It was a snowy night on our way back to Toronto, and my girlfriend was craving Indian food, so we decided to stop in Waterloo for dinner.
When we walked in, the restaurant wasn't very busy, but the space felt uncomfortably cold. My partner was also put off by the number of fly traps hanging throughout the dining area--it immediately gave the place an unwelcoming, unhygienic feel.
We ordered sweet chilli paneer and ginger beef. While the knitted pouches holding the cutlery were meant to be cute, they were clearly not clean--there were visible sauce stains on them, which was pretty gross. The plates had similar discoloration from leftover residue, and the water tasted unfiltered and unpleasant, so we barely drank it out of concern.
As for the food, it was mediocre at best. The ginger beef was essentially stir-fried beef in a chilli sauce dominated by garlic, ginger, chilli, and MSG. It had a bit of wok hei, but it completely lacked the sweet, balanced profile that good ginger beef should have. Compared to versions I've had elsewhere (like at Federick's), this was extremely underwhelming. My partner didn't enjoy her paneer either--it was spicy, but otherwise flat and one-dimensional. Overall, the dishes tasted oddly watery, bland, and garlicky despite the heat.
The dessert was fine, though the portion was small. I could tell the gulab jamun was microwaved but it tasted fine. The price was reasonable--our bill came to just under $50 CAD.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place unless they address the serious hygiene issues and make major improvements to their recipes. read more