Service is solid, and the owner usually visits every table. It has a nice “neighborhood-y” feel in charming downtown Burlingame, which makes it an enjoyable night out.
I’ll see you there.
Name: Thuy
Occupation: Journalist / Program Host
Location: Saratoga
Favorite Restaurant: Park Tavern
Reviewed Roti Indian Bistro: Sunday, June 3, 2012
This tiny restaurant cooks up dishes with gigantic flavors. The chicken korma curry was spicy, creamy, and complex. The sliced almonds on top gave it a fun crunchy texture and addictive nutty flavor that went well with the naan to soak up the curry. The naan here is among some of the best I’ve had. It’s baked in a round stove with real charcoal, which gives it a nice smoky flavor, then brushed with butter.
My daughter had the chicken biryani, which I sampled. It was very flavorful with just the right amount of spices, including cinnamon. The chicken was moist and chunky. The seafood dishes weren’t quite as good. The machchi fish appetizer was deep-fried, but came out too soft and soggy. The prawns in the Jheenga Tikka were overwhelmed by the turmeric. I couldn’t really taste the plump prawns.
The restaurant itself is very clean and the owner, Sonny, is charming and pleasant. Overall, a good restaurant, but a bit on the pricey side, being a small neighborhood restaurant just off the main drag.
Name: Andrea
Occupation: Senior Science Editor
Location: San Francisco
Favorite Restaurant: Chop Bar
Reviewed Roti Indian Bistro: Monday, June 4, 2012
I could have stopped after the warm, goat cheese naan and been perfectly satisfied, it was so good. However, I am glad we kept going as we found the dishes to be very flavorful and well balanced, not overwhelmed with spice.
It had been a rainy day and was cold inside, and next time we would sit in the small upstairs which might be a little cozier. The restaurant is intimate with warm colors and contemporary photography. You are greeted immediately with bright smiles.
We shared one of their specials, a salmon curry that was, indeed, special, rich and colorful. The curry was coconut based with mild herbs including turmeric. We also had the baingan bharta, which we thought was some of the better roasted eggplant we have had, very creamy. My Argentinian Pinot Grigio was pretty good and reasonably priced. We didn’t try dessert as our meal was so rich, between the salmon curry and goat cheese naan, but it was all very good
The service was very friendly although a little off. We had a very young, new waiter who could have not been sweeter but didn’t know anything about the wines, forgot to give us our packaged food, etc. I think it is a family business, which is appreciated. I guess I just have higher expectations for the service since the prices are so high. This restaurant is much pricier than Indian restaurants I go to in North Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco.
Parking was easy to come by in downtown Burlingame on a Monday night. I would definitely return if I were in the area and may try the one in San Francisco. My only real regret is not inviting more friends to join me so I could try more dishes! The shrimp and crab cakes at the next table looked yummy.
