The holiday seems to have gone by with a flash, and in no time, I found myself happily reunited with my friends of the "40 Restaurants in 40 Weeks" adventure. While holidays are always nice, getting together once a week with fun folks for dinner isn't too shabby, either. Sadly, we have yet to reunite with Samer, who is not back from sunny California yet, but fingers crossed - he should be with us next week. Jordan and Kendra, however, have officially become regulars, and that suits Tonia, Todd and I just fine. They are a fantastic pair after all - made all the more fantastic for putting up with our ridiculousness and even adding to it from time to time!
For week 12 of our dining fun, we found ourselves at Darbar: a restaurant of Exotic Indian Cuisine. Located on Princess Street near Queen's campus and a variety of other stores and restaurants, Darbar is certainly on a "beaten path"; and based on the steady stream of customers that came and went during our visit, I would suspect that location definitely works to the restaurant's advantage. Tables filled and emptied, and take-out customers came and went. We sat comfortably for quite some time - even after we had finished our meal - which is always something that gets extra points in our books. The decor of the restaurant is quite lovely. Soft yellow and deep red colours with simple and elegant table settings and beautiful wall hangings all combine for a cozy atmosphere. The windows are round, which adds an additional interesting feature and would only be made better if the view outside was more enjoyable (sadly, we'd have to have major talks with the City of Kingston to change that...).
Darbar is named after the central meeting place in the Royal Palaces of India. As stated by their website, "Here, royal guests were refreshed with delectable dishes and drinks, while they enjoyed performances by famous artists, poets, writers, singers, dancers and actors." The restaurant offers a wide variety of traditional and delicious Indian dishes. If you are like me, and have been hesitant to try Indian food in the past because you thought that it was all too spicy or all curry-based... do yourself a favour: drop the assumptions and give it a try. There are such a wide variety of things to choose from, that I'm certain everyone can find something they would enjoy. Not sure what to have? Darbar has thought of that possibility, too. Not only does the menu give you descriptions of dishes, but it also gives you descriptions of the traditional spices that are used in dishes and the flavours that they present. Further, Darbar offers the nice and convenient option of one- and two-person combinations that provide you with a starter, main dish samples and dessert; giving patrons the opportunity to try something new - whether you've had Indian food before or are having it for the first time.
And what did we enjoy? Here's the run-down:
Carrie: Bhoona Chicken (a delicious medium spicy curry with extra onion, bell pepper and tomato; flavoured with fenugreek leaves), palao rice, naan.
Tonia: Onion Bhaji (thinly sliced onions seasoned with mild spices, then battered in lentils and deep-fried) to start, Bhoona Chicken, palao rice, naan.
Todd: Onion Bhaji to start and Vegetable Saambar (mixed vegetable curry cooked with extra red chillies, lentils, coconut, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice for a fairly hot and sour flavour).
Jordan and Kendra: Shared the 2-person combo "BB" consisting of Seekh Kebab & Onion Bhaji, Butter Chicken & Lamb Bhoona, Mixed Vegetable Curry, palao rice, garlic naan, papadum, and dessert - which was Gulab Jamun (an Indian delicacy: fried milk balls in cardamom flavoured syrup).
How's that for a variety of ingredients and flavours? I have to admit that I was pretty impressed with how everything really attracted each of my senses. Smells, colours, textures, tastes... If only the plates said "Eat me! I'm delicious!", they would have tapped in my sense of sound, too... Although, I guess that is exactly why I keep good company. My phone truly didn't take pictures that do the food justice - so if you're at all curious, please go and check it out for yourself.
And what did we think overall?
Carrie: 3.5 forks. Spicier Bhoona than I've had in the past... which, to be honest, was partly my fault - it was mentioned in the menu. That said, it wasn't so spicy that it turned me off completely. I do wish that there had been more vegetables... but I'm not sure if that is supposed to happen with Indian food? My favourite - the naan. I always love naan.
Tonia: 4 forks. Good, flavourful food that wasn't too spicy. The onion bhaji was "okay"... and like me, Tonia loved the naan.
Todd: 4 forks. Todd stated politely and simply: "onion bhaji are delicious".
Kendra: 4.2 forks (someone is getting "sassy" in her ratings with longevity in the project!). Kendra really enjoyed her meal and stated that dinner overall was delicious. She loved the garlic naan. Sadly, the Gulab Jamun were a little too sweet... "Sweet ball was too sweet", "I'm drunk off the sweet balls".
Jordan: 3.5 forks. Jordan really liked the butter chicken and said that the lamb was really tender with a low-intensity spice. He thought the onions in the dishes seemed raw, though. He was, however, satisfied with the combo as it was a nice way to try something new. Much like Kendra, the Gulab Jamun created some conversation with Jordan: "These balls are too sweet".
Overall score: 3.84 forks. Another successful evening of dining in the beautiful city of Kingston, Ontario. I must say that I'm quite happy it's been going so well thus far - I wouldn't have imagined that so many restaurants would receive such good scores... but we really aren't "just being nice for the sake of the blog"! We love food, and we love to find good food - so we wouldn't spread the word if it wasn't truly good.
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| "Want to take a picture of my balls?" Yes, Kendra and Jordan... yes, I do. |
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| LOVE the naan. |
Next week, we are off to Amadeus Cafe, which has been dubbed "The best German Restaurant in Kingston". I'm curious to see what they have to offer, and excited to try!!
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