Cayenne Bistro and Grill

New West isn't usually known for its culinary scene but I swear they have so many hidden gems.  I guess it goes hand-in-hand with what I just said about New West because most would be hidden gems right?  I'm not sure if I'm making sense here but stay with me.  One of these hidden gems is Cayenne Bistro & Grill located on 6th Street in Burnaby.  Wait, didn't I just say New West?  Well, anything in that area is essentially New West in my mind...

So we started with the Appy Platter consisting of 2 samosas, 3 kebabs and 3 nylon bhajia.  On the side, we found tamarind and mint chutneys.  Really enjoyed the samosa because the pastry was not too thick and was fried up crispy while not being greasy.  Nice spice on the potato filling too.  Those kebab meatballs were a lot more moist than they appeared.  Sure, they were crispy on the outside, but completely moist on the inside.  Once again, nice spice to them.  The thinly sliced fried potatoes were a touch greasy, but were soft and fluffy with a crispy surface.

Next, we had a dish that I've never heard of or tried before.  The Patra Bhajia were patra leaves tempered with spices, rolled, steamed and then fried crispy.  This was certainly a unique texture that was a bit firm, yet at the same time tender due to the steaming.  They were nicely seasoned with earthy notes with some spice.  As for the leaves themselves, they had a leafy green flavour but with a slight metallic finish.  Certainly unique, but not really up my alley.

Similarly to the appy platter, I got the Choma Platter consisting of Beef ribs, Mishkaki and Pili Pili Chicken.  This was quite the plate of meat as it was a lot more filling than it looked.  The mishkaki sported tender chunks of beef that was a bit earthy with some peppery notes.  The beef ribs underneath were tender in a chewy way (a good thing).  We chose mild and it was as such.  As for the chicken, it was tender and juicy as described with a mild spiciness.

We moved onto 2 curries starting with the Chicken Rafiki.  This featured tender pieces of chicken that were moist.  It sat in a tomato-based coconut curry that was smooth and buttery.  It was aromatic and creamy due to the coconut milk, but then than merely tempered the tomato portion of the curry.  It was definitely there, but the tang was muted while the sweetness was present.  It was mildly spiced, but had nice earthy notes.

 

For our second curry, we had the Malindi Seafood Medley with prawns and halibut cooked in creamy tomato-based curry.  Sure, this was somewhat similar to the chicken rafiki, but different at the same time.  It took on some of the seafood flavour while the peppers added some vegetable sweetness and bite to the dish.  I found the fish to be rather flaky and tender (meant it was fairly fresh) while the prawns to be meaty with a nice snap.

So we decided to get some rice, but in the form of Bombay Beef Biryani.  Yes, I know plain basmati rice would've been the best compliment to the curries, and we did actually order some.  Besides, we also had some Garlic Naan anyways.  That biryani was quite good with moist, yet al dente basmati rice.  It was nicely spiced and with beef (usually I've had it with chicken, lamb or goat), it took on more body and flavour.  As for the naan, that was probably only thing we were indifferent about.  It was soft and fluffy, but lacked blistering and the buttery aromatics of ones from a tandoor.  Other than that, the food was unique and well-executed.  Unique dishes too as there are both African and Indian influences.  Yes, this is a hidden gem for sure.

The Good:
- Unique food
- Nice flavours
- Wonderful owners

The Bad:
- Tight dining room
- So-so naan  

Tandoori Raj

We were in a dilemma.  Something that had us thinking hard and would determine our fate.  Yes, we were trying to figure out where to eat after softball...  To complicate things, not only did we have Miss Y and her paleo diet, but also another request - something vegetarian.  I was confounded and frustrated since it also had to be within the Sunset area.  Not to worry and never fear because Bear was there!  He piped up and suggest Indian, specifically Tandoori Raj (well not really, he thought it was a different restaurant was located there, but we ate there anyways).

