We have been extremely hesitant to try another Indian restaurant here in Brussels, after what can only be described as ‘the indian food debacle’ at a place in Etterbeek. No, I won’t name them to shame them, but after that, we had sworn off all Indian ‘restaurant’ food (yes it was that bad), contenting ourselves with my limited Indian repertoire and a few of my mom’s recipes.
Is that extreme? Possibly, but I couldn’t bear the thought of another desperately disappointing indian restaurant experience, especially where tandoori is concerned! I grew up on Indian food, and not just plain ol’ Indian food, but good Indian food, both at home (my mom is the best cook I know, and she didn’t even ask me to say that!), and in restaurants, so my standards are high. Sure, mom didn’t have a tandoor oven in the back of the house, but growing up in Toronto we had access to delicious and authentic North Indian cuisine, served up first at Gerrard Street, one of the largest “India Towns” in North America, later at Islington and Albion, and of course at my favourite restaurant Cuisine of India*, where the cooks beckoned you to watch them work their tandoori magic through the glass window.
“onion bhajis” … hardly any onions, mostly dough, but still tasty
Well, this past weekend, after more than a year of no restaurant Indian food, we finally bit the bullet for our operation dinner out! With it’s red-lit, ‘tandoori’ sign and promise of grilled delights, I don’t know how many times we’ve passed the Indian Mixed Grill and said ‘we should try that restaurant out’, before the memory of the other place has floated greasily into our minds and pushed us somewhere else. I had even once stopped in there to do some reconaissance on whether they really had a tandoor oven. They informed me they did, which was definitely encouraging.
The tandoori chicken came with four pieces … two had already been devoured
Seated there on saturday, we were both filled with tempered excitement. I almost felt like I was back in Toronto, in a place at Albion and Islington, of course, this one had much better decor 😉 After carefully perusing the extensive menu, we decided on onion bhajias for a starter and then marinated lamb skewers cooked in the tandoor and a classic tandoori chicken (that’s the ultimate test).
Lamb!
Indian Mixed Grill, I’ll state it up front: overall, your whole meal was very, very tasty – leagues above our other experience. But let me break it down …your onion bhajis, while slightly too thick, lacking in actual onions and resembling more of a patty, were still very well seasoned, crispy and quite enjoyable. The lamb, while not my thing, was well marinated with good sized chunks of meat, and my tandoori chicken, presented on a sizzling bed of onions and green peppers looked pleasingly appetizing. Meals are normally served with salad and naan, so when one showed up with naan, and the other with rice and a small vegetable curry instead (whether through an error or some kind of substitution), it was a delectable surprise. Even the naan we did get had a smattering of blackened spots, just the way it should be.
All was in order, but, as soon as I took a piece of chicken onto my plate, I knew it had never seen the inside of a tandoor oven. Could it have been done in some modern kind of tandoor oven? Maybe … but after looking for those small piercings, the kind the meat gets when it has been poked through by a skewer before being placed in the tandoor oven, and not finding any on any of the meat, I could only conclude that neither my chicken nor the lamb had ever been on a skewer or in a tandoor oven!
Flavourful chicken … but no tandoor oven …
Disappointing ? … yes, but like I said, I had lowered my expectations before going in. So, once I got over the lack of that barbecuey, charcoaly effect that comes from being in a tandoor oven, and focused on the other flavours of the marinade and the spices, I was able to appreciate it for what it was – a very moist and flavourful piece of baked “tandoori” chicken.
Overall verdict: we will definitely go back. There is a mixed tandoori grill which has about five different types of meats and has our names written all over it! I also want to check out their curries to really get a feel for their cooking.
- Portions: very generous. Most of the tandoori meals served with naan and salad
- Quality/Taste: excellent taste
- Prices: very reasonable (tandoori mains 12-16€, tandoori appetizers 6€, veggie/sides 6-8€, curries 9-14€)
- Location: Avenue Charles-Quint 157, Ganshoren
* Note: I have since learned that my beloved Cuisine of India closed, focused only on catering for a while, and has now reopened at a different location to lackluster reviews. Sad, sad news …
sucrésalédeluxe 