Ottawa Foodies

1

Went to Rangoli with the family, the restaurant is nicely decorated with Rajasthani furniture which makes you feel like your in India.

The food was all tasty and Samosas were delicious. Me and my gf shared a Veg and Non-Veg Thali and it was good just like we had in India.

Service was very good and joyful.

4

This was my lunch at Rangoli today, good food/good price. They were doing brisk business and the restaurant was fairly full. The lunch specials are $10 and they include rice, raita, a soup, naan and a curry or other main dish of your choice. I chose the chicken vindaloo which was complex and spicy. I was able to substitute my favorite Kabuli Naan for the plain version for a slight upcharge. It has a buttery herb and sweet cherry topping. Everything was great, and the service was pleasant and very fast, making Rangoli a good choice for lunch in Orleans.

1

My family and I have eaten here consistently for years, and have never, ever been dissatisfied! I always tell people that if I were on death row, my last meal would be Rangoli's butter chicken, chana masala, palak paneer, and naan bread... followed by mango lassi, barfi, and jalebi!
HEAVEN! The butter chicken is so creamy and flavourful, and when you mop up the sauce with one of their deliciously chewy naans, it is perfection.

... I've made myself hungry, I'll be eating from Rangoli tonight for sure.

1

As others have noted, there is a place to eat in Orleans! Tonight we enjoyed our first dinner at Rangoli. Service was quick and polite. We started with Vegetable pakoras which were hot and crisp without being greasy. The cilantro relish and sweet sauce were both well made and nice complements to the pakoras. The tandoori shrimp were served with onions, peppers, tomatoes and more of that delicious cilantro relish. Butter chicken was tender and richly sauced. the portion was a bit small I thought at first, but together with the pakoras (6), the tandoori shrimp and a wonderful kabuli naan with cherries, there was plenty of food for the two of us, and enough for a nice lunch tomorrow. With a Mango Lassi and a Rickard's Red, the bill came to about $72 for two including taxes and tip. This will be our go to destination when we happen to be in Orleans and are hungry.

Note that Rangoli also appears to have a steady and loyal takeout business.

2

I had lunch at Rangoli's. It was my second visit to the restaurant, first time for lunch though.

Overall the food was fine. I was completely confused by the lunch menu as you can select ONE option from a slew of them, all categorized according to group (e.g. vegetarian, chicken, beef/lamb, seafood or biryani). I thought I had ordered the chicken combo when that in fact doesn't exist. "Combo" sounds like "korma" so that ended up being the main which came to me.

As others have indicated, the size of naan is extremely generous. The naan is quite good - dry actually, no sign of grease in sight.

The meal also came with rice, raita (I really enjoyed it) and a bean soup (tasty). The chicken korma itself could have used more flavour. If I hadn't had a total brain fart and had better understood the selection process, I would have chosen a different main. All in all though, I good lunch plate.

The service was fine although nothing special.

I will return.

1

The best option in Orleans I think which brings me back each time I'm out there. Maybe the best naan bread in Ottawa and certain "weird" items on the menu are quite exceptional. I can't remember the name but there is this fried vegetable "nest" appetizer that is really delicious. Dal soup is quite good too with a unique lemony flavour. Standard dishes like the Thali plate include tandoori chicken, raita, dessert, a meat dish and a vegetable dish. All above average. I will echo another comment here that perhaps there is some MSG going on as it's a bit over-flavourful for the quality of ingredients. Just a guess mind you. Nonetheless, it's a well judged menu at a reasonable price in a barren food landscape. I'm glad it's there. 7/10

2

This is a favourite spot for my wife and I, I'm a big fan of their butter chicken, lamb vinbaloo, the naans are certainly generous in size but that's not a problem here.
The sweets I just can't handle, I've tried a few deserts but it may be a texture thing or they may just be too sweet, I'll stick to the savory items any day.

1

Well I know I gave this place a bad review a while back so now I need to amend that. I had some take out from here last night and I ordered the vegetarian thali with Channa Masala as the main. It was absolutely stunning.

It was nothing like what I had experienced before and as such I must conclude that they were having a REALLY off night when I went in a few years back. Either that or they have a new chef?

1

We finally made it out to Orleans to try this place after hearing recommendations from trusted sources. We had the lunch special and it was excellent value. $7.99 gets you the platter in the photo -- a big Naan, a pile of Basmati, a delicious miniature samosa, a dish of raita, a dish of excellent dal, and a dish of your choice. We chose beef curry (pictured here) and butter chicken.

The beef curry was tasty but wifey found it to be too "salty" (and she likes salt). The butter chicken was tasty as well but had an unusual distinct anise flavour, so beware if you aren't a fan. Our kids shared the "vegetable korma" option, and they liked it.

Towards the end of the meal, we both started to feel a bit body-drunk, as though the food was loaded with MSG. It's possible it was a strange reaction to something else in the food but the only other time we feel this way is at Chinese restaurants that use lots of MSG. It would certainly explain the sensation of saltiness that was present in the food.

The dessert selection looked awesome but we were too full after eating a full special plus some of the kids' food. If it weren't for the MSG weirdness, we'd be rushing back to this place often for its great food and excellent value. Even so, we might give it another shot sometime...

The second time I ate here, I got food poisoning from their coriander chutney and was violently ill for 24 hours. Never, ever again. That was about four years ago, though, so hopefully they've improved their food handling conditions since then. In spite of that, I found the food acceptable for the price, and a welcome addition to the lack of culinary diversity in Orleans.

Tastes good, without being too greasy. Sized bigger than your head (unless your head is extremely large).

Vegetable samosas were excellent -- possibly the best I've had. I found the filling to be drier than usual but not at all in a bad way. The pastry was crispy but not greasy.

The condiments were top notch. The cilantro-chili stuff was fresher and nicer than I've had anywhere else, and the tamarind sauce was less pungent than usual.

Highly recommended.