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.

Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery - Review 2

Restaurant: Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery - Review 2

Cuisine: Brunch/Lunch/Teatime/Bakery
Last visited: December 26, 09
Area: Delta, BC
#112-6345 120^th Street
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: Sweet: 4 Savoury: 1.5
Service: 2

Ambiance: 6

Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• New owners, a couple new items eg: Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding
• Very quaint, very cute, traditional country style tearoom
• Child-like tea party feel
• Atmosphere is unreal – literally, and figuratively
• Offers high tea - $20/person (Reservations required)
• Everything is homemade, but also pre-made and sits there until ordered
• Really "just like Grandma's..." kind of place
• Popular to locals, females, and seniors
• Local/hidden gem (tucked away location)
• Baked goods really good, savoury items - pretty bad
• Baked goods are $1-2 more if you eat in
• Homemade fudge
• Savoury and sweet items available to go
• Part restaurant, part gift shop selling stationary, aprons, tea sets etc.
• Reservations recommended for high tea - gets busy
• Accepts Debit/Visa/MC

**Recommendation: Scones with “the works” devonshire cream and homemade jam, Cloverleaf buns, Rhubarb upside down cake, chocolate brownies

This is almost the only place I will keep returning back too even though I’m not impressed with their food, except for the baked goods I recommend. The atmosphere is what draws me back, that, and the lack of options in the area.

I’ve been here on several occasions and it’s always the same stuff (for the last like 7 years…talk about traditional right?!) so I always try something new. The last time I came to Applewood Bakery I was really disappointed. Since then they have changed owners and not much has changed except for a couple new menu items. The new owner saw me taking pictures of the tearoom and kindly asked what they were for. I told her that it was for a blog, and to my surprise she had already read it and seen my review. I was a bit caught off guard because 1) it wasn’t a good review and 2) it was the 1^st time I’ve experienced this situation – but nonetheless, with her permission, she was kind enough to continue letting me do my thing – photos and all. I appreciate that.

I’ll be totally honest and say that I’m still not impressed with their savoury foods. Pretty much every time I’ve gone the savoury food is always a miss; except for their quiche which is decent and cloverleaf rolls which are fantastic. Other than those items, they just do nothing for me. The baked goods on the other hand are usually quite solid. They’re very grandma’s homemade country-style baked goods that suit the atmosphere perfectly. However even some of the baked goods I find just good…they could easily be better.

The atmosphere is insanely cute! It’s girly, delicate and you feel like Alice in Wonderland. From the tearoom, kitchen, to the bathroom – you just can’t help but to feel like you’re in a life size playhouse. You really won’t find anything else like it.

I spoke briefly with the new owner and she told me that she will be keeping some old traditions and slowly bringing in some the ones. It’s the kind of place that has a niche market and local clientele so I can see how it would be risky to change around too much. She’s going to be improving some recipes…and thank goodness for this because their savoury foods seriously need some attention. I’ve tried all of them and they’re pretty much all bland and dry.

I really can’t justify the price I’m paying for that quality of food, because it’s surprisingly pricey here (I can easily spend $20 + tea for brunch) and the portions are quite small (although they should be for a dainty place like this). The owner could see where I and others who feel the same way are coming from, so she plans to change this too. Therefore I can’t wait to see what she has in store, I’m excited.

My 1st review: Applewood Country Gifts, Tea Room & Bakery

On the table:

Quiche Meal 3/6

• Quiche of the day (almost always ham and cheese), side s alad with you choice of raspberry vinaigrette or lemon poppy seed dressing, and cloverleaf roll $9.99
• The quiche is a bigger than this but we shared a quiche and cup of soup so they split it for us in the back before serving it.
• If I’m going to order a savoury food here it will probably be th e quiche. Nothing else impresses me, and the quiche doesn’t really either, but at least it’s good.

  

• Cloverleaf roll 6/6
• This meal starts off with their famous homemade Cloverleaf roll.
• I reviewed the Cloverleaf roll last time and it’s still a 6/6.
• The cloverleaf roll is 3 types of buns combined to make one bun. The bun has 3 flavours - 1/3 multigrain, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 plain. They come warm with butter. The texture is amazing. Really good bread! The texture is really soft and fluffy; my favourite side is the multigrain side.
• Ham and Broccoli Quiche 3/6
• I’ve already done a review on it last time, but again it’s the safest savoury item you can order. I thought it was better this time, hence the +1, but there was more ingredients last time.
• The quiche isn’t a French-style quiche but more of a country-style quiche. It has chunky pieces of ham, diced broccoli (not much), bell peppers and green onions. It’s quite rustic with lots of roughly chopped ingredients and a layer of cheese on top before they bake it.
• It’s pre-made and warmed up so it has that “been sitting there” look and taste. The cheese layer just lifts right up rather than melting into the quiche. The quiche part is flavourful and moist though, and the veggies are tender.
• The crust is homemade crust and it’s perfect. It’s not too thick with nice crisp edges. I wonder if it’s the same crust for their pies. It wasn’t really flaky but still tender in texture and buttery in flavour.
• Green Salad with Homemade dressing 4/6
• The salad is romaine, a couple slices of cucumber, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds. Very simple.
• They should really just buy pre-washed lettuce. W e were biting into sand and it was not the poppy seeds from the dressing. We had to spit it out…very non-lady like, but it was really gross. We let the server know, but the reply was “really?...interesting…”…and nothing else. Yes until now I am as confused as you are.
• I usually go for the lemon poppy seed dressing over the raspberry vinaigrette. It’s quite sweet more than it is tart, more honey-like than lemon tasting but I like it. It could use the fresh zest of a lemon though. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy it with the salad.

