Carl D.
Yelp
On our last evening of a short trip to Calgary, we decided to indulge in the city's Indian cuisine. Not naan and chicken tikka masala; a full-on Indian feast. The Calcutta Cricket Club, which offers a tasting menu called the "Taste of Calcutta," was just what we were after!
The restaurant moved to its current location at 1213 1st St. SW in December 2023 from its previous location on Calgary's 17th Avenue. This new - and larger - location is just about a half-kilometer from the Calgary Tower and the many hotels that surround it, making it an easy walk to the restaurant and, importantly, gave us the opportunity to walk off some of what was sure to be a filling dinner afterward.
We arrived a few minutes before the7:15 reservation we'd made on OpenTable and were shown to our seat immediately. The 100-seat restaurant was moderately busy and would get busier very shortly. Our server brought water and menus within moments of our being seated, made recommendations when we told him we were going to have the tasting menu, then took our drink orders.
With our solid food choices already made, the only thing left for us to decide were the wines to go with it. My wife chose an off-dry Riesling while I opted for a Pinot Gris. Both complemented the spicy fare we were going to have quite well.
The first items brought to our table were a bowl of chaat (a potato salad) and a plate with three different chutneys: mango, pineapple, and a green chutney called "hari." It's made of coriander and mint leaves, garlic, ginger and chilis. Modest heat, despite the chilis.
Once we'd tucked into the potato salad, our server brought the other items on the first course: a tomato salad, achari paneer and chili chicken. We thoroughly enjoyed the chaat, tomato salad and chicken but felt the paneer was a bit on the bland side. Even generous portions of the curries didn't help much.
The second course consisted of our choice of curry served with naan, basmati riche and lasooni raita. Intending to "compare and contrast," my wife chose the lamb curry while I went with butter paneer. Other options included eggplant, mussels, prawns, and chickpeas. Given my comment about the achari paneer, it's important to note that we chose our main courses before sampling the appetizers. Otherwise, we'd likely have chosen something other than the paneer curry.
The lamb curry was our favorite. Lots of flavor from a variety of spices, but none too hot. The paneer had the same sauce used on butter chicken so had a bit more flavor than the paneer appetizer, but still wasn't as flavorful as we'd have preferred. The naan was hot and tasty, the basmati rice fluffy and light, and the lasooni raita provided a nice, cooling note (if one needed it).
Dessert was the "Chef's Choice." Unfortunately, we didn't note the name but it tasted very much like the best cheesecake you've ever eaten, but with a much creamier texture.
Throughout the evening, the service was excellent. A variety of servers, expediters and even the manager would bring the new dishes to our table and clear the empty plates, keep the water filled, and offer to refresh our beverages.
By the time we were finished, the restaurant had gone from modestly busy to completely full and had started to empty out again. Understandable, as one does not rush dinner with such an extensive tasting menu.
As we were getting ready to leave, the manager came by to make sure everything was to our liking, which indeed it was. Obviously, we enjoyed some items more than others but there wasn't a thing I'd call disappointing.
And we thought the price was very reasonable: CAN$55 per person for the meal, plus beverages and tips. With three glasses of wine between the two of us, a gratuity for our server and an additional $10 tip directly to the kitchen, our evening out was about $220. An excellent meal and, for an evening of fine dining, an excellent value. HIGHLY recommended.
