[Dine-Out] Calgary: Mango Shiva (Big Taste 2012) August 22, 2012

The Big Taste lunch @ Mango Shiva was a super good deal since it was only $15.

Mango Citrus Herb Salad

This was one of the freshest salad I’ve ever eaten. I’m a mango fiend, so pretty much anything with mangos in it will win me over. But the combination of Bengali spiced cucumber, cilantro, mint, mango, cherry tomatoes, baked paneer and toasted nuts was unbelievable. Everything was just right, the cucumbers brought in a nice hint of spice, the toasted nuts added crunch, and the mango citrus dressing just brought the whole salad together. Best. Salad. Ever.

I got the Tandoori Chicken Naan Flatbread:

Flatbread = Practically a Pizza

This was a fairly sized pizza, I think I only ate 3/4 of it and gave the rest to the bf. This was topped with sautéed onions, peppers, cilantro, mango chutney, mozzarella, and spiced yogurt. This was kind of a let down after the amazing salad. Whoever put the sauce on was waaaay too heavy handed. I couldn’t even pick up a slice of pizza without the whole thing drooping. I had to knife and fork this thing. Very heavy and very saucy.

The bf got the spicy lamb burger

Served with Pakoras

The patty on this burger was almost non-existent. Mango Shiva was definitely skimming on the meat. The big bed of greens on top of the bun was probably just to hide how small the patty was. Bf was not happy about that. The burger came with a side of pakoras. Those were tasty, wouldn’t have complained if Mango Shiva would have put more on the plate.

The bf got the Gulab Jamun:

Do Not Like

I knew, from previous experiences, that I do not like this dessert, but the bf has never had it so he ordered it. Traditionally they are made by deep frying a batter mixed with flour and milk solids. I’m not sure if Mango Shiva makes them the traditional way or just with the powder stuff that can be bought at ethnic stores these days. The bf also did not like these. They are very sweet (as they were soaked in rose and cardamom syrup) and has an odd mushy texture.

For dessert I got the Basmati rice pudding:

Yum Yum

This was definitely the better of the two desserts. The reason that this $15 menu is such a great deal is because the dessert course also came with traditional Indian chai, Masala.

Masala Chai

Our waitress was not aware of the complimentary Chai when we asked for it. We had to point it out on the menu for her. I hate it when that happens, its embarrassing and awkward for both parties.

MANGO SHIVA
218 8th Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 1B5
(403) 532-8980

[Take-Out] Calgary: Raj Palace February 29, 2012

So we decided to get some take-out from Raj Palace one night…well, it really wasn’t take-out as much as delivery. But…you know, same difference.

Anyways I really wanted some sort of smoothie-like liquid in my belly, but our blender is broken, so I thought I’d order some mango lassi. In hindsight, that was not a very smart idea. After I had placed the order, I instantly started thinking about how they were exactly going to pack mango lassi (lassis? What is the plural for lassi anyways?) for delivery…

Ah, should have known...

These were the tiniest cups of mango lassi ever…annnd these were $3.95 each. I can’t believe we spent $8.00 on these. I should’ve taken a picture of them besides something so there was a frame of reference. These were maybe…4 inches tall? 4 inches max. Oh well, lesson learned.

Bf got the lamb vindaloo ($13.95):

He always get the vindaloo because it is the spiciest

I got the butter chicken ($13.95):

Mmmm....butter chicken...

And of course, we had to get some naan ($1.95 for one):

Om nom nom

I’ve honestly never gotten bad Indian food in Calgary, but maybe I don’t really know what great Indian food taste like.

Din Din~

What do you guys think? Is there a quintessential Indian restaurant in Calgary? The best of the best? Super Authentic? Let me know!

RAJ PALACE
731, 6 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 0T9
(403) 205-3672

[Dine-Out] Calgary: West Restaurant and Bar September 19, 2011

WEST is a downtown restaurant that offers relatively affordable food that’s good for get togethers and outings with friends. I see WEST just a bit above restaurants like Joey’s Tomato and The Metropolitan Grill. WEST isn’t a franchise (yet), but it gives off that same sort of feel.

They do offer relatively cheap drinks though, which is nice. It seems like most places are charging $10.00+ for a cocktail these days…

Some Fruity Watermelon Drink

I think these were both under $10.00:

Mango & Watermelon

We ordered the Chef’s Fondue. I don’t know why I order fondue anymore, I don’t particularly like the stuff. I find that the wine is way too strong in the fondue, and it just gets to be too…rich…after the first couple of bites. This fondue is made of melted aged parmesan, boursin, smoked gruyere, and white cheddar. The naan sticks that it comes with is super tasty though, and the apple is a great touch!