• Lentil Soup 1/6

• Soup of the day: lentil soup Cup: $4.50 Bowl: $5.50
• The soup is made in house and from scratch but it was not good at all. I almost want to give it a 0, but it’s not on my scale.
• It tasted like an experimental soup and it was the most basic recipe with poor execution.
• There was no flavour at all. It was so bland and even adding salt and pepper wouldn’t and wasn’t helping.
• It had onions, carrots and celery, but it was all pureed in a food processor not until smooth but just little bits. It was a tomato based soup but it was very watery. All the ingredients were at the bottom and it reminded me of either baby food or senior food .
• I had 2 spoons and left the rest.

**Cranberry Scone with “The Works” 6/6

• Seasonal fruit and cheese scones available $2 to go $4.25 w/butter & jam $5.50 w/"the works"
• They offer around 3-4 flavours that change often: raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, cheese, rhubarb pecan (rare), raisin, strawberry etc.
• I’ve reviewed the Raspberry scone last time, and this time I tried the cranberry scone.
• I like the raspberry scone better because I found the cranberries too tart, although I liked the option for the holiday season.
• These are still the best scones I’ve had. Nice and big, thick and fluffy. They’re not flaky or crumbly, but almost cakey. They have a slightly crispy and perfectly browned outside, soft inside, buttery flavour and loaded with real fruit. It’s not really sweet either, it’s a perfect recipe.

  

• This one has whole plump cranberries throughout and extra on top for presentation. It’s served with a light dusting of icing sugar.
• It’s a pretty expensive scone and it’s definitely best enjoyed if you order it with “the works”. This will bring you to $5.50, but it’s a must if you come.
• “The Works”
• “The Works” just means with Devonshire cream and homemade jam. I reviewed it last time too, but I want to correct it because I think it’s actually better than I thought.

• Devonshire cream: I still doubt it’s real clotted cream (heated up unpasteurized milk), but it’s still really good. I was looking for the cheese taste this time and I found it, but it was hard. It was thick, but still not as thick as the real clotted cream and it wasn’t pale yellow like the real thing is. I’m pretty sure it’s whipped cream mixed with mascarpone, but it still tastes great. It’s lightly sweetened, has a mild cheesy taste, and very slight tang. It could use more mascarpone, if that’s what they’re using.
• Homemade jam: I reviewed this last time. Still great!

**Rhubarb Upside Down Cake 4.5/6

• You can order this with “the works” so we did and it came to $4.95. It’s $4.25 as is and if you get a piece to go it’s $2.95. I don’t think an extra $2 is very reasonable for eating in, an extra $1 is ok.
• I wouldn’t recommend “the works” totally unnecessary because it’s just whipped cream from a can. I thought it was going to be their homemade Devonshire cream so you could imagine my disappointment.
• It’s a pretty big slice of cake and it’s very moist. That’s what I love about it.

  

• The cake part is so moist and perfectly baked. It has a cinnamon flavour and it’s a simple coffee cake recipe. There are a few chunks of rhubarb throughout the cake batter which I really enjoyed. It was almost like apples, but tart and nice and stringy from the baking process.
• There’s not much of a rhubarb layer though. The rhubarb is very tender and slightly tart, but also sweet. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and tart for me. I just wanted more rhubarb in the top layer.
• This has nothing to do with the rating I gave, because colour doesn’t affect flavour of rhubarb…but I wish the rhubarb they used was redder in colour. It would simply look nicer.

Tea

• Small pot $2.50
• Large pot $4.50
• They have an extensive tea list, but the teas aren’t house blends. They’re brought in from another company.
• The table sugar is coloured - mix of regular sugar with some pastel pink, blue, and yellow sugar crystals. Really cute touch!

  

The Fudge

• Complimentary sample that comes with your bill and you can buy it to go as well.
• This time we got chocolate peppermint and candy cane.
• I still feel like they’re too sweet, not chewy enough and too artificial tasting.

