Our server informed us that all of the dishware and cutlery had all been brought back from India by his parents (the restaurant owners) and this element really added to the authenticity of the meal. I also asked a few questions about the dishes we had chosen to eaten and if they were prepared any differently in India, he told us that the dishes they served were not as spicy as the ones back in India (unless you requested it and you were also able to choose your spice level- mild, medium and hot), this was because many customers are not used to very spicy food and sometimes feel that they cannot taste the other herbs because it is just too spicy. I thought this made sense, as many Canadians probably do not eat Indian food everyday so their tolerance to spicy Indian food would not be very high, so would probably not enjoy the meal as much.
I also thought about the Indian food I get back in England and I realised our quintessential dish chicken tikka masala was missing from the menu! I knew this was because that dish was an adaption of an Indian dish made in a British restaurant in the 1970’s and it is now seen as a true British national dish. I also noted that onion bhajjis were not on the menu and our server explained that they were not as popular from the area of India his parents were from as other parts of India.
I’m really pleased we went to the Shandar Hut for Indian food, as it was not only delicious (better than some Indians I have had in England!), and interesting to see how certain dishes had been adapted to suit the Canadian clientele, but the restaurant itself and the atmosphere it had was that it was a very friendly and family orientated place to be, somewhat what I expect India to be like!
I can only agree with your experiences! I too thought that the Shandhar Hut seemed really authentic and the food was also amazingly good. What I found interesting to see though was when we went the other time with two of our Indian friends. In comparison to us, who were quite plesaed with the authenticity of the place, they found many faults or maybe more things that were not as authentic after all. For example the Pakoras we had always ordered as starters they explained would never be handed as starters with a real Indian meal, but rather as snacks throughout the day. Also the music which I found pleasant and appropriate for the setting of the entire restaurant had a very different effect on them, since they were actually able to understand the language.
ReplyDeleteAlso what you said about some dishes missing on the menu I can relate to. When going to other restaurants it was sometimes difficult to find the dish I wanted. That was because based on the region the owner of the restaurants would be from the dishes had different names. So that when I wanted to order Butter Chicken at a restaurant in Seattle I had to order Curry Masala with Chicken, while other dishes were completely missing.