Tandoori Flame is
located in Brampton, the municipality kitty-corner to Toronto's
northwest, at 8150 Dixie Road at Orenda, about 2km northwest on Dixie
from its Hwy. 407 offramp. There are two locations of Tandoori Flame
(another in Mississauga) and they are both hailed as the largest
Indian buffets in North America. Tandoori Flame has a very large
gorgeous interior, very well decorated. We went for a weekday night
dinner. There were plenty of other patrons, and interestingly well
over half of them appeared to be Sikhs, more than I have ever seen in
one place at one time… I guess that means the food is good and
authentic! AYCD pop is available for $3.19.
Mishy loved the
tikka chicken saying it was nicely spiced. Curried chicken was very
good. Butter chicken was also very good, and both were fresh. Naan
bread is self-serve, not delivered to table so you only get as much
as you want, which is appreciated, although it was good though not
exemplary as it really needs to be fresh from the oven to have the
subtle aromas that are quickly lost. Chicken briyani was very good,
almost as good as the Indian place I liked that specialized in it and
unfortunately moved, and no other from anywhere else has been this
good. Kharoda soup is good, I thought by the flavour that it was made
with lamb, but it is actually mutton. It may be too salty for some.
French fries were
delicious even without anything on them. Chicken nuggets were good,
moist, nicely seasoned. Onion rings were good, but these three things
aren't really what I was here for. Kachori was like an Indian version
of falafel, balls of spiced paste with some heat, and or among the
most deliciously spiced goodies I've ever tasted; there were hints of
cardamom, anise, and curry notes and it worked together beautifully.
I ended up having four of them because they were so good. Butter corn
is livened up with small chunks of pepper and possibly other
vegetables, whatever it is it was absolutely delicious. Fish pakora
was excellent, with good breading and the spicing was fantastic. As
would be expected for the signature dish, the chicken tandoori was
fantastic, not dried out at all, but moist, very flavorful, tender,
juicy and savory. Tawa bhel is very much like Indian Rice Krispies in
consistency as it is made with puffed rice, although it doesn't taste
like Rice Krispies; it was very good and I enjoyed it.
Pao bhaji was
delicious, and very well spiced, and the spicing is unique to this
dish from the other dishes here. Tikka paneer is made with very large
cubes of paneer and the spicing was quite tasty. Dal makhani was also
gorgeously spiced, probably the best I have ever had. Shahi paneer
sauce is deliciously reminiscent of pumpkin spice, and was wonderful.
Aloo soybean matar has mock meat pieces, and in keeping with the
theme of the rest, was fantastically well spiced. Minestrone soup was
excellent, with plenty of Parmesan flavor. Pindi chana was delicious
and unique, another dish hard to find in other restaurants, darker
and thicker than chana masala. Samosas were moist, fresh and
delicious. Even boring old macaroni salad was wonderful.
For dessert,
unfortunately the ice cream had been put away because the freezer
wasn't working so I'm not able to comment on it. However the
soft-serve machine was working, and the chocolate ice cream that came
out of it was extremely good and rich. Mishy also agreed. The
chocolate cake was amazing said Mishy; I tried it and it was
a-Girl's-Best-Friend amazing. Mango custard had a mild flavor but was
very tasty. Kheer rice pudding was tasty but I would have added some
more cinnamon. Strawberry cake was delicious and not too sweet. Jello
was lemon and good.
Because we went on a
weekday night dinner (for $23.99) we unfortunately missed out on the
live food stations (chaat, jalebi, chole bhature, panipuri, dahi
bhalla, garam gulab jamon) as these are only available on weekend
dinners (including Friday) and brunches. This price would be quite
high in Toronto's core but I need to make some allowance for the
area, however the AYCD pop is a bit overpriced. Overall the food
itself clearly showed great skill and care in its preparation as just
about every dish was perfectly seasoned, and the spicing appeared
different thus customized for each; everything was also fresh. Thus
Tandoori Flame was certainly a good value for its price.
Rating: 9/10
