Curry N Grill East Indian Bistro

You know I've been talking about the elevation of cuisines that have been traditionally "cheap eats".  That would include Chinese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern and the sort.  Over the past 10 years of so, we have seen Indian restaurants (representing various regions in India) become much more opulent and offering up delicious fusion dishes as well as cocktails.  One of the newest is located on Granville between West 10th and 11th.  They took over the spot that The Marquis used to occupy and they have retained the elevated pub decor and atmosphere.  Chef Kamal is at the helm and he has travelled the world working in such places as the Taj Hotel and Park Plaza in India, Oman, Germany and in London, where he refined his skills in Michelin-starred restaurants.  With all this experience, we were excited to try his food!

To start, we had the Reshmi Chicken Tikka and Veg Samosa.   Served straight off the skewer from the tandoor, the chicken was succulent and full-flavoured.  It was aromatic and nutty featuring caramelization and char on the outside.  As for the samosa, it was full of tender potatoes that were not mushy.  Rather, there was still a bit of texture.  It was nicely spiced where there was a touch of heat to go with the earthiness.  The pastry itself was crispy and not greasy.

We then moved onto 2 classics in the Butter Chicken and Lamb Vindaloo.  Creamy and earthy, the butter chicken had a nice balance from the tanginess.  There was also some spice to it and sweetness as well.  The sufficient chunks of chicken breast were tender.  As for the vindaloo, the lamb was lean, yet still succulent.   Beyond that, the curry was full of depth with the burst of tang from the vinegar while the spices gave off fall flavours from the cloves and cinnamon.

If you look at the Palak Paneer, you will notice that it is really green.  Unlike other versions, it looks freshly green, where they didn't cook it too long and put it in a cold water bath.  Hence, I could really taste the spinach and the texture wasn't completely mush.  The ginger really came through and the paneer was soft and squishy.  Sizzling on the hot cast iron plate, the Tandoori Chicken was fantastic.  There was a smoky char and plenty of caramelization.  The chicken was tender and juicy while beautifully marinated.

We also added the Fish Pakora after the fact and it turned out to be an excellent choice.  The medium-sized pieces of fish were flaky and moist while coated in a fairly thin batter.  It was crispy and well-spiced with some earthy and nutty notes.  Of course we had some Garlic Naan to accompany out curries (as well as rice).  This version was more on the crispier side with a completely browned bottom and blistered top.  Hence, it needed to be dipped into a curry to soften it up.  There was plenty of garlic, so it was pretty tasty on its own.

Our last 2 curries happened to be our favourites in the Creamy Chicken and Coconut Prawn.  I've had something similar to the creamy chicken lately at another restaurant where they called it "Marry Me Chicken".  Well for this version, I would definitely commit!  It was creamy as promised while not completely heavy either.  It was lightly sweet with some spice and the usual cumin earthiness.  The dark meat chicken was super tender.  As for the coconut prawn, it was also creamy but with a coconutty aroma.  It was also sweet and had just a slight hint of the prawn brininess.  Definitely went well with the basmati rice.

So we had a few beverages to compliment our meal in the Watermelon Mojito, Rainbow Cocktail and Empress Gimlet.  Totally refreshing and excellent for Summer, the mojito was light and just sweet enough.  I found the the rainbow cocktail to be rather sweet from all the layers of syrups.  Best to pair that with spicier and robust dishes.  The gimlet was also light and went well with the seafood dishes.  For dessert, we had the Gulub Jamun served with ice cream.  Normally, I am not a fan of these rose-water soaked dough balls.  Shockingly, I didn't mind these since they were sweet, but not crazy sweet.  They were soft and aromatic.  The ice cream was high-quality too being creamy.  Overall, the meal at Curry N Grill was fantastic and food was prepared carefully.  Nice to see an authentic Indian restaurant with reasonably-priced eats along South Granville in Vancouver.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Well-priced (also daily deals available)
- Comfortable dining room

The Bad:
- Parking can be a challenge in the area during peak times