Mayuri Indian Cuisine

Restaurant: Mayuri Indian Cuisine

Cuisine: Indian/Vegetarian
Last visited: January 17, 2010
Area: Surrey, BC
12677 80th Avenue
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (Coming from an Indian perspective)
Service: 3 (very nice, just very slow)

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Family owned
• Authentic (for North Indians and myself, but if you ask a South Indian person the menu is but the execution is not so much)
• Serves South/North Indian cuisine
• Specializes in South Indian cuisine
• All vegetarian
• Popular for dosa (20 varieties, not 30 as advertised)
• Lots of homemade Indian bread options (about 9)
• Lots of starches
• Big portions, good value
• Dairy free options
• Gluten free options
• Vegan friendly
• Extensive menu
• All ages
• Seats 50
• Busy during lunch
• Fully licensed
• Dine in/Take out
• Catering and party hosting available
• Open Mon-Thurs 11am-9:30pm
• Open Fri-Sun 11am – 10pm

**Recommendation: Mysore Masala Dosa, Mysore Cheese Dosa, Thali, Marsala Chai (It’s especially good here). These recommendations are mine as well as from Indian people that eat there. They used to offer these amazing raw banana pakoras; it’s still on the menu but sadly not offered.

This is about my 5^th visit to Mayuri Indian cuisine. It’s not really a hole in the wall but it is kind of in the middle of nowhere between industrial complexes. My Indian friends introduced it to me first and since then I have brought my non-Indian friends as well. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian friends liked it and for most it was their 1^st time. Everyone was more awe’d by the overall experience rather than the food itself, but nobody complained about the food – except some dishes were a bit too spicy. I like spicy, so it was fine for me.

I am quite familiar with North Indian food (home cooked and restaurant) but not South, so from my “Indian” perspective and the perspective of my Indian friends Mayuri is considered a good restaurant for South Indian cuisine. They do serve some North Indian food, but I would classify them much more as South Indian. Everyone orders dosas and they have some South Indian rice specialties that are hard to find elsewhere.

For me, a restaurant has got to be good if your friends of that culture keep bringing you back. Also you know it’s authentic when you’re the only non-Indian in there, and I’ve been the only non-Indian all 5 times. Personally, I think Mayuri Indian cuisine does a fine job. It serves great food, made upon order and at a great value. Don’t underestimate the entirely vegetarian menu, I get so sleepy every time I finish eating here – the portions are big and they’re heavy in starches.

I’m going to treat this review like South Indian cuisine for beginners…

On the table:

**Mysore Masala Dosa 5/6

• Crepe stuffed with Potato Curry, Filled with Spicy Special Sauces $7.45
• I’m still so sleepy and full from the dosa…
• Dosas are huge; anywhere you go you’ll find them this big. It’s really unique looking and don’t be overwhelmed by the size. It’s only the middle that has about a bowl and a ½ full of potato curry, the rest is just the crepe. It’s still incredibly filling though.
• The potato curry is spicy, not too salty and flavourful. It’s not saucy or soupy, but very creamed and thick although there is no cream. It’s almost like a mashed potato curry but with some small tender chunks of potato. There’s also onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, peas and spicy Indian spices, but you can order it mild.
• The crepe is made of lentil flour and it’s really thin and crispy until you get to the part where the potato curry is. When it gets wet or touches sauce it becomes flexible and almost chewy.
• They put a thin layer of tomato paste on the inside giving it a tanginess. It’s also seasoned generously with garam masala (freshly ground Indian spices) and some chili powder. It’s quite salty in the beginning, very aromatic and then the spiciness hits you just after.
• With the combination of the spicy crepe and spicy potato curry, this dosa had my nose running – but I like my heat so it tolerable for me. I did have a hard time tasting the other food after though and had to allow a break in between…and some water.
• The dosa is served with sambar (lentil soup described below) and 2 kinds of chutney: coconut and ginger.
• The coconut is sweet and there’s dried coconut flake in it. It’s not that creamy and very light tasting and makes the dosa mild if it’s spicy.
• The ginger chutney was more like chili chutney. It was bright red and very spicy, but still good.
• If you’re adventurous and want to sample everything then order the Mayuri South Indian platter, that’s what I did my 1^st time. I didn’t really like the extras, so I just order the dosa now.
• South Indian Platter includes:
• 1 dosa (Chose your own dosa for $1 extra)
• Idli: steamed rice cakes, almost like polenta in texture. It’s bland like plain rice is but it’s used as the ‘bread’ for the soup.
• Vada: a deep fried donut similar to a honey crueller from Tim Horton’s but it’s savoury not sweet. It’s not salty either; it tastes like the deep fried denser version of the Idli. It’s quite bland and very filling.
• Sambar: lentil soup – this is good! But it com es with any dosa, not just the platter and you can order it separately too.

