally got to visit. i've heard that royal indiancurryhouse or r.i.c.h is the place to go for the best indian food here in manila and being the naturally curious foodie that i am i had to see and try it for myself. first impressions the ambiance is impressive me. clean, well-kept, and air-conditioned. the purple suede chairs alone just screams boujee. but of course i'm more interested in what their food tastes like. my bf ordered the palak paneer (cottage cheese cooked with spinach) with plain naan and mutton rogan josh as recommended by our waiter and it was amazing. i cannot begin to describe how fresh and rich the taste was. they truly live up to their acronym. although this place can be a bit pricey, it's definitely worth it. if you find yourselves at poblacion and craving quality indian food, this place is a must try.

indian food has a special place in my heart. each dish is a melting plot of flavors and colors. i recall reading years ago about how indians are known for incorporating six different flavors in their meals in accordance with ancient guidelines.

using that as a starting point, let us focus on the food served in the royal indiancurryhouse (r.i.c.h.). i was given the opportunity to try some food in the makati branch near a-venue, and i am grateful that the food gave me the chance to satisfy my indian food craving.

we started off with a masala papad, which is apparently a common appetizer for indian guests to r.i.c.h. it is like an indian tortilla, thin and crunchy. minced onions and tomatoes are placed on top along with herbs and spices like coriander and possibly paprika. by itself it is tangy and has a tiny spicy kick.

i recommend breaking some pieces and spooning one of the three accompanying sauces on top. they are an orange spicy sauce, a green, minty coriander sauce, and a dark brown tamarind sauce. indian guests apparently prefer the coriander sauce, and filipino guests are more partial to the tamarind sauce, i heard. but i suggest one to feel free to explore each one.

with the masala papad done, we move on to the samosa. these are pyramid shaped pieces of golden brown fried dough stuffed with vegetables and/or meat. the one we had was stuffed with mashed potatoes and green peas. it is a good starter while waiting for the main dish as it is a little sweet and savory.

for the main event, we had a paneer curry, chicken malai tikka, and murg makhani (butter chicken). paneer is a white indian cheese that is mildly salty and usually cubed for cooking. it meshes well with the savory browncurrysauce and it still retains that salty flavor.

the chicken malai tikka is a dry (without sauce) dish of spiced chicken pieces served with shredded cabbage on a sizzling steak plate. the meat is tender, juicy, and white all around. it is tangy and mild, so serves as a good contrast with the other flavorfulcurrydishes with their rich sauces.

speaking of rich sauces, their butter chicken is my favorite among the dishes they served. cylinders of chicken are placed into an orange tomato sauce mixed with butter and cream on top. i can taste the rich, sweet butter with every bite of chicken, and its warmth floods me with delight.

with all these sauces and meats around, some starch is needed to cleanse the palate. enter the butter naan and the hyderabadi biryani. naan is an indian flatbread that is soft, fluffy, and chewy, with streaks of melted butter brushed onto it giving it a golden shine. these are best eaten by tearing off some pieces and ladling thecurrysauce and meat into it before pinching the sides together into a kind of dumpling and eating it whole. any leftover naan can be used to mop up any leftover sauce for a more delightful take on the old chips and dip.

the hyderabadi biryani (a specialty of the hyderabad region in india) is composed of long-grained basmati rice marinated along with pieces of lamb meat and spices. the rice is colored yellow possibly due to saffron or turmeric, lending it a slight spicy kick. the whole thing is served in a clay pot covered with a piece of naan that puffs out when cooking. think a savory souffle or a french onion soup with a pastry crust on top, but it's not french or soup.

with all that eating, one must feel thirsty. enter the mango lassi, which is a creamy shake made of ripe yellow mango and yoghurt. each sip is sweet and also a tiny bit sour. but the cooling effect cannot be denied. for people who are weak against spicy food (though diners can ask for an adjustment in spiciness when ordering), i suggest a sip once in a while to put out the fires within.

and to cap off with another sweet ending, we were provided gulab jamun for dessert. it is a couple of orange balls in a clear sauce. the balls are made of curdled milk and flour fried and served warm. the sauce is a thick mixture that is very sweet but also a bit earthy, possibly due to the spices used to flavor it. the whole thing is topped with sliced almonds to give it a satisfying crunch.

all in all, i think that the royal indiancurryhouse is a great way for first-time indian food diners to be introduced to a cuisine that is so colorful and flavorful that just one visit is not enough to cover all that the subcontinent has to offer. i will certainly return in the future. i'll raise my glass of mango lassi to that.