Interestingly, no one ordered any tandoori items despite a prominent section in the menu.  Oh well, whatever, we did get a good selection of dishes including the veritable Butter Chicken.  We asked for all of our dishes to be spicy and this one was no exception.  It had a real initial kick, but was not unbearable.  We could've done with even more spiciness.  With that being said, it allowed the flavours of the butter chicken to come through including a mild tang and muted creaminess (I would've liked it more creamy).  We enjoyed how the chicken was actual tandoor-prepared and it was fairly moist.  Onto the Prawn Masala, we found it to be a bit sweeter due to the onion.  It had the familiar spices including noticeable cardamom.  The smallish prawns were well-prepared though being meaty with a light snap.

We ended up with 2 lamb dishes including the Lamb Vindaloo and Lamb Rogen Josh.  We found the vindaloo a bit more red than we were used to, but that was partly due to the paprika.  Add in vinegar and tamarind, the sauce was trending towards a ketchup-type flavour.  However, this was not to say this tasted like ketchup, it was far from it.  Again, there was a purposeful amount of spiciness that added layers of flavour.  As for the lamb itself, they were in medium-sized chunks that were fairly tender.  Again, the rogen josh was in a noticeable red hue once again from the paprika. I thought this was a touch sweeter due to the onion content and there was a noticeable cardamom finish.  The spiciness didn't hide the rest of the spices which was pretty consistent with all of the dishes.

We also went with a Goat Curry Punjabi Style which was less intense as with the lamb dishes.  The milder flavours could be attributed to the creaminess of the curry.  We thought the goat was appealingly tender with only a muted gaminess.  As mentioned, the spiciness was not as apparent, which suited this dish fine. We moved from meat over to veggie with the Palak Paneer.  We found it to be creamy and nicely spiced.  The heat level was still there, but not as strong as the first 4 dishes.  As for the paneer, it was soft with a rebound texture.  Loved the pop of the sweet peas that were nestled in the curry.

Yes, the dish we were all waiting for...  The Vegetable Curry!  Sorry for being sarcastic, I'm a meatatarian...  It was actually quite good with also a creamy consistency.  This was the only dish that was requested as mildly spicy.  Hence, it was a bit sweet with the spices coming through a bit more.  Naturally, we also got rice and Naan to go with our curries.  As evidenced in the picture, the naan could've used a bit more blistering and charring, but it was okay nonetheless.  It was soft and chewy with a slightly crisp bottom side.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Tandoori Raj.  Flavours were impactful and the spice level suited us.  We just wished there was a bit more meat in the curries.

The Good:
- Balanced spiciness
- Flavours were impactful
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Could've used more ingredients
 

Jolly's Indian Bistro

Viv and I love spicy food.  Generally, the spicier the better, unless it is Szechuan Boiling Beef that is on nuclear hot (my experience with that at the now closed Hot Luck was not fun... It was hotter coming out than in!).  However, this love for spice has not translated with the kids as they consider pepper to be too spicy.  So our mission is to condition their palates with different foods that offer up some heat.  We ended up at Jolly's Indian Bistro for some of this conditioning and also the fact we had a Groupon.

Starting things off, we got the Paneer Pakora drizzled with mango sauce.  This was pretty good as my son even liked it (sans mango sauce... imagine trying to scrap that off!).  Inside, the paneer was soft yet still retained a bite and rebound texture.  It was coated with a thin, crispy and seasoned batter (the caraway seeds were dominant).  My daughter loved the sweetness of the mango sauce unlike my son.  However, the best part was the chickpeas underneath as they were texturally on point while the curry was slightly spicy and aromatic.  Trying to ease them in slowly, we got them the veritable Butter Chicken.  Although it was still decently spicy for mild, the kids still ate it with only a bit of complaining.  We found it to be a good balance between creamy and tangy tomatoey while not being overly salty.

For myself, I had to get the Lamb Rogenjosh and I requested it to be spicy.  It did exhibit some heat, but it wasn't mind-blowing.  This was fine by me as I could still taste the layers of flavour from the sweetness of the caramelized onions and various spices including the cloves.  The only thing I would've liked to see was less salt.  The chunks of lamb were of a good size and fairly tender.  Lastly, we had the Goan Fish Fry which featured a whole fillet of fried basa advertised as sitting in a chicken gravy.  This was fairly mild with a background spiciness.  It didn't particularly taste like a chicken gravy as it was more like a curry with coconut.  The fish was good though being flaky with a crispy batter.

