St. Albert diners searching for some spicier fare can check out two new Indian and Mexican restaurants that recently opened in town.
The Curry Table and Mariachi Love are two of the newest restaurants in St. Albert, both having opened their doors in the last five weeks. The two establishments aim to serve authentic Indian and Mexican cuisine.
Taste of India
The Curry Table owner Anmol Goyal says he came to Canada from India as a student 11 years ago and trained as a chef. When he moved to Edmonton, he looked at the many restaurants in the region and saw a need for a fine-dining establishment that served authentic Indian food. He teamed up with executive chef Mukul Kaushal and opened The Curry Table in downtown St. Albert on April 29.
Most chefs in North America add food colouring to Indian food to make it look, but not actually taste, as spicy as it would in India, Goyal said.
“We don’t use any food colouring. All the colour, the flavour are totally from the masalas [spice blends] we use,” he said, all of which they prepare themselves.
Goyal said guests at The Curry Table can sample dishes from many different regions of India, including some not typically served in Alberta restaurants such as nawabi lamb chops and aloo tuk (spicy deep-fried potatoes). Goyal said one recent guest was very excited to see some of the items on his menu, as they could not recall seeing or tasting those dishes in a restaurant in the 30 years since they came to St. Albert from India.
Goyal said guests new to Indian food should try some of the staples like butter chicken and vindaloo. The chefs can tweak the spice levels of each dish to suit your preference.
Goyal said he has friends in St. Albert and planned to move here later this year. He’s gotten some good reviews from his customers so far, and has already picked up a few repeat guests.
“People are really excited to try the new Indian food.”
The Curry Table is located at 388 St. Albert Trail next to the downtown Dairy Queen and open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call 780-347-0521 for details.
Going to Mexico
Mariachi Love opened its doors at 11 Bellerose Drive next to the Crown and Tower Pub on April 16. It’s a joint venture between St. Albert’s Christian Guzman and Edmonton’s Yash Parikh and Akshay Beeharry.
“A lot of people here like Mexican food,” said Beeharry, but can’t find an authentic sit-down restaurant that serves it.
Mariachi Love was so named because Guzman, who was from Mexico, liked mariachi music, Parikh said. Its décor has many other nods to Mexican culture, such as sombreros on the wall, Latin American pop songs on the speakers, and a thatched roof similar to those found on traditional Mexican homes. They did up the walls and booths in orange and blue because Beeharry liked the Edmonton Oilers.
Beeharry said he and Guzman brought decades of culinary experience to the kitchen at Mariachi Love, and were committed to using fresh traditional Mexican ingredients with modern presentation. Highlight of their menu included slow-cooked lamb tacos, sizzling brownies, and tres leches cake (a sponge cake smothered in three types of milk).
Mariachi Love is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. Call 780-569-5562 for details.