**Thali 4/6

• Two poories, Plain Rice, Flavored rice, Daal, one Fry, one Curry, Sambar, Dahi, Sweet, Papad $11.95 (I don’t know what the menu means by “one fry”)
• This has everything, but the kitchen sink in it! My mom calls it “Indian nachos” lol. I enjoy the variety so if you want to sample everything go for this. However this is more of a North Indian combination platter. I wouldn’t call it authentic North Indian, but it’s a North an d South Indian fusion – essentially its North Indian dishes made by South Indian people.
• You can order each of these items individually as well. It’s meant for one person, but could easily feed 2.
  

• The Thali Breakdown
• Poories 2/6:
• Deep fried whole wheat bread.
• This is deep fried bread so it’s really crispy and almost tasted like deep fried pita bread made out of corn meal.
• I wasn’t really a fan and prefer roti or naan. The poorie is stiffer but as the cool down they taste a bit stale.
• Papad:
• Also known as papadums. These are typically served as appetizers and you eat them with chutney. It’s a thin crisp wafer and they’re very aromatic. Not really spicy but more salty and made with lots of cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Plain rice: is just plain Basmati rice...it was very white though.
• Flavoured rice 6/6:
• I’m pretty sure it was there “hot pongal” rice, but I’m not certain. The description sounds like what I was eating.
• This was delicious. It was rice with moong daal (yellow split pea, similar to a lentil) cooked with black peppers and seasoning. It’s not spicy though. It tastes like a puree of creamed curry lentils and rice. Just think of it as baked beans and rice but with curry instead of tomato sauce. It was savoury and I really enjoy ed it! It's delicious with the raita (which is basically plain yogurt).
• It was like Indian risotto, but mushy.
• Channa Masala 3/6:
• It’s 3/6 here, but when it’s made well it’s a 5/6 for me. This is chick peas cooked in a tomato based sauce. It was savoury and very tangy and simple.
• It’s a North Indian vegetarian dish, and they don’t make it extremely well here, but it’s decent. It’s a small portion, and I would only order it as a main at an Indian restaurant that focuses on North Indian cuisine.
• The one here is a bit watery and not as flavourful. It’s not their specialty.
• Tomato Daal 4.5/6:
• This dish is stewed lentils cooked in tomatoes and Indian spices. It was the most savoury of the 3, very mild, and I really liked it.
• It was creamy (but no cream), saucy and it’s very healthy too. Well they probably use some clarified butter in it, but it doesn’t taste like they use a lot.
• It's not as rich as a butter chicken sauce, but it's similar. It also has some mustard seeds in it, which were great.
  
• The only thing is that it's not as thick as I would have liked it.
  

  

• Paneer Butter Masala 6/6:
• Paneer cooked in rich creamy sauce is how the menu describes it. I think they did a great job with this dish.
• Paneer is a cheese, but I question if it’s homemade here – I doubt it. It’s an Indian cheese similar to cottage cheese but firm, not hard though. It’s a very hearty cheese (almost like chicken) but mild in flavour.
• The dish tastes like butter chicken, except made with paneer. The sauce is a tomato based sauce and it is not spicy at all. It’s a bit tangy, but not as tangy as the channa masala.
• This dish has no dairy, but probably some clarified butter to give it that richness.
• Sambar 6/6:
• Thick lentil vegetable soup. I really like the sambar here. It’s not too watery and very flavourful. The beans are slowly cooked so they break down into the soup.
• It’s not really a spicy soup, but almost like tomato based vegetable soup made Indian style.
• Traditionally, you can order idli (those rice cakes) and break pieces of it into the soup and let the patties absorb the flavours of the soup.
• Sweet/Rice Pudding 1.5/6:
• The rice pudding didn’t taste like it was made that day. The rice was hard and it seemed almost pureed and very bitty. It was too sweet too and had no rose water or cardamom.
• Achar 1/6
• This is definitely an acquired taste for sure! I’ve never liked it and I always give it a chance. It’s the most sour and salty thing you’ve ever tried…not a fan.
• You’re supposed to have a bite of it in between chews of everything else, but I’m still not warming up and I don’t find it enhances anything. It kinds of breaks everything up, but I’ll let my water do that.

