The last thing we want to do is divert your attention away from this high quality Indian food review service. That being said, in the interest of demonstrating our dodgyiness, check out what other websites are saying about this week’s featured restaurant. (matt)

Most folks, when they see a review that states “Food is rarely tasty. Items are mostly undercooked. Hygiene is poor. I'd rather pay more somewhere else and get quality food” they say to themselves “gee....maybe i shouldn't go eat food at this place”.....But matt and i see it as more of a challenge.  The nay-sayers are daring us to find out for ourselves if the food is edible or poisonous, or even both.  (ren)

Based on the above pre-scouting, Baba Ka Daba had all the makings of an epic curry outing: Poor Hygiene. Pink Chicken. Staff who attempt to hit on you when you call in an order. We also noted some boisterously positive comments and debated about whether or not they had be been planted on the website by people who worked for Baba, or possibly relatives. (matt)

Forrest Lawn is slowly becoming a sentimental favorite for us. Mostly because we love going to the pawn shops, cheque cashing stores and strolling for crack whores on the side streets (“No really officer, we’re looking for Indian restaurants.”). In our experience if you head into “da lawn” around nine and bring a case of wine, there will usually be some fine Puerto Rican girls just dying to meet ya. Anywhooo, BKD (not to be confused with serial killer BTK) is located on the main drag so you don’t have to be that afraid of being shived by the locals. But its still a good idea not to carry large sums of money in briefcases without handcuffs attached to them. (matt)

Under no circumstances (other than forced duress or possibly forced diuresis) would I describe Baba Ka Dhaba’s conditions as sanitary. The floors are sticky. None of the three glass-top tables appeared to have been washed in the last week. There is no art work on the wall. Instead, they have the bathroom sink located next to one of the tables. There was a ripped up Pakistani Post on our table. It sat there the entire meal, unacknowledged by the staff.  The most bizarre part about the décor is the ordering counter. Essentially they’ve cut a hole in the wall and you do business face to face with Baba himself. I felt like I was at the border crossing between Thailand and Laos.  Incidently, when he answers the phone, he identifies himself as “Baba”. (matt)

I'm not sure if the man himself is “baba” or if he is simply answering with the name of the restaurant.  However it was quite fun hearing him greet people he recognized with catchphrases like “hiya buddy!!!”  and “hey guy!!!”.  Fun friendly guy.  (ren)

There is no menu other than a sheet of paper under the glass-top tables listing the items that are on special for each day of the week. We didn’t recognize some of the dishes so we both went for Goat Curry. You really can’t come to a place like Baba’s without going with an authentic grassroots dish like goat curry. If you’re actually Indian you call it “Curry Goat”. I don’t exactly understand the difference but I imagine it’s a “lost in translation” thing. The dish was actually quite nice and the rib bones made the whole thing seem very tribal (but not in a bad Survivor way; more like a research anthropologist way). The naan was warm, plentiful and tasty.  We carefully ate off the serving trays so as not to risk cross contamination via the table of filth. (matt)

Like matt said, the “menu” isn't really a menu.  Its basically a list of the daily specials for each day of the week.  And unlike most daily specials, these aren't just a selection of dishes from the menu with discount pricing that day....these are all you can order that day.  So if you're just dying to try some Baba butter chicken....don't go any day but friday.  Our choices were goat curry, pakore curry, chicken pilao and kheer.  As far as we could figure out the pakore curry is veg pakora in curry sauce, chicken pilao is chicken and rice...(so...biryani i guess) and kheer is a rice pudding...(so i think its best we didn't try it). Curry goat looks like the safe pick.  (ren)

Half way thru the meal, we realized we needed some beverages. It didn’t really seem like the kind of place you’d wanna order Mango lassis at. So we asked him what he had for beverages. The options: Coke, Pepsi or Smirnoff Ice. One of these things is clearly not like the other. And who’s coming to Baba Ka Daba to down Smirnoff Ice? Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, this is a Forrest Lawn take out joint. (Also, incidently, if anyone actually enjoys Smirnoff ICE, let me know, there’s one in my fridge and I have no idea how it got there. It will likely remain there until in need to buy a new fridge.) (matt)

Hey...i have one of those mysterious Smirnoff ICE's in my fridge too.  Maybe its the calling card for some secret guild of beer burgulars.  They rob you of all your tasty Guinness and Smithwicks (Chelsea's favouritest beer in the whole wide world) and leave you a single smirnoff ice that you don't understand and will never consume. I found the curry goat tasty with just the right amount of spice.  Sometimes curry goat dishes are filled with small shards of bone which is always an adventure, but this one wasn't.  Also the sauce was nice and thick so we could eat it all up with the naan, avoiding the probably second-hand plastic cutlery. (ren)

The goat curry (or curry goat) did not at all fill us up so we went for a second entrée. This is about the only place I would agree with Ren on the merits of skipping the appetizer and getting an extra entrée each. Ren went with Shish Kabab and I risked the Chicken Tikka. I must say that reports of pink chicken are either unfounded or written by people who are confused by the color of tandoori paste. Mine was quite tasty. Ren’s was “chorizosausagetastic”. (matt)

The kabab and chicken tikka are listed on the menu as dishes that are “fresh every day”.  I think this is there more to highlight the fact that you can get them everyday (as opposed to the daily specials) rather than to draw attention to the fact that nothing else on the menu is glorified as “fresh”.  The kabab was tasty and spicy.  It wasn't dried out like most kababs I've had and it came with some yogurt and onion sauces for dipping.  The taste of matts chicken i had was good and he seemed to enjoy it. (ren)

When we went up to pay we really didn’t know how much it was gonna cost as there didn’t appear to be any prices listed anywhere. Baba told us that it was $108. Then, he laughed hysterically at his joke. Awkward. It actually worked out to $5 for an entrée (you’ll likely need 2 entrees) and $1 for each good sized naan. It’s a great deal since most places probably average $12 for entrée (sometimes closer to $16) and can charge upwards of $3 per naan. (matt)

Total meal price, under $30.  Food, tasty.  Atmosphere, dodgy.  Bathroom sink, handy.  People I've showed the pic to have asked why I have a pic of matt on the can....well...I can't answer that question without incriminating myself.  However this picture is actually of matt in his seat at Baba's and the sink is actually that close to our table.  REALLY!!! (ren)

If you’re looking for an authentic Indian dining experience and are unafraid to risk unsanitary conditions, you can’t beat Baba Ka Daba for the experience and the price.

We’ll likely be back. But probably only for take-out. Baba gets an 8/10.

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