All of these dishes were priced above $15.00, but to be fair, all of them included salad, rice and Naan.  As you can see in the picture, the naan looked more like a well-charred lavash.  It ate somewhat like one as well with an airiness to it with a glutenous chew.  We also liked the slightly crisp and nutty exterior.  So in the end, we were quite pleased the kids ate the food without asking for McD's instead.  Overall, it was pretty decent albeit a touch salty.  Although I could get better Indian food for less in Surrey, this was not bad for kits.

The Good:
- Decent
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- A little pricey
- A little salty  

Mezbaan Fine Indian Fusion

Variety. That's something my son didn't have in his vocabulary even a few years ago as he subsisted on mac n' cheese, grilled cheese and cheeseburgers.  Now, if this was a cheese-eating contest, I guess he'd do okay.  However, a piece of me died inside every time he'd choose one of the aforementioned items over tastier options.  He's expanded his eating repertoire and we felt it was time to go eat some Indian food at Mezbaan Fine Indian Fusion (thanks to another Groupon) before he forgot he had tried it in the past.

We tried the kiddies out with both the Paneer Pakora and Fish Pakora.  We all found the fish pakora to be superior partly due to the benefit of an actual protein.  The fish was soft and flaky while retaining its shape and integrity.  The batter was super light and nicely spiced by caraway and cumin.  It was further enhanced by the spicy cilantro chutney.  From there, we moved onto the Tandoori Chicken served on a sizzling cast iron plate.  By virtue of using only the leg, the meat was fairly tender and succulent.  It was marinated enough to have some penetration of flavours, but in the end, it was rather mild tasting.

Due to their low spice tolerance, we got the Butter Chicken in its mildest form.  Hence, the dominant flavour was the tangy tomato paste accented by only a slight amount of creaminess.  As mentioned, there was little to no spiciness as requested.  But that didn't mean there was no flavour at all.  The small chunks of chicken ranged from tender to dry.  For myself, I had the Lamb Rogen Josh in a spicy version.  I found the pieces of lamb to be succulent and moist.  However, the sauce was lacking in depth and richness.  It wasn't even that spicy.  There seemed to be a lack of toasted spices in the mix.

As a side, we got a couple orders of the Garlic Naan which was more crispy than bread like.  It was well charred which afforded a smoky flavour.  However, we didn't notice much garlic. My son devoured it along with the butter chicken.  In that sense, mission accomplished as there wasn't any grilled cheese to be found anywhere.  In terms of overall food quality, it was decent and definitely serviceable.  Obviously, I've had better (especially since I have access to the great Indian food in Surrey on a daily basis), but Mezbaan is alright for the neighbourhood.

The Good:
- Decent for the area
- The service we got was alright for a family run operation
 - Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Flavours could be bolder (and I'm not talking about the spice level)
- Place is a bit run down  

Maurya Indian Cuisine

Darn those Groupons...  I got sucked into buying a whackload of them a year ago only to see them expire before I had a chance to use them.  Call it the "need reservations" effect where you cannot merely show up with your Groupon.  Hence, last minute plans with the hockey or softball team don't work.  However, with the face value still valid, I enlisted the help of Whipping Girl to use the one I bought for Maurya a long time ago.  Yah, I could've used it earlier in the Summer, but who thinks of making a reservation while playing a softball game?  Well, it should've been me I guess...

After circling around trying to find parking since their lot was full, we finally settled in. To the surprise of our server, we went ahead and ordered enough food for 4 starting with the Fish Pakora featuring nuggets of halibut.  Lightly crisp on the outside while moist and flaky on the inside, these were prepared nicely.   There was enough flavour in the batter, but served on the side was a sweet and tart tamarind chutney that was balanced and appetizing.  Next up was the Garlic Mussels simmered in a creamy garlic sauce.  The sauce was thick and more clumpy than creamy.  It was mildly flavoured where I could taste garlic, cumin and green onions.  As for the mussels, they were unfortunately overcooked where they became somewhat rubbery.  We were not fond of this dish.

