by MARK SLUTSKY

St-Laurent just above Sherbrooke is undoubtedly one of the city's hottest strips, teeming with restaurants, clubs, cigar lounges and the like. But below Sherbrooke, as the street descends in a steep incline, its character couldn't be more different - though still commercial, with few exceptions it's mostly electronics and mysterious import/export places.

It's easy to overlook Breads of India (or Pains de L'Inde), which sits on the same block as the Librairie Anarchiste and costumier Eva B, but not to notice this little restaurant would be a mistake.

Though it doesn't look like much from the outside (and from the inside, for that matter), it's a great source of quality Indian eats. The prices aren't as wildly cheap as the joints up on Jean-Talon and around Park-Ex, but they're still supremely affordable - and what's more, Breads of India delivers. You can order Indian from a lot of places in this city, but while the food may be sometimes cheap and sometimes good, rarely do the two coincide.

Walk into Breads of India on any given early afternoon (actually, sometimes it's not as easy as that, as I did find the door locked on one visit - though after knocking the polite proprietor promptly opened it) and you'll most likely be presented with a menu offering two choices, which makes ordering pretty easy.

If you press for it, you can get a larger menu offering selections à la carte, but let's stick to the simpler option for now. As you might guess, the two options are both thalis, those metal plates with recessed sections for the various foodstuffs. There's a meat option ($8.95) and a vegetarian one ($6.95).

The meat combo promises "10 choix," but I only counted eight. Still, that's not bad. The courses vary from day to day, but there are some dishes you can count on. Each generally includes a very spicy papadum, a hot and fresh piece of nan, rice, and salad. The meat option also tends to feature some tandoori chicken, generally very tender and savoury, another chicken or meat dish, and two veg options.

The veggie combo does away with the meat, obviously, and in its place are a couple of very plump pakoras and another veggie dish.

Standard enough, as thalis go, though the restaurant is pretty generous with their servings, and the stuff is fresh enough that you don't feel like you're just getting leftovers or whatever was left at the bottom of the pot, as the case can be with some other, less-than-quality establishments.

As for the dishes themselves, there's definitely some standouts; the aloo gobi's ginger seasoning really stood out, flavouring the cauliflower and potatoes really nicely (this can be had on its own for $5.95). The butter chicken ($8.95, as above), avoided the dreaded Styrofoamy texture this dish can often be prone to, and while it's not the best in the city (that would be Malhi Sweets'), it's rich and tasty, and the sauce plus nan bread equals good times.

Make sure you give the pakoras a go if you order the meat thali - they're $1.95 for a big dish of six, and they come sitting in a savoury pool of turmeric sauce. Yum. I was less thrilled with the channa masala ($4.95 on its own), as the chickpeas were way over-salted; you should probably avoid this one.

The more convenience-minded can also pick up dishes to go - vegetable samosas, tandoori sandwiches and the like are also available. As for the drinks, I thought the big mango lassis ($2.25) were great, though on one visit my dining companions swore they could taste that the mangos had been cut with a knife recently used to slice garlic. Still, for a quick lunch or order-in, Breads of India is a very satisfying option.

Breads of India
ADDRESS: 2027 St-Laurent (just above Ontario)
PHONE: 982-3724
HOURS: Mon-Fri 11AM-9PM, Sat 12AM-9PM, Sun 5PM-9PM
BEST FEATURES: Well-stocked thalis and fresh nan
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: No
NO-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $6.95-$8.95 for the thali plates,
more if you order à la carte
RATING: **1/2 out of ****