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Rusty Spoons reviews Namaste Bistro
A new Indian restaurant has opened in Chatham and it is very popular. Namaste Bistro will have you coming back for more spice, more sweet, the delicious smells, the healthy choices and the great atmosphere.
I might need a little help on this review. I have never eaten Indian food before and I want anyone experienced with Indian cuisine to promptly point out if I have gone astray on my assessment.
Tonight I ordered take-out from the Namaste Bistro on Henderson Street in Chatham. The address is 12 Henderson Street and it is close to Water Street, near the RBC. The restaurant is central and easy to find and has plenty of parking. We had planned to dine in, but the restaurant was busy and we didn’t think we needed a reservation. Good thing to know for next time. We were told by the helpful staff a take-out order would be ready in about 30 minutes so we went for a walk to a nearby bar and had a beer while we waited.
The interior of the restaurant is nicely appointed with a bar area where you can sit and have a drink while you wait for your table. Not sure if they feature is available during Covid, but hopefully the restaurant will be full to capacity soon. The style is modern yet minimalist and you would feel at home there no matter if you were coming from a ball game or dressed up for a night out.
As you can see by the photos posted with this story below the menu is pretty extensive. Just to make it easy we ordered one chicken dish (Mango Chicken Curry), one beef dish (Beef Vindaloo), and a seafood appetizer (Salmon Strips). The menu has abbreviations on it to let people know if the items are gluten free or lactose free, and also indicate if they are spicy. When we ordered the waitress asked us how much spice we liked. I prefer a little spice but don’t enjoy food that is too hot -- you know, runny nose and gulping down water. The person with me prefers their food a little hotter than I do. We asked for medium spice on both the chicken and beef dishes, but there was no such option for the salmon strips appetizer.
The smell of the food was amazing and we couldn’t wait to get home to dig in. We ordered two different sides with our dishes, one being basmati rice and the other naan bread. The take out containers would be smaller than the takeout container of rice or wonton soup you might see at a chinese restaurant -- about â…” the size I would estimate.
The vindaloo is a dish from the Goa region of India and has Portugese origins and is made from meat (beef or pork usually) marinated in garlic and wine. As I mentioned we opted for the medium spice, and although it was hot, it was very pleasant. I spooned some of the vindaloo onto some rice, and cleaned up the plate with the naan bread.
The mango chicken curry was more creamy, and deliciously sweet and spicy. We added it to the bed of rice too, and cleaned the plate with the bread.
The salmon strips were also delicious. Perfectly cooked with a fresh seafood flavour. The coating was only slightly spicy, but that was offset by the subtle tang of a creamy dill dip that it is served with. So, so, good.
Overall a very good meal, and I anticipate the dine-in experience would be good as well. My only complaint may come from my inexperience with Indian food, and it is about the portions or consistency of the dishes.
We found that there was very little meat in both the servings of mango chicken and beef vindaloo. It did not take very long to retrieve all the pieces of meat and one small piece of potato from the vindaloo container with a spoon, which then left the container about ¾ full of broth. I ate some of the broth with a spoon, thinking maybe it was supposed to be a soup, having never had it before. I could have eaten the whole thing like soup, it was that delicious, but I put the remaining broth from both dishes in the fridge as leftovers and plan to cook some rice tomorrow and enjoy the beautiful flavours again.
I did an internet search for pictures of vindaloo and mango chicken and found that most of the pictures the dishes looked more like stew than soup. But again, I don’t have a point of reference.
I plan on going back soon, and this time beginning more people so we can sample more of the menu together. Looking forward to trying a spicy shrimp or fish dish, as well as some of their desserts.
Rusty Spoons reviews Miramichi eating establishments. Leave a comment and let her know if you agree. Also let her know what restaurant you'd like her to review next.