Mango Lassi 4/6

• It was a bit on the watery side and it was made of mango puree (not fresh), ice, and yogurt. It wasn’t too sweet and I liked it, but I’ve had better.

Marimba! - South American Restaurant

Restaurant: Marimba! - Restaurant Review

Cuisine: South American/Caribbean
Last visited: November 21, 09
Area: Everett, Washington (Waterfront)
1405 Hewitt Ave
Price Range: $10-20 USD (closer to $20)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4 (the huge dance floor + music, you want to dance!)
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Owners/chefs/cooks from South America (Ecuador)
• Specializes in a variety of authentic South American dishes
• Homemade/authentic menu choices
  
• Popular to locals
• Spacious
• Extensive menu
• Great for appetizers and drinks
• Great for large groups
• Weekly Salsa dancing (Fri/weekends)
• M-F lunch and dinner
• Saturday and Sunday dinner service - 4pm
• Happy hour 4-6pm ($3 selected appies)
• Catering/private party hosting available

**Recommendation: Papas Huancainas, Lechon, Mofongo

I was in Everette for a concert and wanted to find a restaurant nearby. I did my research and I wanted to find something that’s harder to find in Vancouver...at least hard to find well. I decided to go the South American route and discovered this restaurant – Marimba!

I heard good things about and the menu looks really different and authentic. I’m not too familiar with South American dishes, but I have a good idea about Spanish dishes. Most of what we ordered was Westernized versions of authentic South American dishes…but it everything tasted pretty decent still. I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t blown away either. The dishes were interesting and the owners/chefs/cooks are from South America so the menu selection is authentic, but the recipes…I’m not so sure. If it’s still good, I won’t let the idea of “authenticity” bother me too much…but the food was overall a 3.5/6.

On the table:

• Papas Huancainas 4/6
• Cooled layered potatoes dressed in a yellow aji pepper sauce and topped with queso fresco and mint $4.99
• This was really good! I thought it tasted like a Latin version of American potato salad.
• The yellow aji pepper sauce is homemade and really flavourful. It’s spicy and made with probably a blend of those roasted yellow peppers (the kind from a jar in olive oil), egg yolks and mayo. There’s probably some jalapeño in it too. It’s very pureed so you can’t really pick out the ingredients. It’s served chilled on top of boiled sliced potatoes.They had some black olives on top and they could have included a few more of those.
• Causa de Yuca 2.5/6
• Our house version of this popular Peruvian dish--mashed yuca served in a yellow aji sauce with avocado and baby shrimp $5.49
• So I thought the Papas Huancainas was the Latin version of American potato salad...I take it back…THIS is the Latin version of American potato salad. This one really reminded me of potato salad…or even an egg salad.
• This one had lime juice in it because it was tangier.
• It was potato on the bottom layer tossed in a mayo dressing and then on top of it was what tasted like mashed up potato salad, but in this case it was yucca (which tastes like potato),
• They mash the yucca with that yellow pepper sauce again. It’s very creamy.
• Tortilla de Papa 1/6
• A thick slice of omelet prepared in the classic Spanish-style with potato, pepper, tomato, and onion $5.49
• This wasn’t good. For what it’s supposed to be it was a 1, but because I could still eat it it was a 1.5.
• I’ve had numerous tortilla de papa or tortilla de patatas because I lived in Europe with Spanish girls who always made it. I’ve had homemade and restaurant style versions. I was lucky enough to even try their mom’s tortilla in Spain so I know what it’s supposed to be like. Mind you I was in Spain and not South America – so their versions are probably different…but I have a pretty good idea.
• It’s supposed to be really tender and almost runny in the middle. This one was overcooked and tough. It’s almost fishy tasting or had the texture of overcooked salmon. You can tell it was overcooked by the picture. It was a very rushed version of tortilla de Papa.
• Tequenos 1.5/6
• Wedges of soft cheese rolled in pastry dough, lightly fried, and served with a special cream sauce $4.99
• This was basically mozzarella sticks. I don’t know if they’re made in house, but it tasted like how frozen ones would taste. Our server basically hinted to us that we didn’t need to try them, we should have listened.
• They were fried well and the cheese was ooey gooey, but they were just mozzarella sticks. The dip it came with tasted like tzatziki sauce but with more herbs like parsley blended right into it. Maybe even some cilantro. The dip was good, but the sticks were whatever.
• Lechon 4/6
• Pork slow roasted in a mix of herbs and seasonings until tender and topped off with sauteed onion. Served with red beans ,rice with pigeon peas, and tostones $12.99
• The pork was quite tender, but it was probably pre-cooked meat tossed with sauce and reheated. The pork was still good though and it cut with ease.
• It had some fat around it so it was nice and moist. But the fat or skin wasn’t crispy at all.

