Bahubali Biryani House Downtown

Awhile back, I had the chance to try out Bahubali Biryani House in North Delta with a few other people.  It turned out to be a tasty experience with the biryani being really good (yes, it is in the name of the restaurant right?).  There was a low-key dish that I am still remembering quite fondly.  That was the Crispy Corn which was "wow", super addictive and would go really well with a tall cool one.  Now, they have a Downtown location that serves some of the same delicious items, but also features a lunch buffet for only $19.95.  For those who want to take away, they offer "all-you-can-take" for the same price.  In this economy, that is a really great deal and super flexible as you can take it to go as well.

So we came here to try that exact Buffet and also sample some of their a la carte specialties.  As you can see, there was a good selection of items available as hot food in the buffet.  We found Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Curry, Saag Paneer, Chana Masala, Aloo Matar and Onion Pakora.  We also found both Basmati and Dum Rice on the side to compliment the curries.  I thought everything looked vibrant and fresh, which cannot be said about all Indian buffets.

The curries tasted as good as they looked and surprisingly with a good amount of spice.  The Butter Chicken was creamy with a mild tanginess and earthiness.  Chicken was in good sized chunks and tender.  Loved the Saag Paneer as the cubes of cheese were soft and squishy.  The cooked down spinach sat in a semi-creamy curry that was earthy and slightly gingery.  Chicken Curry was solid with fall-apart pieces of meat while being bathed in a spicy and sweet curry that had the taste of fall flavours.  Slightly gingery, a bit sweet and of course earthy, the Chana Masala was definitely flavourful.  Same could be said about the Aloo Matar with its tomato-based curry that was, once again, earthy and slightly spicy with the sweetness of the peas.

The last 2 items that I had to try from the hot items was the Onion Pakora and Tandoori Chicken.  The pakora was crispy and fairly light with completely cooked through onion.  Maybe needing just a bit more char, the Tandoori Chicken was juicy and tender while having some spice and tang.  The rest of the buffet featured some veggies, fruit, chutneys, raita, gulab jamun and kheer.  Those chutneys were a great condiment to the spicy curries, especially the sweet and sticky Mango Chutney and tangy Tamarind Chutney.

Since Naan should be eaten fresh out of the tandoor, they make it to order for the buffet.  You have a choice between Butter Naan and Garlic Butter Naan.  We had both and they were fantastic.  Look at that char and external crispiness!  That crunch gave way to a chewier, yet soft, interior.  So much nuttiness and aroma from these two fresh breads.  They weren't shy about the ghee either as they were glistening.  Naturally, the garlic naan had some more flavour.

Moving away from the buffet, we ordered a few dishes off the regular menu.  Of course we couldn't do without the Crispy Corn.  Marinated, battered and then deep fried, the corn was super crispy and super sweet.  Being tossed with fried curry leaves, we got some real earthy aromas.  Once again, I feel that this dish is perfect with a cold beer.  The wedge of lemon was there to cut through some of the deep-fried heaviness, but honestly, I didn't use it since the aroma would've been less apparent.

To my horror, Jackie decided to order the Cilantro Chicken.  Okay, I'm not the biggest fan of cilantro, but this looked to be quite the challenge for me to eat.  But something surprising happened...  I enjoyed this dish!  The tender nuggets of chicken were bathed in plenty of greeness but it wasn't overpowering with the cilantro.  Rather, it combined well with the rest of the ingredients to create a cohesive flavour that was partially earthy, a bit spicy, somewhat tangy and of course cilantro-tasting.

We ended up with 2 sizzling Tandoori platters including the Mixed Tandoori Platter and Tandoori Prawns.  Both did indeed come out sizzling (as some places do not) and the aroma was intoxicating.  Unlike the tandoori chicken in the buffet, these tandoori items were nicely charred and smoky.  I particularly liked the fish as it was flaky and full-flavoured.  The prawns were excellent too having an intense brininess and sweetness.  Good texture on them too.

For myself, I needed to have the Goat Curry.  I just love the texture of goat and yah, I don't mind the gaminess either.   Actually, I didn't notice too much in the way of gaminess, but then again, I'm used to it, so it could be subjective.  Each piece of goat was tender with its usual gelatinous texture.  The curry was really flavourful bordering on salty but not being salty.  The spice level was great for me as it had a real bite.  Of course the usual earthiness and fall flavours came through.

