So its friday night, and we needed a curry.  And this time...we weren't going to intentionally try to get a dodgy meal so we decided to try the Taj Mahal restaurant on Macleod Trail.  It's been suggested to me a couple times by a couple people but I'd also been warned about past problems with the food-inspection/public-health people.  Don't know if they're true or not, but seemed like a good way to crank up the dodgy without risking a car-jacking on the way there. 

Matty's sister Chelsea decided to join us and her review is below.  Anyone who's driven up Macleod Tr in Calgary has probably seen the Taj, i mean...an entire store-front wall painted with a mural of the Taj Mahal, hard to miss.  Upon entering we were shown to the dining area and were given our choice of a handful of locations.  There were quite a few people there with approx 3:1 ratio of honky's to brown-folk.  Both are good signs....never expect much from an empty place, and never eat at a place where the ethnic group that originated the food will not eat at. The menu had a nice blurb on the history of the actual Taj Mahal and also bragged of the fact that this Taj had the first tandoor (clay oven) in calgary (or alberta, or western canada...I forget).

We couldn't really decide on a single appy so we got the mixed platter.  It was delish and certainly whetted the appetite.  However it was $12 so it should have put a bit more of a dent in the hungry feeling I had going in.  It was a mix of chicken pakora, veg & beef samosa's, paneer pakora, and "savory" beef.  Besides the samosa's being a little small each of the other  items were perfect and I wouldn't hesitate in ordering a plate of any of them. 

Main course time.  I thought about getting the shahi paneer but these guys do it with mushrooms and i'm not a big fan of the fungus.  Going out on a limb I decided to try the Goan Fish Curry.  Described as being "Delicious white fish cooked in a coconut based curry" it seemed like a good and different pick.  (see subway review below for some background on me and seafood).  However I have to agree with the menu 100%.  The fish chunks were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  Nice and spicy overall with a creamy sauce.  I'll be back for this one. 

The other 2 meals were good, shahi paneer and malai kofta but I was most happy with mine.  I was repeatedly told to shut my yap after the meal when I raved about it even. 

Now, onto Matt...then Chelsea.
 

Matt

Okay, my clock says 3:06AM and Ren has just left my house after a night of restaurant critiquing and drinking in Kensington. Cripes. I thought we werent gonna hang out there anymore! Rens pick was the Taj Mahal on MacLeod Trail because despite being touted as one of the best Indian restaurants in Calgary, theyve also had numerous public health warnings issued (Possibly dodgy!) Go figure. 

In terms of atmosphere, theres definitely an interesting vibe. The faade of building is predictable but certainly might be deemed a landmark in the city of Calgary. Ample parking is available behind the restaurant and judging from the vehicles in the lot, the residents of Forest Lawn were not the principle patrons.  

Upon entering the Taj Mahal on Macleod you are welcomed by a friendly staff and surrounded by numerous paintings of the Taj. (Note: This differs from the actual Taj in Agra, India in which you are welcomed by beggars with elephantitis and surrounded by photographers looking to make a quick rupee) The first thing I noted was how many white people were dining here. Clearly this is a good place to bring curry virgins. But not only that, there were a legitimate number of Indian people here also. A good sign too.  

Food and Drink

Our good fortunes continued when the beer list included Kingfisher. And while they cost $10 a pop, its a sure sign that you are dealing with a legit place. We ordered the appetizer combo platter. It was overpriced but quite functional in priming our pallets.

For main entre, I chose the Shahi Paneer, taking a page from Rens repertoire of dishes. Its basically one step away from Butter Chicken (sans chicken plus fromage, mushrooms). It was decent. I would give it about a 7.5 .One upsetting component of the meal occurred when my sister was inadvertently given my Butter Naan and I ended up with her plain naan. Id have docked them a mark for attention to detail but Im partially to blame as, a girl in the restaurant who looked remarkably like my ex-girlfriend distracted my focus for the majority of the meal. Another sore point occurred when I tasted Rens fish curry. In all honesty, its just not fair. Last review, I go out on a limb and pick a different dish and its horrible. Ren picks a new dish and finds a keeper. His was a solid 9. He wasted no time rubbing it my face. That hurt.  

The only other point about Taj Mahal was the washrooms. Ren was delighted by the smells of O-Pee-Chee Hockey Card gum in the washroom. I personally felt it was more of a cinnamon air freshener. You folks can be the judges.  

I give the Taj Mahal an 8/10. Thank you for restoring my faith in curry.  

Three People were glad werent at the Restaurant:

1. That guy from the Canadian Tire Commercials
2. His wife
3. Ben Mulroney 
   

Chelsea

Curry 101
 
Being somewhat of a curry newbie I was somewhat hesitant to join the curry experts on their journey to the Taj Mahal. Especially since last time I managed to pick the curry that tasted like dessert.  But I was very pleased with this journey into the world of curry. The atmosphere was pleasantly clean with an anniversary party going on in the upstairs floor. Any place where someone would choose to celebrate his or her anniversary cant really be that dodgy. Unless in course it was to celebrate the anniversary of the last time they had food poisoning.

Hint to anyone who has never been to a curry restaurant is to take along someone who knows something about Curry since every item on the menu appear to be the same to me.  I was satisfied with my menu selection of Malai Kofta. That was until I tasted Rens fish dish and then mine kind of tasted like rice balls with pasta sauce. Overall I enjoyed the restaurant for both the food and the local.

Things that will be on the curry final exam:

1. Mint sauce is really onion relish
2. Chicken Pakoras tasted like popcorn chicken

If you play it safe youre going to end up eating bland curry. 

So, overall giving it an 8/10. A bit expensive but holy-crap good. The bathroom was clean and nice and the aroma of hockey-card gum brought back some happy memories. I'll be back, and I would even take my mother.

Rating: