Jenn W.
Yelp
You'll pay a pretty penny for the meal, where an appetizer papad ki tokri, essentially an assortment of papadams and chutneys will cost $16. It's a dish that's sometimes given away freely at other places. At Adrak they provide three different crispy crackers to dip into finely chopped salsa, a spiced beet dip, and a fruity chutney. It's something that arrives quickly to keep diners placated and awaken the taste buds.
Unlike my experience at their Richmond Hill counterpart, Adrak Yorkville doesn't shy away from spice. The batter of their onion bhajia ($16) is a cacophony of flavours with different spices coming through as you bite through the crispy onion fritter ending with a heat that lingers on the tongue. The mint chutney doesn't calm down the sting at all but acts as a delicious condiment for other dishes as well.
Such as the thecha paneer tikka ($22), an interesting creation where two discs of soft Indian cheese are tossed with spices, roasted, and filled with finely chopped nuts, creating a delicate bite with a bit of texture. While there is a smear of curry and green chili sauce topping the paneer, I found the mint chutney (from the bhadjia) adds a bright refreshing element that makes it even better.
For a more traditional take on paneer, the paneer khurchan ($28) keeps the cheese in large chunks so it's soft within the savoury tomato sauce. It's great for tucking into a piece of the garlic naan ($5 a piece; 2 pieces shown) that's so fluffy with lightly blistered crispy edges.
Adrak's pork vindaloo ($38) uses a unique preparation, slices of pork tenderloin that's pan fried and drizzled with the slightly vinegary spicy sauce, rather than being braised in the vindaloo. So, while this dish is listed under the "curries" umbrella of the menu, it's not saucy.
Consequently, something our waiter pointed out when we tried to order the naan, "But, what are you going to eat this with?" Um... the vindaloo and paneer khurchan, we pointed out. Which is when the final characteristic of the Yorkville handbook came out - a helpful but sometimes snooty feeling air.
Apparently, those two dishes would not be enough to warrant ordering naan. He then suggested a full explanation of the menu before we order. Truthfully, I was taken aback from his response, there were already so many titles and descriptions of the menu that surely it should be self explanatory? No, it's not.
Yet, with some simple changes, it could work. For example, the "Adrak Signatures" dishes are not the typical chef recommendations, rather just more expensive and interesting takes on their appetizers. My suggestion: just call the section "Adrak Signature Starters" and the confusion is solved. And if the pork vindaloo is not a curry than move it to another section.
In the end, this exchange with their staff irked me. Sure, he was probably trying to be helpful and make sure we were aware of Adrak's special take on dishes, but there was almost a condescending tone that came through - let me explain and order for you because you obviously you don't know what you're doing is how I felt the exchange transpired.
This is a long review, head to Gastroworld for the rest.