Chef's Fondue

We got another starter, the Wasabi Spuds. Mmmm…these were good. I love potatoes and I love Wasabi. I guess these are whipped potatoes wrapped in wonton wrappers and then fried. I found that the wasabi wasn’t strong enough, but the dipping sauce, a pickled ginger aioli, is very nice.

Not Wasabi-y Enough

I didn’t get any pictures of the mains, but they were okay. Nothing spectacular. I remember the portion size on my ravioli was quite small though…

Meringueee!!!

Above is a passionfruit tart. It was nothing great, but it wasn’t bad either. I’m a big fan of meringue, so yum!

Another dessert we got was the Chocolate Trio.

Chocolate Trio

It consisted of a “Molten Bomb Ganache” which is pretty much a molten lava cake. So many restaurants have these now, I’m kind of sick of seeing them on the menu. The cake is served with Vanilla Bean Gelato. At the far end was a Chambord Chocolate Mousse, and the closest to the camera is a belgian waffle with chocolate syrup. Nothing too innovating.

The last dessert we got was a Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with fresh raspberry coulis.

Cheesecake!!

I <3 Cheesecake!

WEST RESTAURANT AND BAR
225 7 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 2W3
(403) 237-5556

[Dine-Out] Calgary: Lasani Restaurant & Catering Services Inc. June 30, 2011

This new Indian restaurant opened up a while ago by where I live, so the bf and I thought we’d go check it out. Also, we received a 10% off promotional coupon in the mail~!

We got complimentary papadum to start:

Papadum

Papadum is sort of like a thin, crisp cracker that you eat with assorted chutney and dip.

Chutneys

I noticed that they had a bunch of these little trio containers around, and I think they just give the same things to different tables. Is this sanitary? I mean, we didn’t double-dip…but what if other people do? I don’t really like that. I don’t want to be eating someone else’s germs…icky.

Of course, I got a Mango Lassi:

Funny Mug

We went when they first opened, so I don’t think they had everything sorted out yet. Not only did my lassi not show up until half way through my meal, it showed up in this tacky mug.

We got some chicken wings to start. This were good, they are marinated with yogurt, fresh lemon vinegar, and traditional spices. I love me some chicken wings!!

Delicious, but we ordered waaay too much food

We got some regular naan as our carbs:

Plain 'Ol Naan

And some Roghni Naan:

Yogurt, Milk, & Butter

I actually ordered the Butter Chicken this time:

Lots of Chunks of Chicken

This was good, but definitely not as good as Mango Shiva’s Butter Chicken…mmm… I <3 Mango Shiva.

The bf got the Goat Karahi:

Lahori Style

He always get goat, I think it’s so that he doesn’t have to share with me. Humf!

Overall, it was pretty good. I think it’ll be a while before we go back though, there’s just so many other indian places around where we live that we haven’t try yet. I’d much rather try out new restaurants since the food wasn’t that fantastic.

LASANI RESTAURANT & CATERING SERVICES INC.
924B 5 Avenue Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 0N3
(403) 590-7869

[Dine-Out] Calgary: Tandoori Hut June 20, 2011

I always order a Mango Lassi when I have Indian food. Mostly because I’m a wimp and need something cool to counter the spicy foods, but also because I <3 Mangos.

Mango Mango Mango!

The heating tray that keeps the proteins warm. Those are tealights underneath the cover:

Hot~

We ordered an order each of the Garlic Naan and the Allu Naan. The Allu Naan is stuffed with spicy potatoes. I thought I would really like the Allu since I love potatoes, but it was too mushy. I prefer the Garlic Naan to it.

Naan Breads

I got the Beef Curry. Tandoori cooks their curry with ginger, garlic, and spices. I enjoyed this dish, but I always regret not getting Butter Chicken after I’ve ordered, lol.

Boeuf

The beef curry was very good, it had a nice spiciness to it, but it wasn’t too hot that I couldn’t handle (with the aid of the lassi). They’re very generous with the protein, I got a lot of beef in every bite. When the dishes first came out, it seemed like very little food, but in the end, we had to get stuff packed up to go. The portion size seemed small, say, compared to Mango Shiva, but it really is a lot of food, and  you’re only paying about 2/3 of what you would pay in Mango Shiva. So it all works out at the end.

And the bf got the Goat Vindaloo:

Goat

He got this dish because it seemed like the spiciest item on the menu. It’s a spicy curry made with coconut milk and crushed chilies. It was very hot, I could only have a little taste of it before it got to be too much for me. That’s all the wisdom I can impart on his item since I don’t like goat so we didn’t share our dishes ^___^”.

TANDOORI HUT
201 10 Street Northwest
Calgary, AB T2N 1V5
(403) 270-4012