Vegging Out: Vegetarian Appetizer Sampler Platter at Naanolicious

There is a special at Naanolicious on Thursday evenings that vegetarians will definitely want to check out. The vegetarian appetizer platter, paired with a beer, for $14.95 is a huge portion on a large plate: one samosa, several veggie pakoras, a couple of aloo tikka patties, naan bread with a dipping sauce, and two chutneys. I managed to devour this flavourful feast myself, but if I was less hungry, I also certainly could have shared.

Thali Box at Naanolicious

The new Thali Box lunch at Naanolicious could be Whyte Avenue's best-kept dining secret. Served only until 2 p.m., this is like the East Indian version of a Bento Box, and features rice, naan bread, a chicken dish, a vegetarian dish, and salad. The specific dishes are the chef's choosing, so you're getting both a surprise and something like a buffet - but brought directly to your table, and always fresh. My Thali Box had rich butter chicken, a lentil dish which was superb, saffron rice, a cucumber-yogurt salad, a shredded cabbage salad, and garlic naan. At only $16.95 the price point is excellent for the amount of food you're getting. It's not on the menu - you have to ask for it, and you'll be glad you did.

Just Desserts: Strawberry Nutella Naan

I don't often have dessert at Naanolicious but when I do, it is something like this: a sweet version of the signature naan. In this case, Nutella and fresh strawberries were generously put on top, creating a chocolatey sensation that was not to sweet. The strawberries added natural sweetness without being overpowering.

Dinner at Guru

I had lunch at Guru recently, but have never had supper there until this week with my father who loves Indian food, but doesn't get the opportunity to have it often. He ordered the Guru Daal, which was a colourful and flavourful combination of lentils. I had the Palak Paneer, which had smoky undertones and was made with pine nuts. It was the most uniquely flavourful Palak Paneer I have ever had. We shared a saffron rice, and he had an order of roti and naan for me. An order of naan is actually two pieces - we could have shared that too. As it was we had plenty to take home to enjoy later. Plus, our server was very personable. The prices are high end but the portions are large an the quality incredible.

Kadhai Paneer at Guru

I visited Guru for the first time in ages, to join a friend for lunch. The lunch menu has a number of pre-plated vegetarian and non-vegetarian options that are served with rice, fruit salad, and naan. I opted for the Kadhai Paneer, which is fresh cubes of cheese in a tomato-based sauce. The paneer was firm and absorbed the flavour of the sauce nicely, which was spicy without being overly hot. The finely diced melons mixed well with the rice and the sauce, adding an element of sweet coolness. And the naan was perfect: hot, buttered, and full of bubbles. At $17 this was not an inexpensive lunch, but it was not overpriced either. To drink we had the masala chai ($5), made to order and very aromatic.

Just Desserts: Cinnamon Naan

Cinnamon Naan, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

As a special treat for participants in the International Women's Day march on Saturday, the owner of Naanolicious offered me a cinnamon naan for dessert when I dined there on Saturday.

It was a piece of basic naan bread covered in gooey caramel and dusted with icing sugar. I totally forgot that a naan is usually savoury as it was totally transformed into a delicious dessert.

Craisin Paapri and Keema Naan

Craisin Paapri and Keema Naan, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

My usual Saturday routine involved a trip to Blues On Whyte and then supper at Naanolicious. I had the craisin paapri on a previous visit, and felt like something lighter that evening, so enjoyed the refreshing salad-like confection of craisins, potato, tomatoes, chickpeas, and crushed samosa chips. Something new for me was the keema naan, which was ground beef and spices stuffed into a butter naan. The flavour was rich and toasty, and would have made a great snack on its own.

Daal and Naan

Daal and Naan, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I had two events to get to on Whyte Avenue this afternoon, and Naanolicious was almost smack dab in the middle of them.

Daal is one of my favourite East Indian dishes, so I was happy that a version of it is on the restaurant's menu (Dip Into the Lentil). A generous portion of the thick, lentil stew is served with a butter naan - it's a perfect pairing!

A Naanolicious Marathon

Due to various circumstances, I found myself dining at Naanolicious numerous times in the last week or so. Here is a look at some of the dishes I tried.

I have had the butter chicken fries numerous times, so I wanted a different version of the restaurant's take on poutine. Dal, with its creamy lentil base, is one of my favourite Indian dishes, and it was wonderful on the fries. Frankly, I could just go for a bowl of dal with some naan bread, and I believe there is a dish along those lines on the menu.

The next day, I went for a serving of vegetable korma fries. The creamy curry sauce was the base for the vegetables and paneer cheese, which I adore. Very flavourful! And, it went well with the buttered naan I ordered on the side.

