Tandoori Kona

Namaste everyone! When I think of Indian food so many thoughts come to my mind, lovely memories of eating Indian food with my family, travelling to India with my mom, I could even say that I have a special spot for  Indian food.

Michael and I were browsing through a blog called Richmond 365, a blogger hired by Tourism Richmond to write about food adventures in our fair city, and came across Tandoori Kona. It's located at a strip mall on 11700 Cambie Rd and seems pretty hidden so keep your eyes open for it. Despite being tucked in the middle of a strip mall, it's touted as a renowned restaurant - voted the best Southeast Asian cuisine in the Richmond Review.

The restaurant is really small with only a few tables. It's pretty simple. There are a few Indian pictures hung up on the wall and it reminded me of the paintings I have seen in my art history classes. There is a mini bar area and doors to the kitchen that looks onwards to the restaurant. We were lucky that we went so early, the crowds started to pour in later in the evening.

Complimentary lentil biscuits with sweet sauce

I wasn't too hungry for dinner today but Michael was a starvin Marvin. Their menu is straightforward, you get to choose from different meats or vegetarian curry dishes. All the curry comes with rice, naan and lentil biscuits. We got to choose how spicy we want the curry from mild, medium, or hot.

Palak Paneer

I was torn between the classic butter chicken or one of my all time favourite indian dishes, the Palak Paneer, which is spinach and cheese. I haven't been keeping up with my veggies lately and I felt that the butter chicken is been overdone in so many restaurants these days, so I ended up choosing the paneer. I chose the mild flavour but still got a little kick of heat, I could have really used a lassi. But yum yum yum! my paneer tasted as perfect as I remembered from India. The spinach was creamy with my the chewy cheese and was so smooth and tasted so well with my basmati rice mixed into there. The moisture from the palak paneer and the dry rice was like match made perfectly. It's like french fries and ketchup, they need to be together.  I clamped my naan with my rice and paneer. It was like I died and went to Samasara.

Chicken curry

Little daredevil Michael got the plain chicken curry with medium heat. I think he really had regret that decision towards the end. Medium was pretty intense and we would hate  to imagine what spicy would be like. Nonetheless, the chicken was really tender and easy to chew. He also thought the naan bread was really fluffy and went really well with his curry.  And I have to agree with him too that the rice served with our food was really good. I don't usually like basmati rice, but the folks at Tandoori really know their rice, it was cooked perfectly and paired well with our food.

Naan bread

Michael and I really liked the authenticity of the restaurant. I snuck a peek in to the kitchen between the doors when Michael was paying and everyone looked so hardworking. It really shows in their food. I also love how they serve their curry dishes in the metal plates and bowls, something that really reminds me of India, when I was seeing the Dabbawala making their lunch deliveries around the city.

Michael and I really like Tandoori Kona, and I am confident to say that we will be returning. For the amount of food that was served to us, we couldn't even finish. We could say what a bargain deal!

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Joeys Restaurant

Restaurant franchises are something Michael and I try to avoid, but we've always had a soft spot for Joeys. This weekend we made a short shopping trip to Burnaby and decided to get dinner at Joeys Burnaby located on 1899 Rosser Ave. The restaurant's location was nearby where my aunt lives, so I'd like to give a shout out to her!

The decoration is like any other Joeys located throughout the Vancouver area, although Michael and I thought it was really hard to find the place since it was located adjacent to a main road and tucked upstairs in a building. When we finally found the parking lot there were quite a few additional turns through corridors and a few stairs to climb inside to make it to the actual restaurant. As I said, it's quite hidden.

Joeys Restaurant - beautifully presented Pesto Shrimp Flatbread $14

We started with the Pesto Shrimp Flatbread for $14, which featured mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes, chipotle aioli , and basil. From the sounds of it, I thought there were going to be actual pieces of mozzarella, but when it arrived, I was quite disappointed to see there was just a slight smear of it. Other then my mozzarella catastrophe, the flatbread tasted really good. Filled with flavours, the shrimp was fresh and the chipotle aioli gave it the right amount of heat. I also loved that the flatbread was soft and fluffy.

The delicious taste of Joey's Blackened Basa is always consistent

For entrees, Michael had one of his favourites at Joeys, which is the Blackened Basa, served with a tomato pickled salsa with rice and vegetables for $19.50. Michael said that his fish was very soft and fluffy, crunchy on the outside but melting apart like butter on the inside. It came in two separate fillets, large portions that promise to fill even the hungriest of diners. A bed of rice is laid under the fish to complete the plate. Delicious.

Butter chicken and salad, no thanks on the naan bread

For myself, I chose the Bombay Butter Chicken for $17. One of the reasons I love Joeys is that they offer their menu to diners who are non-meat eaters. Since I was a little sick today and wasn't feeling really meaty, I substituted my chicken for its soy variety. The classic butter chicken dish is usually served with rice, but I also decided to change things up, vying for a tossed salad instead. The butter faux-chicken arrived mixed in with bell peppers which added some colour to the broth; there was a little heat to it but my cold tossed salad really balanced it out. The naan that was served on the side wasn't your familiar soft and fluffy naan though, it came in like nacho texture and it appeared to have chutney baked into it. Why mess with good naan?

Overall the experience in the restaurant I felt was alright, I would give it a fair "meh" for the dining experience. Michael thought the service wasn't that great which I have to agree, but other then that he really liked his food

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