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| - Just up 17th avenue on the corner with 14th street SW is Moti Mahal, the best Indian cuisine in Calgary. Period. I've tried numerous places over the years; Namskar, Nirvana, Puspa, Glory of India... and Moti takes the cake every time. None of the other places I've tried have even held a flame to Moti. And this is one of those battles I am constantly having with my friends. They think their place is the best, but I KNOW my place is the best. I'll reluctantly try their choice, and listen to them gush over the samosas and the paneer. And each time, I tell them, "this was OK. But Moti is so much better." I've become a complete snob about it, actually refusing to eat at a place that serves Indian that I've already tried that isn't Moti. I will still try new places... but I'm starting to wonder if I should even bother doing that.
The interior of the restaurant is decorated really well. It's a pleasure to look around at the colorful wall hangings and the large bench seat at the entrance. Water is served in handle-less, copper cups, and cutlery is not mandatory. In fact, I recommend you ditch the fork and use your delicious garlic naan bread to go to town on your dinner, mixing all the different dishes into mounds of long-grain rice.
My top menu choices? As for tandoori specialties, go for the Moti Special Plate. An amazing and flavorful mix of meats and vegetables. A definite crowd-pleaser. For chicken dishes, the Chicken Mumtaz is great. A slow heat with sweet dried apricots in a smooth sauce with tender chicken pieces. Vegetable dish; the Eggplant Bartha. It's a smooth puree of some of the most delicious stuff you've ever tried. I can't even describe the flavor, it's that good. The Zucchini Tukra is also amazing. An absolute must-try for lamb lovers? The Lamb Bhoona. Definitely spicy, so beware if that's not your cup of tea. But it's out of this world. The Vindaloo, while delicious, is not for the faint of heart when it comes to heat. When they say it's spicy, they really mean it. If you're into that, get the lamb vindaloo. If you can't dine-in, take out is just as good.
If you haven't tried Moti Mahal yet, ditch your old go-to Indian place and graduate into some real food. Forget what you thought was good. The best is here.
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