Épices de L'Inde

Animal

2.0

I had a late lunch/early dinner at this restaurant yesterday. I love curry & where I live in the US, there are no Indian restaurants nearby. So, what a treat to find one while exploring Quebec. First, the restaurant is located in a desirable section of Quebec where the street is a pedestrian-only street that is lined with many cafes, restaurants, bars, & small shops. A must see! Spices of India is located down basement steps in an historic building. So there are no windows in the restaurant which means the ambiance is a tad dark. Not a problem for me. Because it was mid-day, the place was empty except for one other table. I ordered two dishes & some naan. While I was waiting for my meal to arrive, the other table, a party of six, complained that the food did not taste authentic. The waiter explained that's how they cook it in Quebec. The table & the waiter exchanged some more words about the food, they paid, & left. My food arrived. It looked so yummy. But at first bite, I could see what the other table was complaining about. Both dishes were very bland. Not one hint of curry spice in either dish. I was disappointed. I stole a salt shaker from a nearby table to help bring out some flavors. The salt made it more palatable. I was super hungry when I arrived, so I ate both dishes. & I told the waiter the food was good. But in reality, I think the chef missed the mark. Or perhaps the locals prefer bland foods. IDK. The naan was yummy, however. The service was good. But the food could use more spices to make it more flavorful. I am not talking about adding spices to make it hot to the taste, just enough to taste like a real authentic curry dish. Lastly, if you hope to order a stiff drink with dinner here, as an FYI, this restaurant is a carry-in-your-own-booze place.

Foodie

1 Review

4.5

A few weeks ago I went with a colleague & friend of mine to have lunch at this place, which is the successor of a previous Indian restaurant called Garam Massala. The latter no longer exists at that address & that phone number (actually, I was told by the new owners that the previous owners moved to another city). Therefore, the Garam Massala reviews, if any, no longer hold.

We both ordered one of the lunch specials (soup, main dish & dessert of the day). We first had soup Mulligatawny, sweetly spiced & tasty. Then the main dish was Korma lamb (korma is a slightly spiced curry cooked in yoghurt & cream with raisins). That was served with a mixture of cooked vegetables, white rice, a slice of nan (an warm soft tasty Indian bread), & a mixed salad (lettuce, tomato & cucumber slices, green pepper pieces, in a house vinaigrette). Both the soup an the lamb dish were delicious. Then the waiter (from Morocco, although the chef Sayed is from India) brought us the dessert, called Gulab jamon: a ball of cooked dough in a sweet sauce. Both my friend an I were disappointed with the dough taste, kind of stale, but the waiter told us that this was the normal taste of Gulab. We discarded half of it. Maybe we were on a bad day, for the chef changes desserts daily.

The price was very reasonable: 25 Canadian dollars for both of us, for food only. Actually, this new restaurant does not serve alcohol, & advertises "Apportez votre vin" (bring your own wine).

NB.- When I returned there at night to inquire about the previous restaurant Garam Massala, I was offered some of the new dessert Sayed had just prepared (& of his own making, like all the dishes served), called Suji ka Halawa, a semolina prepared with milk, raisins & cardamom. Delicious!