L won an award! I couldn’t pass this opportunity to squeeze a dinner out of him. For this special occasion I permitted him to choose the restaurant. For this post, let’s listen to “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons.
L picked our neighbourhood gem – Masala Bhavan. Appropriate, as Masala Bhavan also has something to celebrate – winning a spot on Avenue Magazine as best Indian restaurant!
For beverages, we ordered two bottles of Kingfisher ($6). I thought this beer paired well with the food, as it was light and clean. The beer was perfect to wash away the fragrant spices we consumed in each dish.
To start, we shared the Chicken Tikka appetizer ($12.95). L liked the presentation of the sizzling, steaming plate of chicken and vegetables. The breast meat is roasted in a clay oven, resulting in juicy, tender pieces of chicken. The seasoning is delicate and aromatic.
We enjoyed the Masala Dosai ($10.95). The dosai looks bigger than it is. The crepe was thin and crispy. The filling consisted of lightly spiced creamy potatoes, onions and spices.
I loved dipping the dosai in the different sauces, chutneys and lentils. I liked the fact that each sauce was so completely different from each other. L compared our dosai to eating chips with dip. The tomato chutney in particular was delicious, with bright flavour that popped out. The curry lentils were savoury and sweet.
For our main, we shared the Curry Chicken ($14) with two orders of naan ($2.95). The naan was light and airy, though parts of the dough were stretchy with a delightful chew to it.
I was surprised that the cashew and coconut sauce was not creamy and almost broth like. The spice level was perfect, not overpowering but still vibrant enough to hit the sweet spot without breaking into a sweat. The sizzling chicken and the chicken curry tasted almost healthyish. This is a place I can eat at frequently without as much guilt as my other go to restaurants.
This is our third time dinging at Masala Bhavan. Each visit offers something new and exciting for our taste buds. The flavours are fantastic and the prices offer value. Hitting the Sauce puts this SW gem on her list of favourite restaurants in Calgary.
Hitting the Sauce 