****Worth the drive to Bolton/Vaughn****
I love Indian food. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. But it's easy to be disappointed by the watered, down, westernized version of Indian takeout that can be bland, without complex spices or creativity.
If you want the REAL DEAL -- authentic, fresh, flavorful, bright, complex flavors, you need to visit Urban Maharajas! Every single dish we ordered was delightful. Pakoras are often greasy balls of unrecognizable vegetables, but these pakoras (spelled "pakodas" on the menu) are filled with beautiful big chunks of vegetables. The chick pea dough that holds them together is well seasoned and the light rice flour batter they are dipped in is crisply fried to perfection. They are light and so delicious!!
Tamarind sauce: You may have become used to a saccharin sweet and runny tamarind sauce that tastes the same at every restaurant. But here, I'm convinced that they scrape and blend the tamarind pods by hand because their sauce is thick and rich and delicious!! They should bottle it and sell it! It is magic!
Vegetable Samosas: I have become pretty accustomed to veggie samosas being stuffed with potatoes and peas, period. And I love them. But these were different and very special. Instead of the usual brown color inside, they were a whiter color base with spring green accents. There were fresh vegetables, like green onion in them. And the seasoning was far more complex than your typical samosa. It was bold, vibrant, and like summer in a crisp pocket.
Beef Samosas: It's unusual to see beef on an Indian restaurant menu, but determined to try it all we gave the beef samosas a shot. We were not disappointed. Encased in a slightly weightier and shiny pastry, the large samosas stuffed full of beautifully seasoned ground beef did not disappoint. Our party was split evenly down the middle in terms of who preferred the beef vs. the veggie samosas, so we will continue to get both in future. And even though they came with tamarind sauce, we ordered an extra side of sauce because we loved it so much.
On to the mains... for a party of 4, we ordered 3 main dishes and we ended up taking home leftovers. Each came with a choice of rice, roti, or naan, so we ordered one of each.
Madras Chicken: Dad chose the madras chicken, tender pieces of white meat chicken in an ultra-rich and complex savory brown sauce that is really hard to describe. It was delicious, but so incredibly rich and flavorful that the four of us didn't finish the dish!
Chicken Tikka Masala: I ordered my go-to favorite, chicken tikka masala. This was definitely the most tender chicken I have ever tasted. It just melts in your mouth. The sauce was tangy, bright, vibrant, thick, creamy and really delicious! And the chunks of crisp green peppers were such a fresh, tasty compliment to the dish! We ate every bit and practically licked the bowl! We will be ordering this dish EVERY single time we visit.
Aloo Gobi: This dish always makes me feel virtuous - low calorie, healthy cauliflower is always a good choice. But the baby new potatoes in this dish were the star. They were buttery smooth on the tongue - absolutely incredible!
Naan, rice and roti don't normally deserve a mention, but here, they really, really do.
Rice: I'm not sure what they put in the rice, but there is definitely a light brownish hue and it is flavorful. Not detract from the flavor of your dish flavorful, but contribute meaningfully to the enjoyment of your dish flavorful. It was so yummy!
Roti: The roti was soft, luxurious and delicious. Of course, we got it bathed in butter, which made it even more decadent!
Garlic Naan (AKA Carb Heaven): But the real star of the carb show was the garlic naan. Bubbly white and studded with marigold yellow studs of garlic sequins, bathed in ghee, this naan was so tender and flavorful and pretty!
Mango Lassi: The mango lassi is a vacation in a glass! You may need two!
A few more words about practical things: the service was exceptional. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly and recommended a fusion dish that we are really excited to try next time: nachos chatt! Nachos with potatoes, onions and tamarind sauce that are apparently addictive! We are already dreaming of adding some of the ground beef from the samosa filling to them.
The dining room is huge and beautiful. It is laid out in a way that really allows you a private dining experience in the many high-backed booths. In the center, there is a large floor space currently laid with tables that could easily be rearranged as a buffet area or dance floor for a private party. I think this is the perfect event venue for an engagement party, birthday, anniversary, mehndi... the options are endless. The ceilings are incredibly high and the décor is upscale, elegant, and a bit playful. Between the décor, the service, and the food, we definitely felt like urban royalty. read more