Curry On Over To Ruchi Indian Cuisine

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Indian food lovers rejoice; the authentic dry spice-heavy cuisine many thought impossible to track down in our fair town is, in actuality, only semi-impossible to find. Buried amid a sea of more prominent shops and restaurants in one of Creve Coeur's many strip malls is Ruchi Indian Cuisine, a South Asian eatery that rivals anything served up in the Land of the Hindus. Sure, a more flashy establishment might be compelled to pack its dining room with customers, ensuring the cash flow required of a healthy business, but that's not how Ruchi rolls; there were five people in the place during our visit, three of them Ruchi employees. Don't let that fool you though, this chow will set your soul free.

Appetizer-wise, you'll find about a dozen selections, most of them vegetarian options; from Eggplant Pakora (fried eggplant slices) to Potato Pakora (fried potato slices) to Chili Pakora (fried chili slices,) they've got it all. Even if you're not much for apps, Ruchi starts all customers with a basket of Poori (essentially a tostada,) and a selection of four dipping sauces that run the sweet to spicy gamut. Come entree time, you'll need a little help with your menu. If the crowd's anything like our visit, you'll find plenty of staffers on-hand to translate. From the specials board to the menu placement, owner Sanseev Guduru pimps his seafood pretty hard; a wise move judging by the Shrimp Buna entree. This dish contained about eight jumbo prawns and a handful of peppers and onions in a red sauce that, while spicy, didn't overwhelm the dish. Mix a prawn and a spoonful of sauce with a bit of basmati rice (included,) and heaven will never have seemed so close. Never wanting to ignore turf-dwelling animals, we added the Chicken Tikka to our tab; an entree that included peppers, onions, and chicken breast chunks coated in dry spice and baked in a clay oven. Though still satisfactory, this was the weaker of the two dishes, as the chicken seemed dry compared to the sauce-bathed shrimp. You'd be well-served to throw in an extra three bucks to have your meal served "Thali" style, which adds a basket of Nan (imagine grilled pita bread,) and three to four ounce servings each of vegetable curry, a subtly bitter yogurt dish called Raitha, a vegetable selection, and an orange dessert paste that, if you can get past the appearance, isn't half bad. You'll walk out stuffed and carrying a to-go box for about fifteen bucks per head.

All said, Ruchi makes for an impressive dining experience. The service leaves something to be desired, as our waiter seemed a bit irritable; probably due to boredom. This is one of those restaurants you'll enjoy and find yourself torn between singing its praises and keeping the little gem to yourself for fear of having to wait next time you'd like a seat. If you want Ruchi to survive, however, do the place a favor and pass this article to a friend. Peep the photo gallery for a few shots and visit Ruchi's site for more.