by MARK SLUTSKY

"Eminent" isn't quite the word for the Copacabana, and "celebrated" doesn't quite do it either. Let's settle on "mainstay" - the Copa has been a mainstay of the St-Laurent bar scene for years now, and for quite a few of those years they've rented out their little kitchen to various enterprising young cooks. First there was Nantha, who soon left to start the sadly defunct Nantha's Kitchen, then a succession of fellows whose names start with the letter J: Jason, Jeremiah and now Jay Taylor. Taylor's retained the name Jeremiah gave the place, Scratch Kitchen, and the same basic idea - Indian food as cheapish bar fare - though he's revised the menu and added his own touches.

Taylor's menu isn't long, but there are options for meat-eaters and veggies alike, and despite its brevity there's a good variety of stuff to choose from. Don't overlook the appetizer section, as there's some extremely tasty stuff to be found there. The best I tried were the shrimp corn cakes ($6), a sizeable plate of these plump, overgrown fritters, flavoured with cumin and sesame oil. The shrimp's tasty, the corn's sweet and the spicy ketchup dipping sauce was a pleasant addition. An addictive starter. Almost as tasty were the vegetable pakoras ($3 for the small plate, $5 for the large). There was nothing particularly revelatory or innovative about them - your basic deep-fried Indian spinach-and-other-vegetables appetizer - but they were flavourful and big. A third option, yucca fries with that same spicy ketchup, is also available ($3/$5).

On a recent visit, three friends and I ordered four main courses and amused ourselves by passing each plate to our right at arbitrary intervals, so as to vary our meals and taste as many dishes as we could. This method works in any restaurant and is recommended to the culinarily jaded. The Scratch Kitchen's dishes are all uniformly priced on a sliding scale. Veggie dishes with a side of white rice cost $6, and meat dishes with the same rice cost $8. For $9 and $11 respectively, though, the rice is replaced with a saffron-infused rice pilaf and an assortment of vegetables. If you've got the cash, the latter method is much preferred, as the vegetable/pilaf combo is a real highlight. We're talking red cabbage salad here, grilled zucchini and red pepper, and a salsa-y side of diced tomatoes and onions, heavily flavoured with fresh cilantro. Go for the pilaf… you won't regret it.

We agreed that the standout dish, in terms of pure flavour, was the black-eyed peas masala, made with cream and fresh cilantro. The cilantro really stood out, and the dish had a nice spicy kick (as did most of them, which was pleasant because even some of the best Indian restos in this city too often fall on the mild side - and hot goes well with the beer). Also notably spicy and tasty was the pork vindaloo, that strange cultural combination - a Portuguese/Goan dish supposedly derived from the pickled pork provisions Portuguese sailors procured for their prolonged peregrinations.

The lamb tikka wasn't on the menu, but it was the special of the night, and well worth ordering should it be available when you visit. The kebabs were tender with a lemony zing, very yummy. Finally, the last dish we ordered was the madras tilapia, which the menu described as "possibly the best fish curry ever." Was it? Well, it was very good, and while I don't as a habit go in for the fish curries, the madras tilapia did make me reconsider my position a bit, with the cubes of fish infused with the hot curry sauce.

Our friendly cook also seems to make a habit of preparing a dessert or two, and on the night I visited he had a chocolate cake handy. It was real tasty one, made with exquisite Valrhona chocolate and cardamom; not the kind of thing you expect to be served in a bar, but really, neither was anything else we ate that night.

Scratch Kitchen
ADDRESS: In the Copacabana, 3910 St-Laurent
(one block south of Duluth)
PHONE: 982-0880
HOURS: All week, 6–10PM (though the bar is obviously open later)
BEST FEATURES: Inexpensive and spicy Indian food in
a convivial (okay, boozy) bar atmosphere.
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: No
NO-SMOKING SECTION: No
PRICE: $8–$15 per person, before tax, tip or beer
RATING: *** out of ****

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Whatever? eattothebeat@gmail.com