This is Good Taste, a weekly peek at peak Bay Area food experiences. Today, we accept an invitation to revisit ROOH, a self-proclaimed “Progressive Indian” restaurant born in San Francisco in February 2017 that expanded to New Delhi in 2019 and Palo Alto in 2020.
ROOH San Francisco has long been a personal recommendation for friends and family looking for a place to have special occasion meals. After attending a media pre-opening dinner, I returned several times on my own dime and was consistently dazzled. But it’s been a few years since I visited, so I jumped at a new invite to experience the restaurant in 2022 and share a glimpse at the beautiful food and drinks that chef brothers Pujan and Sujan Sarkar are currently creating with their teams.
As Pujan Sarkar brought over each dish that he wanted to showcase, we nerded out over how beautiful our local Bay Area produce is, and how happy he is to have the Foodwise Farmers Market nearby at the Ferry Building. ROOH is a place where you can really taste the appreciation for our regional produce in a fresh collaboration with flavors from India. For example, Bay Area oysters are dressed with local sturgeon caviar, pickled green strawberry, and solkadi, a coconut milk based beverage consumed in India to cool down. While it’s an omnivorous restaurant, the vegetarian dishes are true highlights.
Personal favorite moments from the meal were learning how the Northern California artichokes that we usually lazily steam are transformed by cooking in a clay oven (tandoor), crunching into the turmeric-fried cauliflower koliwada with tart lemon sour cream, and what a revelation a kebab made with edamame, snap peas, and fava beans can be; I’d happily eat that as a veggie burger all the time. ROOH also remains a first class place for carbs in the form of a variety of incredible kulchas, naan, and other breads.
The elaborate and ornate bar at ROOH is a draw in itself, for those who prefer to drink their dinners. The seasonal cocktail menus are elaborately gridded and labeled so that customers can order something suited to their tastes. They also knock it out of the park any time I request to be surprised with a sophisticated mocktail.
[Photo: Cashew praline cake with almond peppercorn ice cream and black rice wafer]
An extensive menu means that people can choose their own adventure, and any route offers a transportive experience.
Enjoy more eye candy at Tamara’s recently refreshed site California Eating.
