Fork it Over.

A7

Dan and Brufrog

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Thandi

33 Canterbury Street

Saint John

648-2377

singhdining.com

[Brufrog]

This is the second review in a row where we've revisited an Asian-themed restaurant in Saint John. Our return to Thandi was due not only to their evolving menu, but also the fact that they've made major renovations recently. Part of the restaurant group that includes House of Chan, Holly's, and Café Soha, they recently sank a wad of cash into new décor at Thandi.

The booths have changed; there are cool rounded benches and "log coffee tables" in the nook to the left as you go in (perfect for book club meetings and the like), and there is an amazing showpiece artwork over the long communal table in the centre of the ground floor. We settled in under the dangling copper forest for a recent dinner.

[Dan]

I wasn't writing for Fork It Over when the last Thandi review was published and it has been quite awhile since I stopped into the restaurant. There hasn't really been a reason why I hadn't visited and there isn't a reason to not return. The new digs make Thandi one of the hottest looking spots in the city.

[Brufrog]

I really wanted to get a wide sampling of the menu, which is much different from what it was when they first opened. It still has several of the key dishes I remember, but there's much more to choose from. I'd call it "Pan Asian" because there is East Indian cuisine, including curries, but also many spicy noodle and stir-fry dishes in the Oriental vein.

[Dan]

The menu was full of dishes I'd eat at almost any time regardless of my mood such as the noodles, curries, and stir-fries Brufrog just brought up.

[Brufrog]

They don't have Picaroons on tap anymore (they haven't for quite a while now) so we decided to share a bottle of the good value Kumala Sauvignon Blanc ($29) from South Africa. We started with an appetizer platter, which was quite large and tasty.

[Dan]

The platter for two ($16) was good for three or four easily. It would be a great evening dish for a social get together over some wine or beer. It consisted of tandoori chicken, lamb kabob, samosas, and pakora. The chicken was juicy and evenly enveloped in beautiful spices and seasoning. The samosas were pretty good but I often compare any samosa to those available out by the airport and these just didn't compare. I immediately thought I'd dislike the pakora as my previous experiences with this item has proven dry and flavourless, not so at Thandi. These little fried dough pieces filled with spices were more than I was expecting. The kabobs had a crispy crust perfectly seasoned and seared and inside was meaty but not gamey and pleasantly juicy and seasoned. I'd order these for a quick lunch any day and I wouldn't consider myself all that lamb friendly, well, until now. On the side were a few dips such as sweet chili, mint yogurt, and a tamarind sauce.

[Brufrog]

I also ordered the tempura calamari ($12) because I often find that this dish is easy to screw up; it's a good test of a kitchen. They passed with flying colours. It was tender, lightly breaded and tasted fresh and delicious.

[Dan]

I couldn't agree more. To be certain, I ordered calamari at another restaurant in town recently and although it was better than other occasions it was nothing compared to how great the calamari was at Thandi that night. I hope they offer the same quality to every customer.

[Brufrog]

For my main I went for a variation on a dish that I've been eating at Thandi a lot lately, although normally I have it for lunch: the Oriental Stir-fry ($20), only this time I had it with chicken. I usually do it as a vegetarian dish. The portion was huge, so I only ate half of it, but what I had was excellent. I was looking forward to eating the rest for lunch the next day but forgot to take it home.

It has lots of fresh veggies, those thick yummy stir-fry noodles (Udon, I believe), tender chicken breast slices, all tossed in a mild to medium spicy black bean sauce.

I must say that I found it a bit hard to pay $20 for this, as I was used to the lunch price ($12), which gives more than enough for a full meal, but I guess I'm getting two meals for $20 ... I wonder if they allow half orders?

[Dan]

For my main I went with Chicken Vindaloo ($20). It was as good as or better than any other I've had to date. This dish was deep in flavour yet still light enough to eat without feeling like I just had a pound of bricks. I think this is a quality a lot of Eastern food has. However, I still could only eat about half of the dish and if I were not sharing I'd also take a half order or take some home.

[Brufrog]

We were too full for dessert, but left very satisfied, knowing that there's a reliable place for authentic Indian curries and spicy stir-fries in Uptown Saint John. I wish they'd bring back Picaroons, or sell it in bottles. I'd settle for Fuller's London Pride too. I'll keep going in for lunch regularly, or maybe in for the occasional evening for drinks and to share that amazing app platter. Cheers!