Ruchi Review

Ruchi is an Indian restaurant located in Jones Valley in the Fresh Market shopping complex. It is tucked away, so it can be hard to miss. We visited Ruchi on a Sunday and decided to take advantage of the buffet offerings. If you have never tried Indian food, visiting Ruchi on the weekends when they have the buffet is a great opportunity to try a variety of dishes to find out which is your favorite.

We started with Butter Chicken over basmati rice, Chicken Biryani, Spinach Onion Pakora, and naan. The Butter Chicken came with a creamy red sauce and only had a hint of spice. The Chicken Biryani was tender and was complimented nicely by the seasoned rice. I was unsure about the Spinach Onion Pakora, but I am glad that I tried it. It tasted like fried onion rings with a hint of cilantro. The naan was the only part that was not my favorite; it was pretty dry.

Listed from top to bottom: Chicken Biryani, naan, Pakora, and Butter Chicken

Our next plate consisted of Tawla Fried Fish, Madras Lamb, and Tandoori Chicken. The fish was mild-tasting and breaded lightly. The Madras Lamb was tender and served in a spicy tomato-based stew. The Tandoori Chicken was smoky and spicy, but again, not too spicy.

Listed from left to right: Tawla Fried Fish, Madras Lamb, and Tandoori Chicken

For a pre-dessert appetizer, we tried four different chutneys with Papadum, or a light, airy cracker. The four chutneys we tried were a sweet tamarind, a savory tomato, a mint and lemon, and a raita chutney composed of cucumber, onion, tomato and yogurt. The raita chutney was my favorite because it reminded me of tzatziki sauce that you would have at a Greek restaurant. The tamarind was my second favorite because it was slightly sweet and offset the savory flavors.

Listed from top to bottom: Tamarind, Tomato, Raita, and Mint Chutneys with Papadum 

Our dessert was a Mango Lassi beverage and Gulab Jamun, which was a fried dough (think doughnut) soaked in honey soup. The Mango Lassi is an acquired taste; it is pretty thick as it is essentially a blend of pureed mango and yogurt. The Gulab Jamun was delicious; honey soup is just as magical as it sounds.

Mango Lassi 

Gulab Jamun

Overall, we greatly enjoyed our visit. The buffet allowed us to try several dishes, and we enjoyed each dish that we tried. While we did not interact a whole lot with the staff, everyone was helpful in explaining the different dishes to us and was very welcoming. We can't wait to go back!