How much is an onion worth?
Well, if you were with me this past Saturday night at Jolly’s Indian Bistro in Kits…$10 (and then some).
But before we price the produce here, let me paint a picture for you: trying to find a consistent (and good) Indian restaurant in the Kitsilano area is like a trip through a drive-thru car wash – some aspects are abrasive and some are subtle.
On a busy Saturday night (which I thankfully made a reservation for – note the phone number below; Google references two or three that no longer work), our group was promptly shown to our table – about 7 feet to the right of the front door. Did I mention it’s a small space? Don’t think I did…so here’s (a dabbling of) the backstory:
Stepping through the doors at 2928 West 4th Avenue, you are immediately bathed in orange, immersed in curry aromas, aware of the tastefully decorated (and tight) space, and if there on a weekend evening…witness to the vibe/throng of loyal customers and first timers who have descended upon this pumpkin-coloured gem of an Indian restaurant in the middle of hipster Kits.
Jolly, the owner, (and his wife) have an interesting story, stemming all the way back to learning the ropes from the local cafe street chefs in Dehli. In 1996, they came to the (604) and the rest is what you can now experience.
Unfortunately for me, I can’t really comment on the experience 100%; bringing me back to the $10 onion.
You see, on this particular evening, despite our having our table (the best in the house, I’d say) and everything firing on all cylinders, Jolly was the sole kitchen quarterback. And that said, with one of our party allergic to onions, nothing on the menu (aside from rice, naan bread, and one of the zucchini dishes) was able to be custom made to accommodate. Well, at least not for another 1 to 2 hours (so the story goes from our server).
Regardless, I have to say that from what I experienced (one bottle of wine for the table, and two orders of Pakora and Samosa), the food was very good. I could only expect that the rest was too?
Our servers, of which we had two for some reason, were hot and cold (one was definitely more relaxed than the other) which left a mixed sensation of being impressed with the small portion we were able to try (as we were walking out of Jolly’s to our next restaurant who could make something without onion) and confused why it seemed like a struggle to get an answer out of them in a timely fashion.
Perhaps this one in particular was frazzled somewhat…doesn’t matter…she came back with a $10 GC for our next visit (for our troubles) and I do think at that point, she genuinely felt bad.
I know I did (somewhat).
darren
Always interested in reading a review on an Indian restaurant. Surprisingly there aren’t many really good Indian restaurants in Vancouver. Partly because of the tendency of local restos to go the “Canadian Chinese” route and offer $9.95 lunch all you can eats, secondly because few Indo-Canadian’s eat out at Indian restaurants since nothing could match what mom makes at home. Good Indian cuisine is labour intensive requiring lots of prep time for the ingredients. Onions are an essential component of Indian cuisine which is why it’s not surprising that the chef couldn’t whip up something for your onion “allergic” friend. I quote “allergic” because there are very few cases of true anaphylactic allergies to onions. Most people who claim they are allergic are in fact intolerant to onions creating bloating symptoms or diarrhea. Small trace amounts are probably tolerated and frequently unnoticed. With a true anaphylactic allergy to onions (like those with peanut allergies) one should probably never eat at an Indian restaurant because the chance of cross contamination during preparation would be impossible to avoid.
Anytime there is such an unusual allergy to such common ingredients like garlic or onions call ahead and ask the restaurant to see if they can accomodate you. People had complaints that Vij’s didn’t cater to their allergies, but like the above poster some ingredients are integral to a cuisine such as Indian food. And while most of the food is prepared fresh the sauces may be prepared pre-made in batches so the flavours mature and bind properly.
Simon, you are correct it is not an allergy (I am the above mentioned diner) but I find when dining out, it is not only easier to say that I am allergic rather than to explain, but more importantly I find it’s not taken as seriously either. With that being said, I have been left sick to my stomach for upto a week after eating at some restaurants.
As Darren said, we did make several attempts to contact the restaurant prior to dining to check the possibilities, however the phone # on the website is old, leaving us unsuccessful.
I will say this though, I have been to Jolly’s before and loves both the Goa Fish Curry and the Tandoori Chicken….atleast while I was eating it
Signed,
Intolerant in Vancouver
it’s not entirely true that no indian restaurant would be able to cater to onion-free diets. infact one indian cuisine (Jain or Saatvik) – which is vegetarian – is also free of onions & garlic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jain_%28Satvika%29
quick google search produces:
Surat Sweet Restaurant @ 1926 W 4th Ave
http://www.prayagrajindiancuisine.com/ also serves same cuisine it seems.
so natalie, i hope you enjoy tour onion-free indian culinary adventure