I was invited in to dine with a group of media recently at Palki Restaurant in North Vancouver to taste some of their dishes.

1^st dish:

Meat Samosas – Deep fried pastries filled with minced meat, onions, cilantro and green peas

2^nd dish:

Vegetable Samosas – Spiced vegetables stuffed in a savoury pastry

3^rd dish:

Chicken Pakora – Deep fried battered boneless chicken with Indian spices

4^th dish:

Prawn Pakora – Deep fried battered prawn with Indian spices

5^th dish:

Lamb Rogan Josh – Boneless lamb cooked in chef’s special sauce

6^th dish:

Chicken Hariyali Kebob – Chicken white meat marinated with ginger, garlic, and spices, delicately roasted in the Tandoor

7^th dish:

Butter Chicken – Boneless chicken first broiled in the Tandoor and then cooked in a butter and cream sauce

8^th dish:

Prawn Goan Curry – A unique combination of coriander and coconut curry

9^th dish:

Gobi Aloo – Fresh cauliflower and potatoes cooked with fresh coriander, ginger and tomatoes

10^th dish:

Saag Paneer – Pureed spinach and paneer cooked with freshly ground spices

Breads:

Kashmiri Naan -Stuffed bread with dry fruit

Garlic Naan – Indian style garlic and basil bread

Onion Naan – Indian style onion and cilantro

11^th dish:

Gulab Jamun

12^th dish:

Rice Pudding

My take:

Since I have dined at Palki’s other location on Commercial Drive previously, I knew what to expect in the types of dishes we were going to be served, many of those I liked and was happy to partake again. I did try some new dishes this time around and my favourites of the meal were the Chicken Hariyali Kebob –tender chicken that was properly spiced and it’s a dish with lots of vegetables as well; Saag Paneer – pureed spinach and paneer was delicious; Butter Chicken – I am not usually fond of most butter chicken dishes as they are often too creamy and rich for my liking, this version was much lighter and flavourful; I loved the Prawn Pakora over the Chicken Pakora as it was more of a texture in the type of dish as well appropriately spiced, the Prawn Goan Curry was outstanding and I loved the coriander and coconut curry, my favorite Kashmiri Naan is on the menu here as well, it could almost be a dessert as its filed with crushed dried fruits; of the savoury naans my favourite was the Garlic Naan. With the two dessert choices that were served both were good, though I preferred the Rice Pudding as it wasn’t as heavy as the latter.

Palki Restaurant

116 E 15 Street, North Vancouver

Tel: (604) 986-7555

Web:  http://www.palkirestaurant.com/north-vancouver-home/

Twitter: @PalkiRestNVan

Advice: Share dishes if you go with a friend or two.

By: Richard Wolak