Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen

Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen is one of those places I keep walking by but never bothered to go in. Glad I finally did on a rainy night to find it a warm and artsy place with dim lighting, generous spacing, and friendly staff.

Lots of nut-free, gluten-free, and/or vegan items! Curries felt slighty on the watery side but otherwise taste is good. Price for portion OK.

TIP: Online menu is very different from the actual menu in price and menu items.

Siddhartha's Chai ($3) unique mix of spice and fresh ginger, called masala chai

Waste of time. Tasted like a weak chai and you have to concentrate hard to maybe experience some ginger flavour.
Zero ginger bite. Definitely do not order this for any gingeriness.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Siddhhartha's Chai

Bhalla Papri Chat ($7) Popular Indian summer dish with yogurt and relishes.

If I remember correctly this was described as fried dough made from chickpea flour. Not sure the fried dough pieces are of chickpea, but there's definitely chickpeas here.
Cool to cold dessert that's a nice refreshing start as an appetizer, or possibly a light meal all on its own. Really quite decent and a nice change from straight deep fried appetizers like samosas.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Bhalla Papri Chat

Onion & Cilantro Naan ($3) Fresh baked, buttered naan with fresh onion and cilantro.

You can obviously see the onion and cilantro but it didn't really make much of a flavour difference. I recommend any of the other naans.
Normally $3, but if you ask to substitute the rice that comes with your curry with naan, it is only $2.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Onion Cilantro Naan

Sabz Coconut Korma ($12.50) Rich Mogul style sauce of caramelized onions and raisins with aromatic flavours and spices.

Chunky with veggies as well as cubes of paneer, which help give this vegetarian curry a "meaty" texture.
Curries come standard with token green salad, roti, and about a bowl of rice.
Roti quite good with some flakiness to it. Definitely not the doughy stuff you get from the supermarket.
Good coconutty flavour. Overall rather decent.
TIP: Save some roti or naan to wipe up the last of the delicious sauce from the bowl.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Sabz Coconut Korma

Banarsi Kheer ($5) Banaras style coconut flavoured rice pudding with mint and rose.

The rose petals, mint, and cranberries go really fast unless you mix it in. If you don't you'll be faced with a lot of "just kheer" left over in the cute pot.
Really light on the rose / rosewater flavour, which was great for me as I don't like the strong rosewater. Also not as sweet (almost on the bland side) as other kheer I've had.
Quite thick. Definitely not soupy, which is the case with some kheer, especially if you are getting it from an Indian buffet.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Banarsi Kheer

Gulab Jamun ($5) Traditional dumplings made with condensed milk in syrup. Served warm.

These actually came hot inside, so be careful!
Thoroughly soaked in syrup. Rosewater flavour not very strong but present.
Tender, and gold flakes on top a really pretty touch.
If the syrup or rosewater flavour bugs you, try to eat it with one of the mint leaves to freshen up the taste (and flatten any other flavour).
Overall one of the better presentations of Gulab Jamun. Would be even better if they plated it a bit less haphazardly.

2016-Mar-9 Siddhartha’s Indian Kitchen - Gulab Jamun

Overall price is okay, ambiance is very good, and food is good, but small things like disappointing chai, and curry on the thinner side add up. Not quite 4/5 but close enough.
I should probably dock one whole point for the spider in the washroom but that's probably a fluke occurrence for the day. Besides, it's not like it's a cockroach.

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Trafalgar's European Explorer 2006 memoirs part 10

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Trafalgar's European Explorer 2006 memoirs part 9

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Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

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