Rangoli – the Raja of Indian restaurants
Many moons ago (well maybe ten years ago) if you had that special occasion and you wanted a fine dining treat there was only really one place to go and that was the Rangoli at the then Sofitel. Sharm back then was still relatively undeveloped and there was not a lot of fine dining choices – fast forward ten years and now Sharm has many options covering all types of cuisines but still the Rangoli at the now Movenpick resort is in the top ten places to treat yourself. That is quite a reputation, as many restaurants have come and gone in this time – to remain at the top just highlights the dedication of the team from Chef to waiter to providing consistently good quality service and inspirational Indian food.
It was a very pleasant trip down memory lane as we arrived at the Movenpick resort and wandered through the arabesque architecture to the entrance of the Rangoli – perched up high on one of the top level terraces overlooking the entire Naama Bay. The restaurant is renowned for its position and breath-taking panoramic views, so the only place to sit to gain the full Indian ambiance is on the terrace. Rangoli is a small restaurant which exudes a cozy intimate atmosphere. There is soft Sitra music and warm lighting which matches the amber and maroon décor, with tables well placed and spaced overlooking the resort and bay. On arrival we were greeted by the Maitre’d and escorted to our terrace table. After we were seated our waiter served us hot towels to refresh ourselves and gave us the menu, wine list and complimentary selection of Indian pickles.
Indian food is always good to share which adds to the intimacy of a romantic meal. With this in mind we chose the home-made vegetable samosas and pappdums to sample the pickles with. The pastry of the samosas was light and delicate which made them perfect to pair with the mint raita. The pappdums had the expected crunch factor and complimented the fiery lime pickle and sweet juicy mango chutney.
For our main dishes we ordered Tandoori lamb chops, Butter chicken, Peshawani Naan and plain rice. The lamb chops were the best I have ever tried – they were perfectly cooked, juicy and delicious with just enough punch in the traditional Tandoori marinade. We were served all the dishes with great style and care – the service was exemplary and indeed fit for a Maharaja. The Butter chicken was rich and velvety with tender pieces of Tandoori chicken enveloped in a silken spiced buttery sauce – which was simply mouth-watering.
A very nice touch to the evening was the table side visit from the Chef Mohamed Sitara from Mumbai. He obviously has a passion for his food and his country and emanates enthusiasm. His chatty disposition gave us an interesting insight to the cuisine, how and where he sources spices from, how he keeps the food authentic and some personal memories of Mumbai. He described the Kulfi sellers with such detail we felt we were there and of course on his recommendation ordered the Kulfi with pistachio, rose and coconut for desert.
Rangoli once again was the rose of Indian cuisine in Sharm. If you are looking for top-notch service with a smile, traditional delicious Indian food and a view of a thousand twinkling lights this is the place to go. It’s deliciously delightful and remains one of the top spots for a fine dining treat.
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Thank you for post 🙂