Just remember the three V’s -
VINDALOO - VINDALOO - VINDALOO
My fricking mouth is watering. The purists may object but I think Chicken Tikka Masala with all the fixins throw on is pure heaven. Other dishes may be more authentic but I don’t think any taste better.
Vindaloo is over-rated. I ate it with a friend (it was part of a pact he made with God over a certain matter) and we were all psyched up, but it turned out to be not all that hot. The waiters came around every now and then to see how we were doing, and seemed surprised to see we were still breathing, but it was really no big deal. Orange juice helps a lot.
It doesn’t seem to suit you, but I have to recommend my favorite Indian dish evah: dall sambal. It’s a spicy lentil dish eaten with rice and raita. Some nan bread doesn’t hurt either.
Priceguy-
It all depends on who prepared the vindaloo.
I had chicken vindaloo in Toronto that was off the scale.
Locally, I had one that I could have served my 3 year old, it was so bland.
Try it again and ask the waiter to make sure it’s spicey.
Trust me, BwanaBob, it was. They had the equivalent of a big red warning sign next to it on the menu. When we ordered it, the waiter asked us if we were really, really sure that’s what we wanted. As I said they came around asking, not if it was good, but how we were doing.
Our high expectations may have had something to do with the experience, though.
Yes, Indian is the way to go. Here in the Vancouver area we have a huge Indian population, so little family restaurants are everywhere - even in the food fair in the mall!
I often go to the sweet shop across the street for samosas for lunch, with tamarind sauce for dipping. Sometimes a few of us go to a nearby Afghan place for the best chicken biryani I’ve found. And when I have to work at the other campus, I go to the mall for butter chicken and whatever else strikes me that day.
Glad to hear you’ll be joining the rest of us, SnoopyFan!
It doesn’t seem to be mentioned here but I would suggest going for the highest priced mixed thali on the menu. This will usually consist of several tandoori meats (think chicken and lamb bbqd in yoghurt spice mix) one or two small portions of meat curry two or three vegetarian side dishes, rice, nan and sauces. These give you a god selection of flavours to appreciate, and each portion of any one thing is small enough that if you don’t like it you still have plenty other things to enjoy.
Another good idea for indian food novices is the lunch time buffet that many restaurants provide. This is another chance to sample meny different Indian dishes.