Ingesta - A rooftop experience

One of the many reasons I like rooftop restaurants is the view. The only thing better than amazing food is amazing food with a great view! So naturally, when I heard about Ingesta – Rourkelas own rooftop restaurant, I had to check it out.

Located on top of J.P Heights hotel in the Civil Township area of Rourkela, Ingesta offers a wide variety of food ranging from Burritos and chicken wings to various Hong Kong noodles. On arriving, I was slightly disappointed to find that, while it is technically a rooftop restaurant, it has walls and a ceiling – it is completely isolated from the outside, thereby losing the charm that a rooftop restaurant possesses.

Undeterred, I sat down and looked at the menu. As I mentioned previously, Ingesta offers a wide range of food which I am yet to see anywhere else in Rourkela. I decided to start with the chicken wings, curious to see how they would be prepared, followed by a chicken curry and noodles for the main course along with chicken alfredo pasta. I was slightly miffed at the miniscule size of the wings, but the number of wings provided made up for their size. They were prepared quite similarly to the chicken lollipops I get on campus, albeit the marinade was a few shades darker.

Moving on to the main course, the noodles were average – there was nothing to complain about but there was nothing that stood out either. What surprised me, however was the chicken curry I ordered. I found little chunks of tinned desert fruit in the gravy! This was slightly off-putting as the fruit itself smelled like it was going off, giving a funny taste to the curry. Thankfully, I didn’t get sick.

The pasta was delicious. There was more than enough meat, the pasta was properly cooked and the sauce was nice and thick, unlike other plates of alfredo I’ve had in Rourkela. Something that I usually find with alfredo here is that it is either too watered down and diluted or the cheese overpowers the palate. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case here. The pasta was definitely the highlight of my meal

Onto the desert section : or lack, thereof. As I was about to order desert, I was informed by the lone waitress that they didn’t have any available. One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is the service. Despite there only being a single waitress on duty when I went, I never felt that I was being neglected. The food was served properly, there was no spillage and the plates were cleared almost immediately after I had finished eating.               

I’m slightly conflicted on my closing thoughts : on one hand, the wings were nice and the pasta was probably the best I’ve had in Rourkela. On the other hand, I feel slightly robbed of the “rooftop experience” and the location of Ingesta doesn’t help. If you’re planning on going to Ingesta, be prepared to shell out a fair sum on transportation as Ingesta is located in the Civil Township area. That makes it difficult to recommend Ingesta unless you’re already in the area, looking for a bite to eat. While it’s certainly not the best eatery in Rourkela, Ingesta is definitely worth checking out if you’re willing to stomach the transportation costs and the funny curry.