• The Rice: the rice was actually really good! It was cooked well, flavourful, and not clumpy.

• 
• Mofongo 4/6
• This Puerto Rican dish features your choice of pork, chicken, beef, or prawns, served over mofongo: smashed green plantains fried with chicharron and garlic. Served with rice with pigeon peas and black beans $14.99. Vegetarian $12.99
• This is the dish I came for. I took our servers recommendation and had it with pork and asked for it to be medium for spiciness. My pork was quite tender, almost like pulled pork, but overall the dish was a bit dry.
• The yucca and green plantain mash was dry and I just wanted more sauce. The mash was like the South American version of turkey stuffing. It went well with the pork because it was the complementary starch.
• This is a really hearty and filling dish. It’s good, but I think everything is more or less pre-cooked and they throw it altogether and bake it off before serving.
• Pabellon 2.5/6
• The national dish of Venezuela! Seasoned and shredded beef served with black beans, rice, and tostones $12.99
• This was very bland and my friend ordered it mild – no spice. It really needed spice though. It was basically shredded beef in a tomato based sauce with onions and dried and fresh herbs.
• It was almost like a South American shredded beef stew. The beef was either a brisket or chuck.
• The pork was more tender and better than the beef dishes.
• Bandeja Paisa 2/6
• A traditional Colombian dish featuring chicharron and a fried egg with your choice of seasoned ground beef or skirt steak. Served with red beans, rice, and tostones $13.49
• This is a popular South American fusion dish. It’s actually a combination of American/UK and South American flavours.
• I was a bit disappointed by this dish because it was so simple. It should have had way more sides than it had. It was definitely a Westernized version. We ordered it with skirt steak.
• Traditionally the dish includes 13 things: red beans with pork, white rice, a fried egg, avocado, Arepa (pita), ground meat or steak, chorizo, pork rind, plantain patacones (plantain patties), Hogao sauce (tomato & onion sauce) and black pudding (sausages of patties made of pork blood).
• The ones in bold is what came with Marimba’s version of Bandeja Paisa.
• Plantain Patacones: This was pretty good, fried nice and fresh. Served with a dollop of the same sauce they had with the Tequenos. Tastes like tzatziki sauce with blended herbs.
• Red beans: pretty good, definitely better than my black beans. It supposed to be served on the plate not in a separate dish. All the ingredients are supposed to blend into each other.
• Fried egg: was overcooked, the yolk wasn’t runny
• Arepa: it’s a pita made out of cornmeal, but I could really tell. It tasted like a Greek style pita. Nice and soft.
• Overall the dish wasn’t saucy enough and it was dry. The steak looks well done, but it was actually quite tender and good.
• It reminded my of the American steak & eggs with some Latin sides and a couple British sides. Or even the Hawaiian Loco Moco (ground meat & a fried egg over rice)
• Even if they didn’t include everything they should have included Hogao sauce…it needed sauce. It could have used more avocado slices too.
• Rice Pudding 1/6
• Rice cooked with raisin, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and topped with cinnamon. When available, served with either mazamorra (purple corn compote) or lucuma mousse (Peruvian fruit similar to an avocado) $4.29
• This wasn’t good. It came in a little bowl and I felt ripped off. The rice was really clumpy and there’s were chunks of rice in it. It was sweet, but not really too sweet or anything either. Rally one dimensional, I like Indian rice puddings better. The didn’t serve it with mazmorra or lucuma mousse either…and that was most disappointing because that was the whole point of trying the dish!