Charisma’s charms limited but satisfying

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2010 (6044 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Buffet? Home delivery? An à la carte dinner in the restaurant? When it comes to Indian food is there much difference between them? Some of the dishes are fried, some are roasted (in a tandoor oven, if we’re lucky), but many more of them are the long-simmered and sauced variety, which makes them ideal for buffets, and is probably one reason why there are so many Indian buffets.

It also makes the food suitable for takeout or delivery.

I had tried Charisma’s buffet some time ago and found it wanting — both in heat (not surprising, since most buffets are spiced down for timid palates) but also in flavour. But the restaurant does deliver, which coincided with one night’s need for dinner to come to me, and it seemed worth another try.

There are fewer options than in some other Indian restaurants, and fewer even than there were on Charisma’s own website menu of only a few weeks ago.

Only two appetizers remain, for instance, and they aren’t the papri chat or aloo tikki, which (I’m pretty sure) were on the former menu. And among the entrees, there are only the most familiar standards — no okra, no eggplant and, although it is still on the menu, not even dal lentils. Among those that are available, the degree of satisfaction may depend on the luck of the draw.

On my delivery order my greatest degree of satisfaction came from the shrimp korma — good plump ones, and plenty of them, in a richly creamy sauce that was pale pink from hints of tomato and almost as liquid as a soup, but so luscious we simply mopped it up. Lamb curry was also flavourful, tender and meaty, but tandoori chicken, although tender, had a pasty surface, with almost none of the marinade’s yogurty flavour.

It was hard to judge the channa massala chickpea curry, since it came on a bed of rice, which had absorbed almost all the sauce.

Most of what I’d ordered survived the delivery pretty well, but, in order to judge the kitchen at its best, an in-house dinner seemed appropriate.

Certainly the restaurant’s ambience complements the food — it’s a spacious room adorned with several attractive Indian artifacts, including a massive bas relief along one wall, and Indian music on the soundtrack. But as it happened, I found little difference between the food that had been delivered and the food that had been prepared to order.

Actually, I’m not at all sure about that "prepared to order" part, since much of what I’d ordered à la carte was also on the buffet. The à la carte entrees range mostly from $9.99 to $14.99; the buffets are $11.99 at lunch, or $16.99 at dinner, and included the only two appetizers available.

The samosa pastry was rather leaden and thick, but the vegetarian filling (mostly potatoes and the occasional pea) was OK. I preferred the pakodas (known elsewhere as pakoras) — deep-fried vegetable fritters with a terrific crunch. Both carried a fair-sized wallop of spicy heat.

I don’t know if our goat curry was on the buffet as well, but it was certainly the best entree sampled, in a thick, brown and very flavourful gravy — pretty much like the lamb curry of my delivery order, albeit with more bone and fat on the meat. Butter chicken was on the buffet, and its creamy pink sauce (similar to the one with the à la carte shrimp korma) was delicious, but the chunks of chicken were mostly dry and tough. Aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) was seriously underspiced, and the à la carte biryani of barely seasoned rice and flavourless shrimp was even blander.

On the other hand, the tandoori-baked naan breads were excellent (perfect for sopping up sauces) and the tiny ultra-sweet gulab jamun balls in syrup were delicious, both included with the buffet.

My inevitable conclusion? One’s chances are pretty good with the home delivery, but for eating in — with the exception of the sumptuous shrimp korma — one might as well opt for the buffet.

 

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They are probably cracking open the champagne at the Brit Cafe these days.

In an international expats vote-in contest, sponsored by the Telegraph U.K. and British Airways, our own little local caff has come in first, as the best British restaurant in Canada, and is now in the running for Best in the World. According to the announcement, winning is not just a matter of votes, but also "takes into account the passion and enthusiasm of the voters… and the quality of the nomination pages."

 

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca

DINING OUT

Charisma of India

83 Sherbrook, 222-7878

Licensed

Wheelchair access

3 1/2 out of five stars