ROOH founders Anu and Vikram Bhambri were both working influential jobs at Microsoft when they decided to take the leap and begin a restaurant career. Fueled by their shared passion for fine food and the cuisine of their homelands, they enter their sixth year of operations with ROOH Restaurants in San Francisco and Palo Alto where they’ve taken the lessons they learned in the tech world to create a culinary program that’s unseen elsewhere in the country.
Meaning soul or spirit, ROOH brings the spirit of India to Palo Alto and San Francisco with a delicate balance of rich traditional flavors made with fresh local ingredients and prepared with international techniques and inspirations. Chef Pujan Sarkar’s dishes aim to take guests on a gastronomical journey through various regions of India. Beyond his novel application of the latest advances in food technology, he puts an emphasis on honoring local purveyors and the community while sticking within the complex framework of traditional Indian Cuisine. A vast majority of the menu comes from farmers/purveyors within a 50 mile radius.
While the cuisine is innovative and progressive, it is the creative cocktails that steal the show. Head mixologist Chetan Gangan crafts a bar program that sets a new standard for Indian beverages. His handcrafted cocktails are inspired by the Ayurvedic rasas (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) of taste. The classifications help guests to match their cocktail with the flavors of Chef Sujan’s delectable dishes:
RASA SOUR
Lychee Fizz with Reyka vodka, butterfly pea, lychee, ginger, and egg whites
RASA BITTER
Smoked Pann Manhattan with Fist Full bourbon, cinnamon, star anise, areca nuts, bitters and Paan liquor
Khubanni Old Fashioned with Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey, Fino Sherry, apricot, bitters, and active charcoal
RASA PUNGENT
Mango Tango with Bacardi 8 yr. Rum, mango, saffron, Amara Montenegro, and Aperol
RASA ASTRINGENT
Ginger Sour with Hendricks Gin, cucumber, mango, ginger, and elder flower tonic
Imli Express with Milagro Reposado Tequila, tamarind, pineapple, and habanero bitters
RASA SALTY
Prickle Oasis with Luna Mezcal, prickle pear, lime, apple cider, and lava salt
Berry Cool with Green Brier Whiskey, strawberry, fig shrub, and Rooh salt
RASA SWEET
Peachy Gulabo with Barsol Pisco, peach, rose, and citrus
ROOH San Francisco, 333 Brannan St.
ROOH Palo Alto, 473 University Ave.
Photos courtesy of ROOH restaurants