We couldn't get out of here without having at least one biryani right?  So we opted for the Vijayawada Fry Piece Chicken Biryani.  As you can see, this was overflowing with basmati rice that was nutty and chewy.  Hidden underneath, there was a considerable amount of tender pieces of chicken that were the beneficiary of being fried.  Hence, they retained their juiciness and intensified their flavour.  This was pretty spicy but completely up my alley.  I could see it being a problem for some people, but I loved it.  The side of raita helped cool things down and the salan provide even more spice and nuttiness.

We also got an order each of the regular Paratha and the Spinach Paratha (only the spinach pictured) and these were good.  They were lightly browned on the outside with some leoparding while maintaining a soft fluffiness.  It had more body due to the whole wheat flour.  Nice aroma on them and with the spinach paratha being a bit more loose due to the moisture.  Overall, the food at Bahubali Downtown is fantastic with a high default spice level.  Portions are generous and the prices are affordable, especially for its location.  Would totally recommend.

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

The Good:
- Flavourful food with a high default spice level
- Affordable, especially the buffet
- Generous portion sizes

The Bad:
- A bit hidden and parking isn't the best, but most people would be in the area anyways
- Seating is a bit limited, was really busy when we were there

Biryani Lounge Restaurant and Bar

It wasn't that long ago that finding good Indian eats in Downtown Vancouver was limited to some tourist traps.  Unless you were willing to travel to Surrey, particularly Scott Road, you would be hard pressed to find anything decent.  Well, those days are gone since Indian restaurants have been popping up all over the place.  In fact, many of them are rather fancy and sport nicely appointed dining rooms.  Recently, Jackie and I visited Biryani Lounge perched on the 2nd floor at the corner of Denman and Davie.  Really awesome location, but how does the food stack up?  Well, we were about to see...

We began with a few appies including the Samosas filled with potato and peas.  Normally, I don't have a lot to say about samosas because many are very similar.  This one had a pretty typical filling with soft potato and peas with the usual spice and earthiness.  However, the pastry was a cut above because it was flaky and almost airy.  Very appealing since it wasn't heavy, yet at the same time was uniformly crispy on the outside.  Really good!

Next, we had the Vada Pav consisting of a fried potato patty (or ball in this case) and chili peanut chutney on a soft roll.  Despite being carb-on-carb, this Indian slider (as described on the menu) was satisfying and delicious.  I've had this many times before and I found this particular version to be extra crispy (the patty that is).  Hence, there was a distinct textural contrast between the soft bun and the patty.  There was good spice and to top it off (literally and figuratively), we found a hot pepper to amp things out even more so.

I know, I know, the Butter Chicken is often seen as a defaultish dish like Sweet & Sour Pork in Cantonese cuisine.  But, I happen to like both of these dishes and am not a food snob.  Good thing that we ordered this as it was quite good.  It was thick and creamy but also had an impactful tanginess.  There was the usual earthiness from the spices with equal parts sweetness and savouriness.  I would say this version was pretty mild though.  The pieces of chicken were tender and a bit smoky.

The best curry I had was the Coconut Goat Curry.  This was rich and creamy but at the same time, wasn't overly heavy.  The aromatics from the coconut milk was at the forefront, but the shredded coconut added some sweetness as well as texture.  There was the usual earthiness from the spices that balanced off the sweetness.  Of course, the best part was the goat.  It was tender, gelatinous and super moist.  So pleasing and delicious!

Now I emphasized that "I" enjoyed the goat curry because Jackie doesn't like goat.  Therefore, we went for the Coconut Prawn Curry as well.  You will notice the difference in colour and that also resulted in different flavours.  The curry featured less fall flavours and was sweeter.  Less depth due to the use of prawns, but brighter too.  The prawns were cooked nicely being meaty with a light snap texture. 

To go with these curries, we were served some Garlic Sesame Naan.  This was well-charred, nutty and the beneficiary of delicious ghee.  It was the thinner variety, so it ate more like a cracker-type bread rather than a fluffy and chewy interior.  We also had a few drinks including the Indian Coffee and Mango Lassi.  I found the coffee aromatic and sweet while the lassi to be thick, sweet and creamy.  Nice compliments to the curries we were enjoying.

Naturally, we were going to order some biryanis too in the Tandoori Chicken Biryani as well as the Prawn Biryani.  Predictably, the tandoori chicken biryani was much more rich and impactful due to the flavours imparted by the charred and marinated tandoori chicken.  I liked how the rice was fairly dry and not overly wet.  It was nutty and nicely spiced.  The prawn biryani was even drier due to the main protein and also lighter tasting as well.  This would be good to go with some curry (despite Biryani not generally eaten with curry, that is where plain basmati rice comes in).

