Narayanni's Fusion Restaurant

I was pleasantly grateful to have the chance to try this exotic little Indian/South African fusion restaurant located just off of Whyte Ave. This family-owned restaurant enticed me to visit and savor their new lunch buffet that has been in effect for just the last couple months. They've been open for dinner successfully for the last 6 years, but have only recently begun offering a lunch option to the public for a very reasonable price of $12 per person. 

The fantastic key point of interest regarding this type of fusion is the blend of ethnic cuisine. The mixing of Indian spices and taste with South African flavours and European influence contrives a "cuisine that is delicate, flavourful and healthy, without the redundancy and heaviness of traditional Indian cooking." This peculiar restaurant prides themselves on their food being popular vegan, vegetarian, and celiac-friendly with "no MSG, no preservatives, no artificial flavouring or colouring, non-cream based sauces, as healthy as it is flavourful and delicious."
 

Right away, after I walked in, I was impressed with the immaculate cleanliness of the restaurant. While the exterior may not be much of a looker, the interior was spotless and the ambiance was suitable and pleasing. They were extremely accommodating and friendly, ensuring my companion and I felt warmly received.

I had the fortuitous opportunity to try the specialty chai tea made from a secret concoction of homemade spices and healthy ingredients. It was both delightfully rich in flavour and yet pleasantly soothing, and I enjoyed it immensely, though it is an additional cost. However, I highly recommend it as it is well worth the try, and upon my next visit I will definitely try the pistachio flavoured chai which sounded surprisingly intriguing.

Another additional option is the roti. I adore roti, and though I always will order roti canai as an appetizer at any restaurant that offers it, this roti did not disappoint. It had the perfect blend of firm pancake texture combined with a pleasing outer flakiness, and I was very much in approval. 

Now I readily admit I'm not at all an expert in vegetarian friendly restaurants, but I always attempt to be open-minded and genuinely love trying new interesting foodie spots. So I wasn't too sure what exactly to expect from the main courses, but the choices available certainly appeared appetizing once I perused the buffet.
  

There was a number of options available, and I ended up selecting to try the Braised Kale with Cabbage, Dhal with Zucchini, Chicken Curry and Basmati rice. Not surprisingly, the Chicken curry was undoubtedly delicious; I love curry, and this dish did not disappoint. The chicken was not dry at all, as sometimes it can be, and the curry taste was zesty with a distinctive spicy kick. As for the Dhal with Zucchini, it was cooked to an appropriate tenderness, very saucy; I enjoyed the rich sauce on the Basmati rice. The Kale and Cabbage I found to be surprisingly extremely tasty, subtly well-seasoned with an appealing crunchy texture. As far as vegetarian dishes go, I was pleasantly surprised to find them genuinely likable. 

Dessert offered that day was a rice pudding, and I had enough room to try a bowl. I have to say, it was phenomenal. It was perhaps the most savory rice pudding I've ever sampled, and the spices used were flavourful and aromatic-similar to the chai tea. The texture of the rice in it was cooked to perfection, and it was a heavenly finish to a well-balanced meal. 

The lunch was a favorable set of well-prepared options that balanced each other out very nicely. I was admiringly appreciative of the options, and each dish was individually delectable. The only thing I would wish for would be to have a few more options, such as a greater selection of dishes containing meat, but understandably a lunch selection would not be as varied as dinner, I would imagine. Also the food options change regularly, depending on the day in question the menu ranges a fair a bit. I would certainly return and partake in the dinner buffet without a doubt in future.

MEAT

 

On the weekend I went to MEAT for the second time, luckily was able to get a table right away, although not on the patio like I was originally hoping for. It was a gorgeous evening though, and the patio isn't especially large so that's to be expected in all fairness. Obviously, this is the kind of place vegetarians and vegans should stay far away from, as they specialize in the stereotypical manly man's type of meal- smokehouse barbecue meat, bourbon and beer.

 

 The restaurant is right off of Whyte Ave, in a trendy area, so parking always sucks, but it's definitely in a appealing location to walk around and explore. The sign outside on the side of the building many seem to find (me included) fairly amusing. 

 

The menus are very limited. There's few choices for drinks, and nearly all contain either Bourbon or Whiskey, so be prepared! I ordered a "Lynchburg Lemonade" which I was informed was one of sweetest, or most girly-ish drinks that they offered. I have quite the sweet tooth and so I found that drink to be quite strong, with Bourbon overtaking any potential sweetness in it. Don't come here expecting Cosmos and Martinis is all I can say for that!

 

 

 For the meal we ordered the Smoked Meat Feature, which was basically a little bit of all the meat so you could try a bit of everything. As for sides we decided on the Brussels Sprouts and Potato Salad. The food comes out on large group platters as it's intended to be communally shared by everyone at the table. 

 The portion was fair for the price. It was around $60 for the sample platter of meat, and that is definitely more than enough for two people. It was likely enough for three or four even, depending how hungry the people in a group are, of course. I did enjoy the brisket and the pulled pork, they were my favorite items of the meat selection, although I did find it overall to be somewhat dry and the flavours were decent but not outstanding. 

There are bottles of homemade sauces on the table that are offered to be added to the food, but my intention was to try the meat as is, before adding other sauces and flavorings. Whenever I may come back, eventually, I do plan to try the sauces, although I'm not a big BBQ sauce person overall, admittedly.

In my honest opinion the best part of the meal were the sides. The Brussels sprouts and Potato salad were phenomenal. They were fresh, well-made and very delicious. I enjoyed them much more than the main attractions, and I'm a big fan of meat-especially BBQ.

 

I'd say overall the experience was adequate. The prices are fair, but I wish there was more selection and the food is satisfactory but not stellar. For Edmonton, it is pretty good overall and definitely a different experience than most are used too so I'd recommend trying it. If you want top-of-the-line smokehouse and BBQ meat though-go to Texas. The best meat I've ever had from that type of genre was in Dallas, Texas-hands down. But if you just want a different, fun experience that's in the city-give MEAT a try!