The Hide Out Cafe

Tahi Chicken wrap, Tukey Bacon wrap, Black Bean Baja wrap, Mango Chicken wrap


Restaurant: The Hide Out Cafe
Cuisine: Eclectic/American/Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch

Last visited: August 30, 09

Area: New Westminster, BC

716 Carnarvon Street

Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 5

Service: 3

Ambiance: 3

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• GREAT quality and tasting wraps in Vancouver/lower mainland
• Homemade sauces.dressings and soups, but pre-made wraps
• Baked goods come from bakery (not homemade)
• Lunch combos available
• Hidden location
• Breakfast all day Saturdays
• Relaxed/Casual/Self-service
• Menu changes frequently, call ahead to confirm menu
• Some vegan soups
• Really need to fix their website - links are expired
• Catering available
• Eat in/Take-out
• Closed at 6pm
• Closed Sundays

**Recommendation: Soups (changes daily/weekly), Mango Chicken wrap, Thai Chicken wrap - call ahead to confirm menu.

Talk about local gem in New Westminster! I'm rarely in this area, but if I am - I'm going to The Hide Out Cafe. I may not trek out here just for this wrap, but I do crave it and am very tempted to make the drive out. The wraps are THAT good - fresh and simple ingredients and they're just made so well. The soups are also really fresh and also made in house. The location is quite hidden and you wouldn't even notice it unless you were referred to it or are familiar with that area. It's not even on the main downtown strip - it's across from the law courts.

It attracta people working nearby and it gets busy at lunch time. It seems like a place suitable for students and it's self-service - order and pay at cashier type eatery. The baked goods are almost all imported from another bakery - so I wish they did sell some homemade stuff because it looks like a place that should. Freshly baked pies are on their menu - but they NEVER have any and very rarely make them. They'll admit that too. Everything I've ordered has always been good. They also sometimes serve nachos; the menu changes whenever they want so you never know what you're going to get.

They have an upcoming Thanksgiving wrap so I'm looking forward to trying that.

My only complain about their wraps is the way they stuff them. They don't mix all the ingredients together so that the veggies stay crunchy; and they are pre-made and put in the display case so they need to ensure they don't get soggy from the sauce and dressings. You have to eat it from left to right or right to left. The wraps are rectangular and they grill them off before serving them. In order to get a bite of everything you need to take a couple bites until you complete the row, otherwise you'll get only the chicken, or only the veggies. You need to get a combination of everything. If they weren't pre-made they could mix all the ingredients together.

On the table:

• **Mango Chicken Wrap 5/6
  
• White chicken breast, feta, mango, red and green pepper, spinach, mango dressing and sweet chili sauce.

• This is awesome! It's sweet, savoury and very mildly spicy. They use fresh mango but I couldn't really tell because it was overpowered by the feta. I wish there was a little more mango in the wrap. The mango dressing is almost like a mango chutney mixed with sweet Thai chili sauce. The wraps are served warm so the feta melts and becomes creamy as it mixes into the sweet sauce. Really fresh ingredients. Not too much stuffing so that they fall apart, but they're the perfect size. They hold really well and they're not soggy, the tortilla is grilled which adds this perfect nuttiness and soft but also crunchy baked/grilled texture.
• **Thai Chicken Wrap 6/6
  
• White chicken breast, purple and green cabbage, green and red bell peppers, cilantro, onions, carrots, rice, sesame oil and peanut sauce.

• Ok this is one of my favourite wraps...ever. I've taken a few people here and this is everyone's' favourite. Better than the Mango Chicken wrap. HOWEVER it's one of their summer features so they have replaced it with the "Lamb Souvlaki Wrap"...they said that they will bring the Thai Chicken wrap back, but they like to switch things up. AND if it's requested enough they will bring it back earlier.
• This wrap is so good because of the combination of ingredients as well as the sauce. The peanut sauce is more of a vinaigrette than a peanut satay sauce. It's a bit thinner and more acidic and the sesame oil really comes through. It's tangy and savoury at the same time. They balance all the ingredients really well. The cabbage slaw stays crunchy even after it's grilled. That's what I love. It's a warm wrap but the veggies are not overcooked at all.
• The rice is just plain rice and it's seasoned with the sauce. The rice is more of that long grain white rice than Chinese style rice. It's cooked perfectly and gives the wrap another dimension of texture. Try this - you won't be disappointed.
• **Smoked Tomato with Corn Soup 5/6
  
• Homemade, and so creamy and flavourful. For me it was more of a chowder than a soup. It was hearty and filling and quite rich. There was celery, carrots, onions, tomato, corn and potatoes. I wish there was more corn though, they skimped out on that.

• It had a smokey taste and it tastes like they put cream cheese or sour cream in the soup as well. It was really really good. It had that sour cream/cream cheese taste and texture to it.
• Red Lentil (Vegan) 4/6
• Homemade again. also quite tasty. It tasted a little Indian - Indian for Westerners if I can say. There were onions, celery, carrots, and lentils and other spices and herbs. The lentils were really cooked so that it was almost a puree and broke down in the soup.

• This was very good and they really give you the flavour of the ingredients rather than watered down soup. It was very heavily lentil based, which is expected, but I would have appreciated a bit more of the other ingredients.

For your benefit as the menu isn't on the website, here are some additional wraps they offer but I haven't tried.

• Turkey Bacon Wrap
  
• smoked turkey, bacon, provolone, avocado, roasted red pepper, spinach, and sun-dried tomato pesto aioli
• Black Ban Baja Wrap
  
• rice, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime, tomato, assorted spices, chipotle sour cream, spinach, red and green peppers, mixed herbs and a four cheese blend