Week of January 26, 2006, Issue #536
DISH
Montreal Delhi
By QUENTIN RANSON
In India, locals know that truck stops offer the best food. The roadside restaurants
are bare bones operations, usually just mud-brick buildings full of patrons
who exchange a handful of rupees for steaming plates of curry and rice. It is
simple, fast and the food is frankly fantastic.
If you visit Schwartz’s Deli in Montreal, the scene is similar. Battle
your way through the hectic crowd towards a meagre bit of counterspace and quickly
order your sandwich. The waiter delivers a no-frills smoked meat stack on rye
that will not fail to impress. Most people associate fast food with culinary
compromise, the bargain being that we’ll give up quality and flavour for
the convenience of having a meal right away. Edmonton’s Tandoori Express
and Montreal Deli is the restaurant that will change your mind.
Located in a southeast industrial area, Tandoori Express is easily missed among
the warehouses and car dealerships. We entered and were immediately greeted
by the owner, who launched into the history and philosophy of the restaurant.
Tandoori Express is not a fusion restaurant: it serves food from two distinct
traditions, quickly and without compromising quality or authenticity. Smoked
meat is flown in weekly from Montreal while the naan (Indian flat bread) is
baked daily in a closed clay tandoor oven.
The interior of the restaurant has seen little effort towards create any special
ambiance. It is a practical space for practical food, to be enjoyed regardless
of the colour of your collar or the make of your car. The owner has created
a restaurant where the food speaks for itself. My wife is of Indian descent
and I’m no stranger to the smoked meat sandwich: how could our meal could
possibly live up to our lofty requirements?
The menu board on the wall had Indian cuisine on the left and deli items on
the right. The usual suspects of roast beef, egg salad and turkey lined the
deli menu. I was sad to see that the most intriguing item, a smoked meat poutine,
had been crossed out. That Québécois double whammy must have come
with its own crash cart! The varied Indian menu ranged from chicken curries
to lamb kebabs and tandoori fish. There were seven distinct vegetarian choices
and six kinds of naan.
We decided to share the channa masala ($5.95) to start, followed by a Montreal
smoked meat sandwich ($5.29) for me and a tandoori paneer platter ($5.95) for
my wife. While we waited, the gregarious owner explained that he specifically
placed the grill and the tandoor oven in the main dining area so that the cook
could interact with the patrons. An Indian chef isn’t happy if he or she
does not see first-hand that the customers are satisfied. “People like
to know how things are made,” said the owner, “and a good cook wants
clients to see the care that goes into making tasty food.”
He handed the channa masala over the counter on a TV dinner-style plastic tray.
One hollow contained an Indian salad of raw onions soaked in lime juice mixed
with cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce. Next to the salad was the channa, a deep
brown, stick-to-your-ribs stew of chickpeas, onions and lentils slow-cooked
in a rich blend of Indian spices. The flavours in the dish were reminiscent
of the deep, earthy tastes found only in a succulent beef broth base. (Strict
vegans, take note of a welcome choice!) The salad’s sharp and sour flavours
complemented the savoury channa. The plate was also stacked with four generous
pieces of tandoori naan, an unleavened bread that has a pastry-like tenderness
when properly prepared.
The tandoori paneer was a little longer in coming, but exceeded all expectations.
Where with most paneer the diner must settle for cubed-and-fried cheese, the
texture of this fresh paneer was smooth, firm but not rubbery, and balanced
perfectly against the tandoori sauce. The paneer was served on saffron rice
with Indian salad on the side and two big naan. The side of blended sauce was
fragrant with cardamom and tangy with tomato and went beautifully with the rice
and naan.
The Montreal smoked meat sandwich was exactly as it should be: a triumph of
simplicity. The tender beef was carefully steamed and stacked about an inch-and-a-half
thick on fresh rye bread. Topped by the mustard’s pungent heat and chased
with a large garlic dill pickle, the immense sandwich satisfied my purist palate.
For dessert, we ordered two mugs of chai ($1.50 each) and shared an order of
kheer ($1.50), a decadent rice pudding made with cream, milk, cream, sugar,
cream and whole cardamom pods cooked to soft perfection. Our chai carried a
fragrant mix of anise, ginger, clove, cardamon, cinnamon and revealed the smokey
presence of black cardamom. As a perfect end to an Indian meal, chai revisits
many of the flavours found in main dishes in a delightful new way. Our modestly-sized
but filling meal totalled a very reasonable $25 including tip.
The owner intends to make quick lunchtime curry even more convenient for his
customers by offering tiffin, which is a popular option in India. Customers
will be able to pre-order favourite dishes and pick up their gourmet lunches
in reusable stainless steel containers to go. The idea is not only novel to
Edmonton, but probably very welcome in this recycling-friendly town.
A second chef is soon to arrive from India to add a new dimension to this already
above-average restaurant. Innovations like south Indian cuisine (an extreme
rarity in Edmonton) and a vegetarian buffet will surely draw new fans from all
over the city. Tandoori Express and Montreal Deli will continue to serve a fast
yet flavourful dining alternative to their growing crowds of loyal clientele.
V
Tandoori Express and Montreal Deli
6508-75 Street • 465-7088