By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
www.globalgourmnets.ca michael@globalgourmets.ca
Whenever I come across a restaurant that for some reason deems it necessary to have the word “New” indelibly etched onto its name it immediately makes me think that the previous owner had an abysmal reputation and that the new owners, wanting to completely disassociate themselves from this unsavory history, were forced to take this drastic step.
Why not just change the name completely and start fresh?
Having never had any experiences, good or bad, visiting the “Old” Indian Palace. I came to the restaurant with no hopes or expectations.
My interests and passionate love of global cuisines have been well documented on this site over the past months and one of my favorites is Indian with all the many exotic regional dishes.
The many regional cuisines in India are by far some of the most complex. The deft and skilful use of a myriad of spices is legendary, taking a great deal of patience and skill to perfect . Unfortunately, as is the case with many ethnic cuisines, they are sadly very often watered down at home to suit our more tempered and tender western palettes.
This gross misrepresentation of a truly wonderful cuisine is happily not apparent at the New Indian Palace where the dishes have been lovingly and authentically prepared .
The ambiance and decor at this newly renovated premises is both relaxing and romantic decked out in colors of beige and purple. Their menu is quite large, offering all the regular curry selections as well as an impressive list of house specialties.
We started our meal with an order of Aloo Kebab ($4.95), two lightly breaded and deep fried potato patties skilfully combined with a mix of spices. They were beautifully fried with not a trace of oil and the spices elevated the lowly potato to delicious new heights. We also shared an appetizer plate of Chicken Tikka (6.95) consisting of several marinated and moist slices of chicken breast roasted in the iconic Indian tandoor oven.
The wine list featuring an impressive selection of wines all reasonably priced, is quite unusual for an Indian restaurant of this size. However, when we actually got down to making our selection we were quickly brought back to reality and were informed that they only had three red wines in stock which they actually brought to our table so we could make our selection! I empathize with them, in today’s restaurant market it is a big burden on a small restaurant’s cash flow to maintain a large selection of wines. We chose a pleasant bottle of Mouton Cadet ($33.95 ) to accompany our meal
For main courses I chose one of the chef’s specialty dishes Lamb Piaza ($11.95) a medium spliced lamb curry all cooked fork tender in clarified butter and spices and topped with thinly sliced ribbons of caramelized onions, a wonderfully complex flavored dish. We also shared one of their standard curry selections, one of my all time favorites, Bhoona Chicken ($10.95), tender pieces of boneless chicken fried with tomato, onion, chillies and a mix of spices served in a deliciously thick curry gravy . We accompanied these dishes with a serving of Cauliflower Bhaji ($7.95), Palao Rice ($2.50) and a Nan Bread ($2.50). The cauliflower, mixed with green beans and tomatoes still maintained its slightly crunchy texture. The palao of rice, while light and fluffy, could have been served a bit warmer and the Nan, very light and airy, had the typical freshly charred flavor from baking on the walls of the tandoor.
Indian restaurants are abundant in Montreal, but The New Indian Palace ranks well up there on my list of the most favored, offering delicious and authentic dishes, all at very reasonable prices and with friendly and professional service to match. Their selection of House Specialties sets them apart from a lot of other similar restaurants in the city.
The New Indian Palace
5125 blvd St Laurent
Tel: 514 564-7401
Hours: Mon – Sat 11.30am – 2pm 5pm – 10.30pm
Sun: 4.30pm – 10.30pm