Speaking of Tandoori Chicken, we got an order since we were so impressed with the chicken in our biryani.  Since it was served on a sizzling platter and not cooked into the rice, it was more smoky, more flavourful and more moist.  Very nice render on the skin which was nutty and earthy.  The chicken was super tender and well-marinated.  Overall, the food at Biryani Lounge was really good and well-priced.  Considering its prime location at English Bay, you might think it would be a tourist trap.  It is clearly not.

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

The Good:

- Delicious

- Well-priced

- Prime location

The Bad:

- Parking, of course, is not the best down here

Skye Avenue - Kitchen & Lounge

For awhile, I knew that Skye Avenue had replaced the long-standing Central City Brewing at Surrey Central.  However, I just never made it out there to see what it was all about.  It wasn't until Executive Chef Bal (of Desi Lounge in Downtown Vancouver) raved about the burger at Skye Avenue, that piqued my interest.  So when Nikita and Bluebeard wanted to meet up for some eats and they suggested that Skye Avenue be one of the options, I totally agreed to meet them there. 

We arrived in time for their Happy Hour and in addition to getting some drink specials, we also started with a few food specials as well.  Instead of the usual ball shape, the Mushroom Arancini arrived as a rectangle slab.  I thought it was nicely crispy, but the inside was rather mushy.  It did have good flavour in the earthiness of mushroom and smokiness of eggplant puree.  In actual balls, the Smoked Salmon Croquettes were also a bit mushy inside too.  Yet, most croquettes are made with potato, so that was to be expected.  There was a smoky saltines to them and there was a bit of tartar sauce in the middle.

We got 2 more specials in the Wagyu Carpaccio and Prime Rib Slider.  We found the carpaccio to be a competent plate with thinly sliced and tender beef.  It was topped with flaked salt, aged pecorino, truffle aioli, arugula and some aged balsamic.  Again, it as pleasant enough but the focaccia that came with it was horrible.  It was hard and very dense.  As for the slider, it was excellent with a soft toasted bun, horseradish aioli, fontina cheese, crispy onions and au jus.  The beef itself was super tender and there was no absence of flavour and texture.  Should've gotten a few of these!

Onto the mains, Bluebeard and I shared the Lobster Cobb Salad as well as the burger.  As you can see with the salad, there was no absence of lobster meat.  It was at its bouncy and springy best with natural sweetness and brininess.  It featured tender butter lettuce, ripe avocado, cherry tomatoes, custardy soft-boiled egg and gorgonzola cheese.  I thought this was a very good salad with excellent components.

Now for the Chef's Burger, it was comprised of an 8oz organic grass fed house-ground patty.  That way, it could be prepared so it wasn't cooked to a crisp.  It was super juicy, meaty in flavour and of course tender.  It was topped with fontina, truffle aioli and crunchy onions all on a brioche bun.  Chef Bal was right, this burger had it all, a juicy patty, texture from the onions and a soft brioche bun.  Even the side of fries were really good being crispy with lots of creamy potatoness inside.

Viv wasn't very creative and also ordered a burger in the Fresh Sockeye Burger.  This featured a 5oz chermoula-marinated salmon patty with mango salsa, pickled coleslaw and tartare sauce on a charred leek bun.  So with all those tasty ingredients, the flavours were impactful.  We had sweetness, tanginess and brightness on the crispy and smoky bun.  However, the main ingredient, which was the salmon, was rather dry.  Being sockeye, I wasn't surprised as the meat is leaner and would dry out easier.  It did taste good though.

Lastly, Nikita had the Gluten-Free Margherita Flat Bread.  For a gluten-free crust, it was pretty good being crispy and not too dense.  The tomato sauce was bright and tangy while there was more than enough fior di latte on top for impact.  We also found some fresh basil, but would've preferred it added after the fact.  Overall, Skye Avenue is a competent restaurant with some real highlights.  The decor is quite nice and the service is top-notch.  I do believe a few refinements are here and there.

The Good:

- That burger!

