Maurya Indian Cuisine: Maurya's Spice Dining Package Review

Foodology Disclaimer: VANEATS.ca approached me to try out their “Maurya’s Spice Dining Package” and write a review about it. I got a complimentary dining package and brought along TenantGirl.

601121_432226886799587_915855082_n — Photo by: VANEATS.ca

One of Dine Out Vancouver’s favourites, Maurya Indian Cuisine has won multiple diner’s choice awards over the years. A big fan of flavourful indian food, I was really excited to help DesignGirl with this review.

Dining Package details

Dining passes are currently available for $18 each which gives you 6 courses (http://vaneats.ca/mauryas-spice/):

Garlic and Basil Naan, Indian leavened bread flavored with chopped garlic and basil
Mixed greens & beets salad, lightly tossed with vinaigrette
Seekh Kebab, minced lamb mixed with spices & skewed in charcoal oven
Mixed Vegetables, seasoned and pan fried broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini
Chicken Chettinad, Marinated chicken in South Indian chettinad paste of coconut and poppy seeds – 2009 Dine Out Vancouver Award Winner!
Daal Maurya, Maurya’s Pride! Black lentils cooked overnight. A real accompaniment to an Indian meal

The Experience

On a Wednesday night, I picked up TenantGirl from school and headed over to Maurya’s. We decided to order one of the Vaneats.ca packages and order an additional dish, the Saag Gosht – Tender medallions of lamb tempered with cumin folded into our spinach curry sauce.

The only thing that wasn’t part of the package was the Saag Gosht (the greenish dish) and the rice. Ok, now let’s dig in:

Similar to getting bread before a meal, they first dropped us off some papadum that you can eat accompanied with mango chutney, Mint sauce, or Tamarind sauce. I enjoyed them all but my favourite was the tamarind sauce that had a light sweet and sour taste to it. It was interesting switching between the three and it was my first time having papadum. At first I thought that maybe it was some type of flat bread but imagine having a super thin pita chip.

Pictured here are the three appetizers that they served this included:

Mixed greens & beets salad, lightly tossed with vinaigrette
Seekh Kebab, minced lamb mixed with spices & skewed in charcoal oven
Mixed Vegetables, seasoned and pan fried broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, zucchini

The salad was light, sweet, and perfectly dressed with a raspberry vinaigrette. The Seekh Kebab, I’d compare it to having hot pepperoni. I’d say that it was a bit on the dry side for me but definitely had balanced spices. TenantGirl said it was salty for her taste but I think that’s a part of this dish. The mixed vegetables had a nice butteriness to it and weren’t overcooked which is a pet peeve of mine. I wouldn’t say that either blew me away but it had great variety. For appetizers, next time I’d really like to try their Karawari Prawns on their regular menu.

Yum Yum Garlic Basil Naan! A staple to Indian cuisine, Maurya’s naan is a little different from most places because it gets added flavour from the garlic and basil. It was a flavourful, rustic and what a great way to enjoy the saucey dishes that follow. I have to admit though, there is a lot of garlic, so make sure you chew some gum after this meal. I swear i had the taste of garlic in my mouth hours after.

This is the Chicken Chettinad, Marinated chicken in South Indian chettinad paste of coconut and poppy seeds – 2009 Dine Out Vancouver Award Winner!

This dish was yum yum yum! It had a sweet spiciness to it, and almost sort of fruity. I could see why this dish was a winner. The white chicken meat was tender and flavourful with the sauce. Have it with your naan in there and you’re ready for more. I wouldn’t say that it was very spicy though. There was heat but it wouldn’t leave you reaching for water after just 1 or 2 bites. At first I didn’t taste the spice, but after a few more bites, the heat was noticeable (in a good way). I think that you can request it be the top level of spice.

This is the Daal Maurya, Maurya’s Pride! Black lentils cooked overnight. Again, you can eat this with your naan and I was amazed by how good this tasted. I’ve had Daal before but I haven’t had one that was as aromatic as this. Not that you could literally smell it when it arrived but once you take a bite, the subtle taste of the lentils fill your mouth and senses. If you’ve never had daal before, I guess you’d compare it to mashed peas but … so much better.

Saag Gosht – Tender medallions of lamb tempered with cumin folded into our spinach curry sauce. This was our addition of the night, but for two girls, we left the night with packed away rice and maybe a third of the Chicken Chettinad and Saag Gosht.

We ordered this with a mild spiciness but I couldn’t really taste the spice much and perhaps I should have gone for medium. The taste might have been overpowered by the Chicken Chettinad we ate before starting this dish. I know it looks green and mushy but that’s the spinach curry sauce that actually turned out to taste very creamy because of the spinach. The lamb was not gamey and was not overcooked, so the meat was perfect. I know I ordered mild but I think I expected more of the spices to come forth. I might need to give medium a try but I’m not sure if I’d order this again.

Overall, if you’re buying this package expecting spicey heat that will leave you sweating, that’s not what you will expect. I think it’s suitable for both those who like spices/flavourful food as well as those who have more sensitive tongues.

If I had ordered the chicken chettinad on it’s own it would have cost $12.95 and with the added $4.95 to make a full dinner with rice, naan, and daal, it would have totalled to $18.00 as well. So for going with the deal, you don’t get the rice, but you do get the extra appetizers with it. I wouldn’t say that their appetizers blew me away, but it’s nice to get your vegetables and have a bit more variety. I think if I had gotten the full meal with both rice and naan, I would have been wayyyy too stuffed.

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