CHIReview
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Rooh
Included In
How you present yourself is important, but it doesn’t matter if you can’t back it up. After all, no one’s ever gotten hired just because of a monogrammed tie clip. That’s why we like Rooh, an upscale multi-level Indian restaurant in the West Loop. Like most spots in this neighborhood, you’ll come here and see plenty of tourists with luggage, giant velvet booths, and pretty dishes with colorful swirls and mousses. But at Rooh, the food actually tastes as good as it looks.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
The prices here are typical for the neighborhood (small plates are around $15, and entrees range from $24 to $36), but even still you’ll notice a lot of extra touches - from a diagrammed cocktail menu to elaborate dishes with sauces poured tableside. And while the food might be attractive, more importantly, we like eating it. For example, a sweet and tangy potato tikki (mashed potato patties) - with crispy kale, yogurt mousse, and tart raspberry sauce - has more texture and brightly colored layers than a mannequin’s clothes at Uniqlo. The flaky whole sea bass is literally served on a silver platter, but it’s the rich mustard cream sauce that stands out. Even the savory keema (ground lamb and peas) is topped with a fluffy potato toupee.
Not everything lives up to its appearance though. The paneer chili roll (cheese wrapped in pastry) looks like an hors d’oeuvre served at a Meghan Markle’s second wedding, but it’s bland and dry. And the tuna bhel (raw tuna, avocado, tamarind, and multi-colored puffed rice) is too salty to eat more than a couple of bites.
Rooh isn’t just relying on appearance to make an impression. There’s utility to this restaurant - the downstairs is loud and busy enough for a date where you’ve run out of interesting things to say, but the upstairs is quiet and spacious enough if you want to have a private conversation over dinner. And even without an elaborate cocktail menu or chicken served in fancy fondue pots, we’d still want to eat here. In an area that has about 67,835 pricey spots to choose from, knowing a useful one matters.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Duck & Apricot Kulcha
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Potato Tikki
Tuna Bhel
Paneer Chili Roll
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Lamb Keema Hyderabadi
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Chicken 65
Chicken Malai Tikka
Jackfruit Kofta
photo credit: Sandy Noto