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| - Stumbled upon that new restaurant while desperately looking for a decent ethnic eat on the main artery of the Latin Quarter on a busy Sunday night. The sign, with the restaurant's name in a tacky cursive font plastered over a brown-coloured background, can easily be unseen while strolling in the hustle and bustle of Rue Saint-Denis. However, for the hungry spice seekers that a fellow Yelper and I were, seeing "Pakistani" and "Indian" mentioned in the said backlit sign was enough to convince us to give this new restaurant a try.
The ceiling of the restaurant itself might be lower than expected (but it's okay, I'm short!), but the roomy dining room, enclosed within walls all painted of white, gave the impression that the restaurant was spacier than usual Indian food joints. Clean, table-clothed tables are spaced for enough room between seating parties if they want to keep their conversations more private. Unless they want to listen to the Indian channels constantly playing in the background on the muted TV in the back of the restaurant.
Service was quick and kind, with the server taking the time to explain the more intricate items on the menu and, of course, to keep us apprised of the specials of the day. She convinced us to get the mixed grilled meats sizzling plate for $29.99 for two, which also included a garden salad as an appetizer (yay healthy food!), a family-size serving of plain basmati rice and an assortment of three dipping sauces (yogurt, plum, hot peppers). We also ordered a basket of garlic naan bread as a side; who wouldn't?
The meats were spiced accordingly to my taste: flavourful, thanks to the mix of curries and various yogurt/cream/butter-based marinade sauces, with just enough of spiciness. Real Indian food lovers would decry the lower level of spiciness of the meats, but simply as amateurs, this was perfect: I could enjoy the intricate flavours without having to doused myself in water every few minutes or so. The sides were impeccable and added a nice distraction from the meat-heavy main course.
And did I mention how the naan bread wasn't as oil-heavy as the traditional ones? Purists would decry this masquerade, but they would also appreciate the garlicky flavour that stood out more than usual.
If you're looking for authentic Indian food, with all its spicy coarseness, this might not be the right place for you, but if you're simply looking for a comfortable ethnic meal in the midst of pub-inspired establishments on St-Denis, Dera offers a healthier, more affordable alternative.
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