Many restaurants (and other businesses in general) often have opaque or misleading names that don't…read moretell potential customers what they're offering; Chaii Samosa is most definitely not one of those.
Despite a small storefront on Quinpool, there's a fair amount of seating in this Indian-street-food-focused eatery, with a cool custom wallpaper that highlights the architecture of India and is part of an overall chill, contemporary vibe that differs from most of its fast casual competition.
The compact menu at Chaii Samosa unsurprisingly leans heavily toward its two namesake items, but also has several other street food offerings like chaats and an aloo tikki burger, as well as a few wraps and all day breakfast items.
We had to check out the samosas on our first time there, and we went for the dependable veggie, as well as paneer. To beef up the meal (figuratively, of course!), we tacked on an order of the aloo tikki chaat, and for something sweet we got a banana cardamom shake.
We were warned that since some of the items are cooked to order that it would take a little bit, but having come for a late lunch, there weren't many orders ahead of us and we had our food in no time.
We've all had samosas from cafes that have been sitting in a display case, and if you're lucky, they get reheated in a microwave, but they're ultimately not meeting their potential. Chaii Samosa's, ugh, samosas, are crisp and flaky, with interiors at their prime! The veggie ones were a savoury mix of potato, assorted veg and a flavourful garam masala seasoning. The paneer samosas had a surprising hit of heat as a counterpoint to the squishy cheese. And at three samosas to an order for $6.50 and $7.50, these are a straight up steal, especially these days!
I was first introduced to chaats by an Indian street food truck in Ottawa, and quickly fell in love with the mix of textures and flavours in these quintessential hot mess dishes. The aloo tikki chaat here was no different, with chunks of the potato patty serving as a base for a mix of mint sauce, yogurt, red onion and cabbage, cilantro, chutney, and likely more. It was hearty and had a ton of flavour, and again, at $9 it's a very accessible dish.
The shake was a pleasant mix of mild banana and cardamom, with the sweet and creamy drink coming to the rescue after some of the spicier bites.
On a return visit, I snagged the aloo tikki burger and a mango lassi shake.
The aloo tikki itself was a thick patty of mashed potatoes and seasonings, with a super crisp exterior and a smooth and fluffy interior. Some ren onion, lettuce and tomato added a mix of crunch and freshness, and a slice of cheese helped hold things together with its melty goodness.
The mango lassi shake was a decadent treat. A regular mango lassi is already sweet, creamy and rich, and merging that with a milkshake, and topping it with whipped cream, is a whole other level!
There's a lot of new restaurants in Halifax these days, but Chaii Samosa is one of the few that I'm truly excited about!
