NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Food: 7.5 Ambiance: 7.5 Service: 7.7

Rangoli appears to have slipped quite comfortably into the “whatever-you-need-us-to-be” roll of the South Riding dining scene.

South Asians crowd into the colorful booths most nights, thankful for a break from their own kitchens. Meanwhile, curry-loving Westerners march in at a regular clip to haul steaming carryout containers back to theirs.

Mindful servers make excellent ambassadors, whether they’re tossing up warning flags about lackluster new dishes (“That’s not a good one,” one straight shooter counseled when I inquired about a curiosity piquing Sino-Indian creation) or brokering special orders for youthful charges (“The chef has what he needs to make that for you,” another server informed the parents of a child dead-set on an off-season request).

Acid-spiked cubes of homemade cow’s milk cheese stand out amid a sea of sweet tomato sauce (flush with red pepper and sugar).

Garam masala-caked lamb (lean chops, enormous spice) finds a welcome ally in a multilayered brew of tomatoes, peppers and coconut milk.

Juicy bird steeped in garlic and whole peppers (peek-a-boo pods beg caution but invite tremendous flavor) makes for fierce eating.

By Warren Rojas

Food: 7.1 Ambiance: 7.4 Service: 7.2

Rangoli general manager Sam Santosh can’t seem to get in a word edgewise.

He’s trying desperately to steer a pair of regulars towards unexplored dishes, but the woman simply won’t stop gushing about her go-to favorites.

“I love all the different flavors,” the loyal patron exclaims. “That’s why we keep coming back.”

Repeat business is a nice problem to have—and it’s one that the entire Rangoli staff seems to wholeheartedly welcome regularly.

Fresh-baked naan is delivered to every table until patrons say halt. Golden cubes of homemade cheese are sauteed with peppers and onions for a fiery vegetarian fix.

Tandoori salmon is flavor simplified, delivering a mouthwatering filet of yogurt-bathed fish. Hot pepper-rubbed chicken (hirayali kebab) brings white-meat chicken stained green with mint and cilantro (fragrant and hot).

By Warren Rojas

A bhel puri starter ($3.95) reveals puffed rice, onions, tomatoes and fried lentils tossed with tamarind and mint sauces (a flavor eruption). The chubby Bombay Burger ($3.95) delivers a potato and lentil sandwich smothered with native spices and piquant onions. Chilly chicken ($12.95) is an Indo-Chinese medley of batter-fried poultry sauteed in a striking soy sauce (Thai peppers add pop).

By Warren Rojas

The signature entrees and traditional Tandoori dishes are impressive. But we can't get enough of beans foogath ($9.95)-a lunch buffet star interweaving steamed green beans, firm yellow lentils, piquant chili pods and shredded coconut.