I tried one of these stuffed mushroom caps ("Mystical Mushrooms), which was a flavour burst. The crunchy coating was made from lentils, with a garlic and cream cheese filling surrounding the mushroom. More than one would have been a little too rich for me.

The Tandoori chicken was permeated with flavour - I just wish the pieces were a little bigger! I paired with it with the Aloo Tikki, fried potato cakes literally drowned in chutneys and yogurt. The flavour of the cakes themselves, while delicate, still came through, and they also remained crispy.

Craisin Paapri is a cold dish that makes an excellent snack. It is almost like a chickpea salad. The chickpeas are served amongst a flavourful combination of chutneys, yogurt, spices, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, crunchy samosa chips, and finished with a generous portion of craisins (dried cranberries) on top. This would have gone well with a naan, to scoop up all of the goodness.

Chilli Chicken Bites at Naanolicious

Chili Chicken Bites at Nannolicious, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I love how Naanolicious is so conveniently located right next door to Blues On Whyte. A pre-Saturday afternoon jam meal consisted of Chilli Chicken Bites for me. Tender chunks of chicken breast were prepared in a sweet and spicy chilli sauce, with peppers and onions, served in a poppadom basket. I normally would have winced at the amount of onion, but it was sweet and went well with the chilli sauce. The chicken itself was divine - tender, juicy, yet no overpowered by the sauce. The poppadom basket got soggy quickly, and other than appearance did not add much to the meal. However, the portion was bigger than it seemed and I was full for the rest of the day (I also had some potato stuffed naan bread).

Celebrating Old Strathcona

On July 7, I stopped by the Old Strathcona block party organized by Blues On Whyte. 103 and 104 Streets were blocked off, two stages were filled with music, vendors sold unique items, and, of course, there were food trucks.

I had lunch while I enjoyed some live music and started with a brisket sandwich from Smokehouse BBQ. The slightly sweet, fresh bun was filled with chunks of brisket. The meat was lean, with just a tiny bit of sweet fat to make things rich. The sauce was not overpowering, and the spoonful of coleslaw on top made me glad I grabbed a fork - things could have gotten messy!

I had a snack later on, and went for a vegetarian samosa from Naanolicious. It was interesting seeing the street food truck right there, when their physical location was right nearby! The samosa could have been a little warmer on teh inside, but the outside was satisfyingly crunchy. I also wanted something sweet, so tried an order of Can-naandians, which are pieces of naan bread in the shape of maple leaves in a maple sauce. They were almost like soft cookies in a sauce.

Although the weather did not fully cooperate when I was there, I had a great time hanging out on Whyte Avenue and celebrating the culture the area has to offer.

Butter Chicken "Panaani"

Butter chicken panini sandwich #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Naanolicious is becoming one of my "go-to" food places on Whyte Avenue. I unexpectedly ended up there for lunch and had a pressed naan sandwich, whimsically called a "panaani." The combination of the crispy naan bread with rich butter chicken on the inside satisfied by cravings for both. I would have appreciated a few more of the savoury Bombay potatoes and the salad was more of a garnish. Still, I really enjoy how Naanolicious presents Indian food in unique ways.

Chicken Stuffed Naan

Chicken stuffed naan #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

It was another Blues on Whyte afternoon, so for a pre-beer snack, Naanolicious next door was the obvious choice.

Crumbled, spicy Chicken Tikka filled the buttered, grilled naan bread. The four large wedges made for a perfectly filling snack. No singing the blues here!

Aloo Stuffed Naan

Aloo stuffed naan. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I headed to Naanolicious on Whyte Avenue and 103 Street yesterday for a snack and decided it was time to try a stuffed naan. I opted for the aloo, with a thin spreading of spiced potatoes in between the layers of the crispy, fresh made flat bread. It was hot, fresh, and delicious, if not a bit dry - I would perhaps order some chutney on the side for dipping next time.

Naanolicious Butter Chicken Fries and Naan

Butter chicken fries and naan. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Another Saturday afternoon had me going back to Blues on Whyte to see a band. It also meant another visit to Naanolicious.

I had been wanting to try the Butter Chicken Fries ever since I first saw the item listed on the menu. I was not disappointed - huge chunks of tandoori chicken in a rich butter sauce topped a generous portion of piping hot fries. It was quite decadent and the portion size deceptively large.

I ordered a piece of plain naan for an extra $3 to absorb the rest of the butter sauce. The flat bread was freshly made and buttered, and perfectly chewy and crispy.

Of course, I had some chai to wash everything down. And again, I enjoyed the atmosphere.