Having been exposed to Indian cuisine my entire life and on numerous continents I am always on a quest to find that authentic Indian restaurant experience here in Montreal.
Recently my search led me to Malhi Sweets.
I found the decor to be bright and refreshing as opposed to dim and dingy like a few resto's in the area but that being said, environment was never really at the top of my expectation list. I know that sometimes the best of ethnic foods can be found in establishments that won't win any awards for choice of wallpaper or quality of the chairs.
While Indian cuisine is so much more than just "butter chicken"- it is usually the reference point of comparison for the restaurants I try, as I take it to be one of the more popular dishes and a staple to many patrons. This one was disappointing. The sauce was not nearly as rich and flavoursome as one or two others I have tried and worst of all the chicken was extremely dry.
I was quite surprised that the Thali did not come with rice so we had to order rice after our Thali's had been placed in front of us, but to their credit it did arrive soon after. Unfortunately the rice was not the light and fluffy aromatic basmati that you usually expect from Indians but was more dense and still slightly "wet"- perhaps a couple of more minutes in the cooker would have done the trick.
The service was a bit disjointed and haphazard but good food always compensates for that. When it comes to service, I don't come down hard on "mom and pop" establishments that are reasonably priced. Yes it would be nice to make sure we have knives and forks before the food arrives but as long as I can get your attention within a couple of minutes, we're good.
The quest continues and it seems most Montrealers aren't too discerning when it comes to Indian food but for those with a more discriminating and experienced Indian palate Malhi sweets certainly doesn't rank at the top of the list.
Lastly, if you're going to charge me GST and PST when I am paying cash, don't try to get away with not putting it through the register. It is one thing to avoid paying income tax to the thieves in Government but it's another to take an extra 15% from the patron with no intention of passing it on to The Man. Demand your receipts.
Don't take my word for it- give it a try and tell us what you think!