If you’re looking for a little taste of India, we
know just the spot!
As a New(sy) initiative, the Newsy Neighbour "street team" set out to find some of the best local eateries within and around the Strathmore, Langdon and Chestermere areas. Guess which one we're here to brag about today? TAJIndian Cuisine!
Some of you may recognize the previous restaurant name, "Masala Hub;" that's where you can now find TAJ - the latest and greatest family owned Indian restaurant around. Since its new ownership, TAJ has eliminated the sheesha lounge that used to be a part of the Masala Hub and expanded their sitting area, leaving room for many more patrons.
As we walked in, Ravi, the wonderful TAJ owner, welcomed us with a large warmhearted smile and then showed us to our seats. The ambiance was calm and quaint with beautiful authentic decor along the ceiling and walls. Admittedly, I grew up on good ol' steak and potatoes, so Indian cuisine was a new adventure for me. Aleesha and Denise, however - they had been raving about the food for days before our arrival.
We asked Ravi to point out some of his personal favourite menu items for us to try; we were going in blind, and loving every minute of it. The first dish that was delivered to our table was one of Aleesha's "to-die-for" items: the Fish Pakora with cilantro sauce on the side. As I mentioned before, I am more of a steak kind of girl and have never really been a fan on fish but this - this dish was my favourite. It did have a bit of a bite to it though, so if you're more on the "non-spicey" side of things, it may not be for you (side note: we all kind of prefer the milder eats, but we also all thoroughly enjoyed this dish. It wasn't an overbearing kind of heat).
Next up was the naan and saucy chicken dishes. Being the outrageously daring ladies that we are (ish), we decided to test our pallets with three different kinds of naan bread (garlic, cheese and original) with two different kinds of sauces and dumplings. The cheese naan was my absolute favourite in this naan family; it tasted very similar to the cheesy bread from Boston Pizza: who doesn't love cheesy bread? The garlic naan was covered in fresh and crunchy garlic bits, which was delicious and the original was also a heavenly delight. In fact, even Denise's beautiful "babies" enjoyed the naan.
The sauces, Mylanta - they were phenomenal. The coconut chicken curry was sweet and warm with pieces of chicken breast; it worked wonders on both the naan bread and the rice that we had ordered. The butter chicken seemed to be the table favourite, however. It was boneless chicken breasts, but was covered in a rich and creamy tomato sauce with butter, cream and a blend of spices. Unsurprisingly, it was the first dish to be demolished. In fact, Denise said that it was so incredible that she would certainly (and undoubtedly) drink the entire bowl on its own. The malai kofta dumplings were different than any dumplings we had had before. They were covered in a rich creamy sauce and filled with homemade cottage cheese and vegetables. Although they were very tasty, they may not be this Indian cuisine rookie's first pick.
As a New(sy) initiative, the Newsy Neighbour "street team" set out to find some of the best local eateries within and around the Strathmore, Langdon and Chestermere areas. Guess which one we're here to brag about today? TAJIndian Cuisine!
Some of you may recognize the previous restaurant name, "Masala Hub;" that's where you can now find TAJ - the latest and greatest family owned Indian restaurant around. Since its new ownership, TAJ has eliminated the sheesha lounge that used to be a part of the Masala Hub and expanded their sitting area, leaving room for many more patrons.
As we walked in, Ravi, the wonderful TAJ owner, welcomed us with a large warmhearted smile and then showed us to our seats. The ambiance was calm and quaint with beautiful authentic decor along the ceiling and walls. Admittedly, I grew up on good ol' steak and potatoes, so Indian cuisine was a new adventure for me. Aleesha and Denise, however - they had been raving about the food for days before our arrival.
We asked Ravi to point out some of his personal favourite menu items for us to try; we were going in blind, and loving every minute of it. The first dish that was delivered to our table was one of Aleesha's "to-die-for" items: the Fish Pakora with cilantro sauce on the side. As I mentioned before, I am more of a steak kind of girl and have never really been a fan on fish but this - this dish was my favourite. It did have a bit of a bite to it though, so if you're more on the "non-spicey" side of things, it may not be for you (side note: we all kind of prefer the milder eats, but we also all thoroughly enjoyed this dish. It wasn't an overbearing kind of heat).