china ian cordero reich torio enricorner

i went to "royal indiancurryhouse" in makati. 
curry, as well as shrimp and vegetable dishes, were all delicious. 
during my stay in manila, i went out for a meal twice, and took it home with a second lunch. 
if i go to manila, i will always go there.

it's been a while since my last #newrestaurantsfor2017 post! josh and i have been quite busy with work and family, and we can't seem to find a common time. it's been a month before we finally got the chance to go out on a date again!

i volunteered to visit him in makati, since he had work last sunday. oblivious to the schedule of restaurants during the weekend, i came up with several options... but when we got there at around 6pm, most of the restaurants were closed already! this is the disadvantage of not being a makati person. 😢 it was my fault, too, for not being able to check the store hours first.

after minutes of searching for alternatives online, josh decided that we try royal indiancurryhouse (rich), since it is near century city mall (we wanted to have dessert there). to be honest, i'm not really a big fan of indian food, but i'm willing to give it another go.

when we got there, we saw that many of the customers were indians, so the food seemed legit 👌 we went ahead and ordersed our food, based on the recommendations made by our server:

✔ samosa (php 159) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
we were torn between having all-veg or non-veg ones, good thing the server informed us that we may have two pieces of each! i liked the non-veg ones more, since they were more flavorful and the filling is a bit firmer compared to the mushy filling for the veg samosas. they provided us with three sauces: tamarind, mint, and chili. i especially liked the tamarind sauce with a few drops of chili sauce. 😍 the crisp wrapper tasted great, too! to me, samosas are like indian empanadas.

✔ murg makhani - butter chicken (php 439) - ⭐⭐⭐
this dish was recommended to us by the server -- according to him, this is a bestseller in rich. when the food arrived, we instantly loved the rich aroma it came with. upon tasting it, we were a bit underwhelmed with the taste. personally, i would've wanted it to have a taste more inclined to its tomato component, but instead, it was too buttery -- a bit too much for my liking. josh initially said the taste was one-dimensional. though, we appreciate that the chicken chunks were super tender, and not the least bit dry. after eating the dish for quite a while, josh said that the taste seemed to be growing on him, and he's starting to like it more and more.

✔ tandoori prawn (php 499) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
this was josh's pick. he loves prawns so much!!! 😅 for me, it was good -- but too pricey (there were just 7 pieces of prawn). the prawns were fresh and newly grilled, and had a smokey flavor. it can be eaten on its own as it is already really flavorful, or you may also drizzle on some of the tamarind / mint / chili sauces depending on your preference. it is slightly spicy, but nothing that is too much to handle.

we paired all of the above menu items with an order of plain basmati rice (php 179), which is already good for 2-3 people. since i am on a reduced rice "diet", i ate around 1/4 of the rice, and josh finished the remaining rice. the rice was so good with the butter chicken! 😍 i also love how al dente and not sticky the rice is.

the service was good and fast, and the ambiance was great, too! you'll feel like you have suddenly been transported to india because of their interiors. 🙊 i'm glad that this sparked my interest in trying out more different cuisines -- even if i'm uncertain whether i'll like them or not.

as for rich, it was worth a try -- but a bit too pricey for me. 💸

#newrestaurantsfor2017
#eatdrinksplurge

out of all the asian cuisines, indian food has always been the most unfamiliar to me. i think i've been intimidated because my knowledge about it is zero and i've always thought that their dishes would be too spicy for my liking. so this foodie meet-up is literally like the beginner's guide to indian cuisine for me. let me share with you this delightful culinary adventure where this n00bie (~moi~) eat indian food for the first time at a legit indian restaurant. 

the interiors looked very lavish, regal and impressive. purple velvet chairs, intricate ornaments, the pillars, the ceiling, the lights, the doors -- everything looked elegant. i wasn't able to take photos because it was a busy lunch time when we went there, a flurry of expats would come every now and then, and the entire resto is actually 5 floors, so i just settled on getting snapshots of the food.

i was blown away by the flavors of these dishes! i can't pick a specific one i enjoyed more above the rest because i was just continuously munching on everything all throughout. haha. we started with the masala papad, which was crunchy, light and bursting with flavors. my favorite dip to go with it would be the coriander. for drinks, i had a mango lassi, which is sort of like a mango smoothie but 5 times better. another one i fell head over heels with was the butter naan. there's just something about that soft, sheen chewy bread with that distinct butter taste and smell that's so addictive.

