Indian food is one of my favourite cuisines because of all the different flavours and smells that come from the variety of dishes. There is nothing quite like a hot curry on a cold day with fluffy rice or soft, chewy naan to instantly warm your belly.
Friends of ours recently moved into the Clarkson/Lorne Park area of Mississauga and we stopped by for dinner and a visit. We ordered take out from Lorne Park Bar & Indian Cuisine and decided that we would all get the butter chicken with sides of rice and naan. The order came with your choice of rice, naan or tandoori roti, but we wanted extra to soak up the sauce.
For starters, my friends had the Vegetarian Samosa ($1 each) which is a pastry pocket stuffed with diced potatoes and peas. I found the pastry to be thick, which caused it to not be flaky as the description suggested, but the filling was plentiful and well seasoned. For the price, I would recommend this as a great starter to whet the appetite.
I chose to have the Non-Vegetarian Samosa ($1 each) which is the same pastry shell stuffed with seasoned minced beef. Again, the pastry was not flaky due to the thickness of it, and unfortunately I did not find the stuffing enjoyable. The texture of the meat was strange and reminded me almost of a pate because it was minced so fine. I kept picturing myself eating cat food each time I bit into it, and trust me, that is not an image you want to have when you’re trying to eat. Texture aside, the seasoning was similar to the potato stuffing in the vegetarian samosa and was quite flavourful. Though deep fried, I found both samosas to be crispy but not greasy, which is always a good thing.
The naan ($2.50) and the garlic naan ($3) were fresh and delicious. Each order came with 2 half moon pieces wrapped in foil to keep in the warmth. The garlic naan was brushed with a generous amount of oil, diced garlic and parsley without causing the naan to be greasy. The garlic smell was intoxicatingly overwhelming when I opened the foil, but the parsley seemed unnecessary since I wasn’t able to taste it at all. The naan itself – both garlic and regular – was soft and chewy with crispy edges. It was not a thick naan, but it was strong enough to not be flimsy when dipped in the sauce.
The rice ($4) was ok, but not my favourite. There were bits of shredded carrot and seemed to have been cooked with some sort of oil because it had a greasy taste to it. The rice grains were fluffy and soft, but I couldn’t get over the greasiness of it and definitely preferred the naan instead.
The butter chicken ($12) came with plenty of sauce and between five and six large chunks of chicken about an inch or so in length and width. The meat was tender and full of flavour, having been cooked in the sauce. The sauce was mild and creamy, but too sweet for my taste. I generally like a butter chicken sauce to not have the sweetness, but I think it depends on the chef whether you get sweet or not. This one is definitely one of the sweeter butter chicken sauces I have tried, and it wasn’t my favourite.
Overall, I would give this place another try because I think the food has potential. Maybe I won’t order the same thing as I did this time, but the menu seems vast enough that several other items jumped out at me that I would love to have a taste.
2 comments:
This post has made me very hungry. Butter chicken is one of my absolute favourite foods ever. Next time you are in Toronto you must try out Babur (273 Queen St. West).
I don't work for them or own shares ;)
I'm still on the quest to find the perfect Butter Chicken since it's one of my favourites as well.
I will check out Babur!
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