Next up was the naan and saucy chicken dishes. Being the outrageously daring ladies that we are (ish), we decided to test our pallets with three different kinds of naan bread (garlic, cheese and original) with two different kinds of sauces and dumplings. The cheese naan was my absolute favourite in this naan family; it tasted very similar to the cheesy bread from Boston Pizza: who doesn't love cheesy bread? The garlic naan was covered in fresh and crunchy garlic bits, which was delicious and the original was also a heavenly delight. In fact, even Denise's beautiful "babies" enjoyed the naan.
The sauces, Mylanta - they were phenomenal. The coconut chicken curry was sweet and warm with pieces of chicken breast; it worked wonders on both the naan bread and the rice that we had ordered. The butter chicken seemed to be the table favourite, however. It was boneless chicken breasts, but was covered in a rich and creamy tomato sauce with butter, cream and a blend of spices. Unsurprisingly, it was the first dish to be demolished. In fact, Denise said that it was so incredible that she would certainly (and undoubtedly) drink the entire bowl on its own. The malai kofta dumplings were different than any dumplings we had had before. They were covered in a rich creamy sauce and filled with homemade cottage cheese and vegetables. Although they were very tasty, they may not be this Indian cuisine rookie's first pick.
The malai tikka chicken though, holy moly! That
was my perfect dish. Being that I'm an Albertan with very little sense of
foodie adventure, this quickly became my top pick. It came out in a smoking hot
skewer with what I assume was salt and pepper and was garnished with crispy,
fried cabbage. It was like a delicious little stir fry, without the noodles.
And, because we don't care much about our pants sizes, we decided to also indulge in a wee bit of dessert. We ordered ourselves the Indian frozen ice cream (kulfi) and the cream caramel. The ice cream was definitely different than our traditional North American ice cream, but it was delicious just the same. We asked Ravi how the ice cream was made and he said that it was strictly milk and sugar that had been frozen in a fancy little concoction (we can say it's fancy because he showed us) and then served straight from the freezer. The caramel treat was, however, hands down, by far, the most sought-after dish on the table. The children, Aleesha, Denise and I practically fought tooth and nail for this home-made delicacy. It tasted very similar to crème brulee and was topped with a savoury caramel sauce and whipped cream. As it turns out, it was actually created solely by the owner himself.
Added perks (aside from the deliciousness and service, of course):
For anyone with peanut allergies, TAJ is a great place to go, sit, indulge and not stress about the dangers of the nut, as they are a peanut free outlet. Don't have time to head in and enjoy? No problem here - they now deliver (check out their menu online)! And unlike their predecessors, TAJ Indian Cuisine is now fully licensed with a variety of alcoholic beverages to choose from (of course, they are still family-driven). Also, for those of you who have a spicy/mild preference, the chef is more than happy to accommodate to satisfy your taste buds.
All-in-all, TAJ Indian Cuisine was an absolutely wonderful establishment with delicious food, spectacular service and authentic decor. Thank you for having us in Ravi and staff; we will definitely be coming back again in the future!
And, because we don't care much about our pants sizes, we decided to also indulge in a wee bit of dessert. We ordered ourselves the Indian frozen ice cream (kulfi) and the cream caramel. The ice cream was definitely different than our traditional North American ice cream, but it was delicious just the same. We asked Ravi how the ice cream was made and he said that it was strictly milk and sugar that had been frozen in a fancy little concoction (we can say it's fancy because he showed us) and then served straight from the freezer. The caramel treat was, however, hands down, by far, the most sought-after dish on the table. The children, Aleesha, Denise and I practically fought tooth and nail for this home-made delicacy. It tasted very similar to crème brulee and was topped with a savoury caramel sauce and whipped cream. As it turns out, it was actually created solely by the owner himself.
Added perks (aside from the deliciousness and service, of course):
For anyone with peanut allergies, TAJ is a great place to go, sit, indulge and not stress about the dangers of the nut, as they are a peanut free outlet. Don't have time to head in and enjoy? No problem here - they now deliver (check out their menu online)! And unlike their predecessors, TAJ Indian Cuisine is now fully licensed with a variety of alcoholic beverages to choose from (of course, they are still family-driven). Also, for those of you who have a spicy/mild preference, the chef is more than happy to accommodate to satisfy your taste buds.
All-in-all, TAJ Indian Cuisine was an absolutely wonderful establishment with delicious food, spectacular service and authentic decor. Thank you for having us in Ravi and staff; we will definitely be coming back again in the future!
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