Torun – Rubaru
The actual name of this restaurant is RuBaRu, although I’m unsure of the significance of the capitalisation and the owners have another outlet in Bydgoszcz. There might not be a large number of Indian restaurants in Poland, but those that there are don’t tend to be too bad at all. The welcome was immediate and seemed authentic, with the staff member being attentive and helpful throughout the meal.
The interior is colourful and bright, with some of the building’s brickwork exposed towards the front of the restaurant. It was all comfortable, clean and welcoming, with an unhurried atmosphere. It wasn’t very busy when I went in, and by not very busy, I mean that I was the only customer. It got a little busier later on and there were also numerous takeaway orders, so it’s clearly not an unpopular location.
The chicken saag, mixed vegetables, raita, naan bred, rice and salad, which was all part of a thali lunch-time meal deal. The food was well presented and exceeded my expectations, with the portion size being fine for a lunch and everything was at the appropriate temperature. The naan bread was rich and full of flavour, the rice was perfectly cooked and the raita was fine, although lacked texture. The freshly chopped salad might have been sitting for a short while as the lettuce was browning just slightly, but it still seemed relatively fresh. The mixed vegetables were almost the star of this little show, as they were soft and flavoursome. Let’s be fair, anything that can make vegetables taste good should be applauded. The chicken saag also had a richness of taste and the chicken was tender, although it didn’t seem to have a vast amount of the flavour from the sauce. But, nonetheless, this was all a very good meal.
The prices were very reasonable, even by Polish standards, with the meal costing around £3 and the Żywiec costing around £1.50. The service was welcoming and, although the reviews have been quite mixed, I’d merrily recommend this restaurant to others. The rest of the menu looked well balanced and it contains some standard Indian dishes, as well as some more unique options, with a feeling of some authenticity to the whole operation.
