Wednesday 20 May 2015

Taj Mahal opens it doors deliciously to Indian Cuisine






by Nancy Snipper

A veritable variety of exquisite tasting food

Considering that Taj Mahal is one the world’s seventh wonders, it’s fitting that Montreal’s Taj Mahal Restaurant has the same name. The food is as magnificent as the famous Palace itself. Owned by husband and wife team Bulu and Supta Datta, Taj Mahal has been benefitting from the remarkable cooking of Mr. Datta, whose 25 years of experience as a chef has brought him not only inside the kitchens of Montreal, but also in the Netherlands as well.



Lucky for us he has been cooking up his incredible cuisine for the past eight years at this restaurant’s Westmount location – where my companion and I ate.
         
 

The menu offers a stunningly grand variety of dishes – fitting for any delectable Indian feast.

 (photos of food but not the ones we ate) 

 There are over 16 different headings under which are as many as 12 different types of dishes to choose from: look at the entrees: Sheek kabab, Samosa and chicken Tikka to name only three of the 11 choices. Scrumptious kinds of several different Korma, Biryanis, Bhoona, Rogan Josh (a meat curry garnished with butter and tomatoes), and then there are the spicy Madras meals offering all kinds of meat – even a vegetarian plate finds its way into that category; equally spicy are the Vindaloo choices. 
My companion and I ordered the Muligataway soup. Perfectly balanced, the taste included fresh coriander, green peas, carrots, tine slices of grilled red onion, tomato paste and more. The soup wasn’t watery nor thick; its consistency was utterly pleasing to the palate, and it had a delicate flavour to match. 
Next came my butter chicken. It was wonderful. Big pieces of chicken breast cut into cubes swam in a stunning orange 35% coconut cream sauce – special one for this dish. The almonds added accent both visually and taste –wise. The portion was HUGE!




The rice pilau was so gentle and it provided a lovely base for this butter chicken dish. It also came with a salad, and unlike so many specials at lunchtime (that’s when we ate), the salad did not have cheap iceberg lettuce; it featured romaine lettuce topped with tomatoes and more.
My companion ordered the chicken biryani; its huge pieces of chicken were so tender, he was amazed. Normally I eat nan bread with my Indian food, and without a doubt, Mr Datta, has this great Tandoori staple down to perfection. It was thick, not soaked in butter, and not burnt. It even had some crispy parts. I loved it so much, I ordered another one.
There are many Taj Mahal specialties, but I’ll leave them for you to
discover. 



A wine bar and dessert list can offer more heavenly moments to your meal.


 Taj Mahal has two locations; the first is 5026 Sherbrooke West, in Westmount.  Call (514) 482-0076. His son operates another Taj Mahal Restaurant in Old Montreal. The address is 143 St-Paul Ouest. Call (514) 285-0076.
Imagine two Taj Mahals to choose from! 




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