Onto the mains, we started with Whipping Girl's favourite being the Butter Chicken.  It was chock full of chicken tikka pieces that were sufficiently moist.  We asked for spicy and there was definitely a kick.  However, it wasn't overly spicy, hence we could taste the other flavours such as the mild sweet tomato and garam masala.  Since there was very little tang, it appeared they used fresh tomatoes.  For myself, I had to get the Lamb Vindaloo and it turned out to be a great choice.  The plethora of lamb was tender and moist.  The sauce had body where the spice was clearly evident.  I could get pronounced hits of ginger and tang.

Lastly, we shared the Aloo Gobi which was pretty decent.  There was also a good level of spice combined with a good balance of sweet and savoury.  The cauliflower and potatoes were nicely textured being soft while maintaining a certain firmness.  Naturally, to go with our meal, we had rice and Naan.  In fact, we got an order of regular Naan and another of the Garlic Naan. We felt these were charred nicely in the tandoori where there was a crispiness on the outside.  However, being quite thin, the inside was not as chewy and fluffy as we would've liked.  The whole thing was pretty crispy.  Overall, we though the meal was acceptable considering we were pretty far from Surrey and Main Street.  There is definitely better though.

The Good:
- Acceptable considering the area
- Fairly good service
- Big and spacious

The Bad:
- A little pricey
- Modest portions

Baba Sweets & Shivalik Restaurant

Finally, after a self-imposed ban on Indian food for a little while, I've finally decided to go back to the well. Yes, it is a pretty deep well at that. There are so many choices for Indian food out here along the Scott Road corridor. Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food and I was looking forward to eating it again. Joining me today were L-Pete and Pomegranate, which is a good thing since there would be more variety. Truth be told, I made sure there was variety... I'm so lucky people put up with my antics. Our destination today was Baba Sweets. If I am not mistakened, there is another location on 6th in Burnaby.

When we arrived, there was only a table of high school students. I guess the places doesn't do a lot of lunch business? The reason I mention this is because our food actually took a decent amount of time to prepare. However, that may not necessarily be a bad thing since rushing anything is generally not a good idea. We were originally planning on ordering a la carte off the regular menu; but at the last minute, we noticed their lunch specials. The significance of the specials is that they all include rice and naan. Normally, you'd need to add both naan and rice for an additional cost. Pomegranate decided to add a
couple of Beef Samosas as an appy, apparently not satisfied with his lunch combo. Personally, I thought it would be too much food; but hey, I'm not gonna stop him. He's ordering more food for me to try!

I thought that the samosas were only an average value since there are many more other places around that charge less than $1.00 per item. The samosas themselves were good and bad. The nicely fried exterior was good, the gritty and dry beef filling was bad. I'd like to try the vegetarian one next time. L-Pete went for the ever popular Butter Chicken. If you can see in the picture, the sauce is quite oily. I realize that butter chicken requires quite a bit of ghee, but this was greasy, not smooth. Moreover, the flavour (to me at least) seemed slightly off. Rather than the rich sweetness (and slight tartness from the tomato) that is normally associated with butter chicken, this one was almost like a regular curry.

On the other hand, I did like my Lamb Curry. It had a decent amount of spice and tasted like a rich curry should (as in multi-dimensional flavours). Moreover, the lamb was tender and fairly plentiful. Pomegranate had the Chicken Curry and although it seemed like the same sauce, this one was a bit sweeter and less spicy. Either my taste buds were deceiving me or the different meat made a difference in the flavour. Believe it or not, the best part of the meal was the Naan. It was hot, soft and fluffy. The food here ain't gonna win any awards and to me it was a bit average. But, it was alright and a fairly good value when having the lunch special.

The Good:
- Fluffy Naan
- Friendly service from the only front-of-the-house staff member
- Large dining area

The Bad:
- Food is on the average side of things
- Worn out interior