by MATHILDE RABBAT

There’s something a little funny about naming a fine-cuisine resto after an ascetic religious leader who ate little and even went the way of the hunger strike to bring about social change. Old Montreal’s cobblestone streets may be a far cry from those of Calcutta, but it’s where you’ll find a Gandhi of a quite different sort, a cozy Indian joint on St-Paul W.

On a busy night, it may take a while for main dishes to come your way. Appetizers (all priced under $8) that’ll tide you over till then include mulligatawny and daal soups and samosas (with or without meat). It’s basically the usual fare with a couple of interesting additions, like a salmon potato cake and spicy prawns served on poori bread.

They were tempting, but since I’m a sucker for Indian standards, the mixed appetizer platter with veggie samosa, pakora and tandoori chicken with salad sounded like a good idea. How chicken nuggets can be made to resemble sliced strawberries, I don’t know, but they did, and they didn’t disappoint. The accompanying salad, featuring cucumber, onion and lettuce provided a nice counter-balance to their fried neighbours.

Unlike most places, Gandhi leaves the chutney at your table for your post-papadum enjoyment in what looks like a miniature stainless steel plant stand. Whether it’s the one spiked with mint, the tomato-based variety or the sweet mango, each chutney is a hit in its own right providing a great topping for any starter.

Naan usually ranks high on my list of favourite things to slop curries up with. However, in this case I would say that the basmati rice outranked the bread as I found the naan to be a bit too doughy. And, since nothing soothes a fiery hot curry palate quite like a good colonial beer, I swigged a little Kingfisher between bites.

The menu’s well stocked with a slew of creamy curries for both the vegetarian-minded and meat lovers, who can combine chunky chicken, beef, lamb or shrimp with a wide array of curries that’ll make your head spin, whether hot or not. Portions aren’t exactly huge, but are they ever filling.

Most of the curries (all hover around the $14 mark) incorporate tomato, green pepper and onion in some way. There are about a dozen different permutations to choose from, such as the spicy rogan—highly recommended and featuring the aforementioned ingredients—or the Kashmiri mix, which is sweet but still packs a punch. The latter stars lychee and pineapple, along with some raisins and almond slivers, all of which, surprisingly, were fully detectable to both the eye and the palate, as entire lychees shared the dish with large pineapple half moons. I can also vouch for the shrimp, which I paired with the mixture. They held their own in the flavour department despite their viscous fruity coat.

I was considerably less impressed with the brinjal bhajee, fried eggplant with green pepper, tomato and onion ($6.50), which, frankly, pales in comparison with the richness of other dishes. On the other hand, spiked with just the right amount of mint, the fire-red tikka rejalla lamb ($11.50), with its large chunks of green pepper and onion, deserves kudos for tenderness. The lamb can also be done up tandoori-style along with prawns and chicken. It may have tasted like chicken, but the yogurt, spice and herb marinade tinted the chicken tandoori ($12.50) in a bright hue that resembled much more that of a lobster. The halfling, broiled in a clay oven, did live up to expectations, though it proved to be much more than a single person could handle. Doggie bag to the rescue.

The night I paid Gandhi a visit, the little place was bustling with a hungry full house in what may have been the loudest eatery I’ve ever noshed in. That said, the atmosphere is greatly enhanced by soothing images of Krishna and Radha, his beloved, and of Ganesha, the elephant-headed remover of obstacles, among other pretty things Hindu. Further, there’s a certain refinement to the dishes, something like Indian meets fine cuisine française, which somehow sets this joint apart from the rest.

Gandhi
ADDRESS: 230 St-Paul W.
PHONE: 845-5866
HOURS: Mon–Fri noon–2:30 p.m.; every day 5:30–10:30 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: Delicious chutney trio that stays at the table
throughout the entire meal, tantalizing tandoori
chicken, cozy atmosphere.
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Small step up
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
PRICE: $25–$35 a head before taxes, drinks and tip
RATING: *** out of ****