- Nice decor

- Great service

The Bad:

- A few refinements needed

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

 

The Aroma Bistro

For some reason or another, I love driving out to Abbotsford for food.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating because I do not enjoy the traffic on the Trans-Canada during rush hour.   Let's just say I don't mind the drive since there is good eats to be found out in the Fraser Valley.  I guess it was an easy drive this time around as we were heading to The Aroma Bistro for their Sunday brunch (as well as trying some other a la carte dishes).   If you can believe it, the brunch buffet costs only $19.99!

What you get for the price is a phenomenal value complete with an Omelet and Crepe station.  Although the crepes were already preprepared, they were still good.  A bit on the crispier side, the crepes were filled with choice of fruit, whipped cream and sauces.  There was also waffles and pancakes available at the adjacent station.  As for the omelets, choices of ingredients included tomatoes, cheese, onions, peppers and mushrooms.  With salt and pepper at the station, the omelets were properly seasoned.

Now The Aroma Bistro might be an Indian restaurant, but they also serve a variety of Western dishes.  Hence, their brunch buffet has all of the local favourites including Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrowns, Sausages, Bacon and Eggs Benedict.  Everything was typical but the Eggs Benny was the real star.  These were classically prepared with toasted English muffins, back bacon, free-hand poached eggs and a legit Hollandaise.  The free-range eggs featured fully-cooked egg whites with a runny yolk.

Now of course they would have one Indian dish in the Butter Chicken and some fried rice to go with it.  The butter chicken had a nice balance between tangy and creamy with some earthy notes.  The best dish of the bunch had to be the Marry Me Chicken.  It featured tender slices of chicken breast in a rich and creamy sauce with a bit of woodsiness.  Finally, we found Penne Pasta in a marinara sauce.  This was pretty standard and great for those who didn't want anything too creamy.

For the kiddies and for adults too, we had Chicken Strips & Fries.  Pretty standard stuff that did the job.  Near the desserts, we found grapefruit juice and orange mango as well as iced tea.  There was a variety of desserts that included some cakes, chocolate-covered strawberries and a version of cornettos.  Nothing outstanding, but they were fine.  I didn't mind the chocolate cake as it was moist and surprisingly not overly sweet.  Actually, the crepes were the best dessert offered at the brunch.

Other than the brunch, we got to try a selection of dishes from their regular menu.  It was a mix of Western and Indian cuisine where we started with the Beet & Burrata Salad.  Unlike some other Indian restaurants, this burrata salad was not fusion.  Rather, it was a competent and composed dish consisting of mixed greens, beets, orange segments, burrata, balsamic glaze and honey shallot vinaigrette.  Flavours were complimentary and the burrata was fresh.

Continuing on with the Western dishes, we had something that has been popularized by Bubba Gump in the Coconut Shrimp.  These were quite good where the shrimp itself was juicy with a sweet snap texture.  The coconut coating was just right, not being too thick.  It was crunchy and none too greasy.  As much as the sweet chili dip went well with the shrimp, something more creative would've been better.  Maybe a bit of fusion here would've work (like a spicy tamarind chutney).

Something that is a staple of many chain restaurants is deep fried chicken wings.  Mind you, it is a staple for many different cuisines, but this was Buffalo Wings, so once again, it was a purely Western dish.  These wings were enormous with juicy brined meat.  Due to it being brined, there was inherent flavour to the meat.  On the outside, the skin was mostly rendered.  Although it was covered with vinegary hot sauce, the light batter was crispy.

From the wings, we moved onto some Indian dishes in the Tandoori Chicken and Tandoori Prawns.   These came sizzling and full of aromatics.  The 6 pieces of chicken were nicely charred without being burnt.  Consisting of dark meat, the chicken was tender and juicy while well-marinated.  The prawns were a bit less charred, but that was okay as it maintained its moisture and were cooked perfectly.  Good snap to every bite and well-spiced too.

Our last dish was also Indian in the Prawn Korma with a side of Garlic Naan.  Unlike some versions of korma, this was had more colour and had more depth of flavour.  Beyond the usual nuttiness, we had earthiness and sweet savouriness.  This was pretty mild being aromatic rather than spicy.  Once again, the prawns had a moist snap texture.  Overall, the food at The Aroma Bistro is solid and that Sunday Brunch is a friggin' steal at $20.00pp.  Love the concept where they offer a legit Western menu to go along with their Indian menu.  Ultimately, it will appeal to a wider range of tastes, all in one well-appointed restaurant.

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

The Good:

- Solid eats for both menus

- That inexpensive Sunday Brunch

- Well-appointed decor

The Bad:

- Unless you are in the area, it is quite the drive