All in keeping with the outdoor color scheme at this Bangladeshi restaurant: fish, fish, and more fish. First are a curried pair of pabda, a small river catfish whose sweet filets easily part from the spine; second is a section of boal, a larger, bonier catfish, softer-fleshed and slippery-skinned. Both dishes seem to employ chile powder primarily for color; their seasonings might include ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric, and mustard oil.
The third, loytta shutki (at Ruma's, transliterated as lotia sutki), is by sight scarcely recognizable as a fish. Shutki is a type of bhorta — literally "mashed," a category of Bangladeshi dishes that rely more heavily on chile as well as on mustard oil, garlic, and onion — prepared from dried fish. The loytta in question is also known as Bombay duck.
Not shown from our table for two: a pair of bhortas, one prepared from potatoes, the other, from lentils; palate-cleansing personal salads; a broad plate of rice; and the terrible mess that comes from lack of practice eating fish and rice with fingers only (total, $22 before tip). Also witnessed: the late lunch of a solo diner. The counterwoman made him a plate of rice flanked by two vegetables; the kitchen cooked up an off-menu masala omelet. Further visits to follow.
Ruma's Kitchen
37-01 61st St. (at 37th Ave.), Woodside, Queens
718-899-9100
www.Facebook.com/Rumas-Kitchen-107741526477926