i honestly just did a whole mish mash of the dishes (a heap of hyderabadi biryani topped with murg mukhani plus chicken malai tikka and some paneer lababdar on the side) and it completely worked for me. the paneer lababdar was such a revelation because i didn't know that it was cheese until i took the first bite. there was this balance of the soft cheese with the creamy sauce. you could tell it was cooked well because the cheese didn't disintegrate or got lost in the whole mixture. i love how everything we had was flavorful (sweet, creamy, spicy, savory, smoky, nutty) and the perfect blend of spices added this extra bite and bounce to all the dishes. there were the other components too that i don't usually encounter: yogurt, coconut milk, coriander and chickpeas!

we finished our indian feast with gulab jamun, which my ignorant self thought at first were tomatoes. haha. i was surprised by these warm donut-like sweet treats (which are, fyi, milk-based!) that are laced with syrup and garnished with almond shavings. every bite of it oozes with the sugary syrup. i can't get enough! it was amazing.

there's no other perfect way for me to ease into appreciating indian cuisine than experiencing it firsthand at royal indiancurryhouse. all the dishes were colorful, hearty and absolutely delicious and satisfying. i am missing out on so much all this time! for someone who has never tried authentic indian cuisine before, rich certainly, hands down, won me over. jsyk, their menu has 17 pages in it, so yes, i'll certainly be back to try more.

no matter what occasion is, rich (royal indiancurryhouse) got you covered. with 5 floors exhibiting each of the owners' ideas on a restaurant, it is able to catch the heart of the public through its comfort dishes. it also uses authentic indian spices which guarantees a real dining experience here.

my favorites from the dishes we tried were masala papad (appetizer), naan (a staple bread for most indian families as referred in my fave book, the kite runner ❤️), chicken tikka, and hyderabadi biryani. once you start munching on their masala papad, you can't stop because of its addicting taste. it's also best enjoyed with their homemade sauces-- tamarind, cilantro/ coriander dip, and spicy (note: my personal fave is the tamarind dip yunmm). their butter naan is also a must try! i've never tasted this good naan in a while since i went to malaysia. it's buttery, chewy, and savory! i think i ate two whole big pieces if this! lol.

their chicken tikka is very flavorful. the spices are all infused to the chicken already. it's best paired with their rice inside a puff pastry (hyderabadi biryani). no wonder many come back to this place over and over again because of how well they aced indian cusine! don't forget to also order their mango lassi! place is super comfortable and i really love the ambience and concept of their place here! ❤️

royal indiancurryhouse nail the indian food staples. for our starter, rich's samosas (php 209) were rich in taste and in aroma. they're light, fluffy and a good way to kick off your feast. it’s delicious on its own, but even better when dipped in the paired sriracha sauce, tamarind, and mint chutney.

the murg makhani (php 449) was incredibly tasty. the buttery chicken was perfectly cooked, and the sauce had a silky smooth rich texture which provided an overarching, luscious creaminess and richness to the whole dish. perfectly balanced and superb.

rich’s palak paneer (php 409) was a brazenly simple, yet profound dish with a vegetal smack providing a key counterweight to the gravity of the dish. it’s all the pureed goodness you need, a satisfying and an easy, pretty healthy, quick option for lunch. we ate it with plain basmati (php 189) and got some thick and chewy cheese naan (php 209) to dip it with for that little something extra.

their afghani chicken (php 449) was a delectable version of the chicken curry. it’s also creamy thus pairing it with basmati rice will emphasize its lip-smacking flavors. nice.

to wash it all down, rose lassi (php 219) gave a fragrant, refreshing and cooling taste. it could easily win the race for my next favorite drink. it’s a delicious twist on the traditional lassi; the sweet yogurt was flavored with rose syrup.

overall, our experience was quite positive, and i can definitely see why the place is so popular. prices aren’t too steep for the value, and their signatures are really worth trying. royal indiancurryhouse in makati is a nice place to get tasty, dependable preparations of classic north indian fare; i would have no qualms about coming back. there’s no modesty in the name, but perhaps there doesn’t need to be. royal and rich flavors and aroma of dishes are to be expected, and with their elaborate spices and good ingredients coming into play, this restaurant is great at what it does.

the name if the restaurant says it all. royal interiors....amazing indiancurryon the house.
the food here brings somewhat closer to india

hungry foodie indians smell there way to amazing food.

we ordered creamy mango lassi, dry manchurian very much like indi chinese dish, mix vegetable, garlic naan and chole bhatura.

