Daniel B.
Yelp
Ruchi Bangladeshi Cuisine is a solid option for Indian, Bengali, and Bangladeshi food in Brookhaven/Chamblee. Simply put, the food is delicious.
Ruchi opened in September 2017, replacing the old Rose of India restaurant: https://bit.ly/30nlygj. If you ever went to Rose of India, the interior and exterior of the restaurant has hardly changed. While some effort has been made to give the approximately 40-seat dining room some semblance of ambiance, I'd consider Ruchi more of a humble hole in the wall than anything. It's situated in an old, small, standalone building and could seriously use some updating and deep-cleaning in places.
During pre-pandemic times, Ruchi had a $9.99 weekday lunch buffet. There is no patio seating. Even before COVID-19, a good amount of Ruchi and its predecessor's business came from takeout orders. That's what we got. I ordered from Ruchi's website at https://ruchibangladeshi.com/. The transaction was handled by qMenu. Ruchi uses other services as well.
On a Friday, I placed my order at 6:02 PM for a 6:30 PM pick-up. When we arrived to the restaurant on time, the order wasn't ready yet. The employee seemed a bit confused about our order. At that point, I was concerned they didn't receive it. After checking his computer, he asked me if I ordered using qMenu. After I said yes, he told us our order wasn't ready yet. We waited for about 25 minutes. Not ideal.
Ruchi's menu features over 100 South Asian staples and specialties, nearly a third of which are vegetarian dishes. During our visit, vegetarian entrees were listed at $11 each with meat and fish entrees running $13-16 each. Almost 20 different entrees can be prepared with your choice of meat or fish, the options being chicken, goat, lamb, salmon, shrimp, and tilapia. In addition, they offer various apps, such as pakora (fritters) and kebabs, and assorted flatbreads (under $10); plus biryani and tikka and tandoori specials ($15-20).
Here's what we ordered:
Appetizer
* Shingara Chaat ($6) - chopped veggie shingara on a bed of garbanzo beans, served with spicy mint yogurt, tamarind sauce and chopped cilantro; sprinkled with chaat masala and herbs
Biryani
* Chicken Biryani ($15) - cooked with basmati rice and special biryani spices; served with tomato, cucumber, and hard-boiled egg
Vegetarian
* Shaak Methi Malai Matar ($11) - chopped spinach prepared in a light cream sauce with cubed ponir cheese, green peas, ginger, and garlic
* Dharosh Bhaji ($11) - fresh-sliced okra sauteed with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, grilled onion, and other spices
"Ruchi Special"
* Salmon Korma ($16) - rich and creamy style mild curry sauce cooked with yogurt, cream, and fortified butter
Bread
* Mixed Naan ($4.50) - cheese, onion, garlic, and cilantro inside
In general, the food was really good. It was tasty, filling, and hit the spot. We enjoyed everything.
The only item we wouldn't order again is the Salmon Korma. While all the other dishes packed a flavorful punch, the Salmon Korma did not. When it comes to South Asian food, I typically don't eat salmon, but thought I'd give it a shot here. I'm familiar and fond of korma and was curious to try Ruchi's version. Theirs seemed lighter, relatively bland, and even watery compared to other places' korma. The chunks of salmon itself were tender and decent quality; it was mainly the sauce that was simply lacking. It resembled and reminded me of a soupy Alfredo sauce (not in taste, but in looks).
My only other gripe is with the Chicken Biryani. The menu description said the dish would come with hard-boiled egg, but it did not, so I felt we got a little short-changed there. Otherwise, everything was great. Outside of the Salmon Korma, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the dishes listed above. I think the Chicken Biryani is a good, safe dish to get. It's like the Indian version of chicken fried rice in that it's a gratifying, comfort food type dish. Of course, it's got a different flavor profile and texture.
The Shingara Chaat was excellent. I don't know how to describe it other than to say it's a fried, savory snack that's filled with several different layers of ingredients, including sauces, that are full of flavor. In terms of the number of different ingredients and flavors, this Indian street snack reminds me of loaded nachos. Good stuff.
The Shaak Methi Malai Matar and Dharosh Bhaji were both very good. Shaak Methi Malai Matar is like one of my favorite Indian dishes, palak paneer, but it uses a different sauce/gravy and other ingredients. You can think of it as an Indian variant of creamed spinach. If you're a fan of okra, try the Dharosh Bhaji. The okra is chopped and wonderfully flavored. I did think some pieces of okra were a little too chewy, but I'd happily order this dish again. Both dishes brought the heat; spicy, but not excessive.
As for the Mixed Naan, it was great. Of the nine naan Ruchi offers, the Mixed Naan comes with the most ingredients. Fresh, warm, soft, and appetizing.