Zaika Indian Bistro Bar

I'm not sure what's hotter at Zaika...the food or Joti Tung, the owner. If you ask her husband & co-owner, Shawn, I'm sure he'd say Joti is, and it would be hard to argue. A huge portrait of Joti's dark eyes hangs on one wall, her red lips in a portrait on the other. He says this way he gets to look at her all day...that's about the sweetest thing I've heard in ages.

This was my second visit to Zaika in a week and me, without a camera. I had to use Steve's Blackberry, so pardon the low res. This visit though was top shelf, even better than the first (high praise, because my first visit blew my socks off) for two reasons: The lunch buffet, which features about 12 hot dishes and a multitude of salads and desserts, had one of my favourites, chana masala ( a stewed chickpea/tomato/garam masala mix) on offer, along with Chef Bhoj Bahadur Mahat's special creation of mango chicken. Last week my favourite dish was the dal makhani, no... make that the butter chicken, or maybe it was the tandoori chicken which dripped with juice and sweet and spicy flavours. Hard to say really, because everything was crazy good.

Sure, the restaurant is chic, sleek and pulses with that techno beat that makes you wonder if you've been transported to New York or Vegas, but its the home-cooked dishes that are the real stars here. Chef Bhoj is a master of all things curried, and Joti's mom makes a wicked pickled carrot condiment that should be patented. As far as desserts go, today I had room for the mango custard - sweet, creamy, heavenly. I have found peace.

The price of a lunch buffet: $12.00. Knowing that Edmonton has a culinary gem? Priceless.

A bonus: the Summerside Asian Market is right next door. We stopped in and picked up a bag full of things we can't pronounce and talked to owner Garry Gill who gave us an enthusiastic and knowledgeable rundown of everything we needed to know about anything East Indian. Garry just happens to be married to Joti's sister, Ashu, and besides that, the girls' dad has been in the food industry for years and owns the India Garden restaurant in Edmonton. These younguns have been destined for the food industry, and lucky for us; they are a talented--not to mention beautiful-- family. Take my advice, get down to Ellerslie Crossroads (2303, 2307 Ellwood Drive) and check out two fantastic new culinary offerings.

I'm suddenly in the mood for a Bollywood movie.