wow was the taste. chole bhature made me feel nostalgic.

if you are looking for an authentic indian cuisine, do pay a visit to the place and i am sure you will not be disappointed.

i am definitely going here again to try new things on their elaborative menu.

thank you for making us feel home away from home ❤️

great experience, to say the least.

we had a couple of dishes and i'd justify my rating one-by-one. the veggie samosas were served hot and crunchy, filled generously with potatoes and green peas, with the crust achieving a thin yet crisp texture. the flavor of indian spices is also evident in the filling, which in my opinion, is best paired with the tamarind sauce which has a sweet taste with a kick of sourness. altogether, the blend of flavors is amazing. you won't feel umay. also, it's not oily compared to the other samosas.

the tandoori chicken was cooked to perfection, achieving a juicy and creamy (yes, creamy) texture within the meat. it has this smokey taste that compliments the spices well.

we had the garlic naan and cheese naan. well, the naan were both served hot and evenly crispy and soft (as in some parts are soft and some are crispy), which is great. the cheese naan was the winner as it gives this creamy kick of cheesiness without being salty or overbearing. the garlic naan in my opinion was a bit too garlicky, but if that's what you want then why not?

the biryani rice was quite unique as it had this citrusy refreshing kick that compliments thecurrydishes well. this is a well-thought of "rice flavor." haha!

we had the butter chicken and thecurrykambing (i forgot the name). i'd talk more about the butter chicken. it was amazing. chicken was cooked tender and juicy throughout. thecurrywasn't too "curry-y," but rather it had this explosive flavors of butter, curry, spices, and what have you. the sauce was just amazing. it makes you want to keep digging. it's especially best paired with the cheese naan or the biryani rice. truly, this dish brought me to heaven for a second or two.

thecurrykambing dish was okay. the kambing meat was cooked to perfection, however i prefer the sauce of the butter chicken in many countless ways possible.

the yogurt was also yummy, a bit of sourness with a zeal of sweetness to end the experience.

great experience, i would come back, definitely. ambiance is also ideal for dates.

this is as authentic as you can get for indian food in manila. i have been around asia and they do theircurryright. my favorite dish, palak paneer is served here thick and flavorful. they even got it as mild spiced as i liked. the ambiance takes me back to indian restaurants in singapore and malaysia and i don't even have to go out of town. on the pricey side but hey you get what you pay for.

it was a random decision to eat at royal indiancurryhouse. my friend suggested that we eat here because it has good reviews in zomato.
i really liked the cheese naan. the hydearabadi biryani was good on its own, even without other dishes since it is already tasteful. it is good for 2-3 persons, depending on carbs capacity. the mango lassi balanced the spiciness of the biryani.

authentic indian food. im not a big fan of it but looks legit. i liked the cheese naan the most. the lambcurryis also good and the white fish i forgot the name but its here in the pictures. ill come back for that naan and fish. other dishes are spicy but you can ask them to make them mild. service is good too.

review as of november 2018

royal indiancurryhouse, popularly called rich, has become my go to for indian food--especially with the close of swagat 😢

warm lighting, indian interiors, and a dizzying menu of indian dishes are just a few things you can expect here. the food is great but the service can be a bit slow, it takes the full 20 minutes, if not a bit longer, for the dishes to come out of the kitchen.

here's a list of the dishes i've tried here, recommendations are marked with a star (🌟):
- murg makhani (butter chicken) 🌟
- malai kofta
- hyderabadi biryani 🌟
- cheese naan

we ordered special tangri kebab and other dish, it looks so appetizing but the chicken is tasteless and we didnt touch it at all. i only like theircurryand banana smoothie.

as its acronym suggests one way of describing the food in royal indiancurryhouse is rich (royal indiancurryhouse), they have all the right to do so because the food here is really a material manifestation of the establishment's name.

i ordered the buttered chicken and their plain biryani rice, both served on a silver platter of sorts (this is not a metpahor, though the plates may not be real silver). the buttered chicken was trully rich and sinful, its all that artery clogging goodness boiled to a steaming chicken stew. i ordered it medium hot but i felt it wasnt spicy enough, though it suited my palat perfectly allowing me to consume the whole bowl without flinching (low tolerance for spicy cuisine). the biryani rice was good, though i felt it was a little flat and didnt have the kick and pizzaz i expected from biryani rice from an establishment of this calibre (i woudve rated rich higher if not for the biryani rice).

despite this, rich is still one of the best indian restaurants in the metro and no top 10 indian restaurant lists would be complete without it.