Restaurant Review: New Asian Village
NEW ASIAN VILLAGE 9308 34th Avenue | newasianvillage.com Instagram: @newasianvillage | Twitter: @NewAsianVill_ss Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
I've mentioned before that Edmonton boasts a very robust Indian food scene and New Asian Village is certainly a part of it. Their flagship Saskatchewan Drive location (now closed) opened over 32 years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if they were one of the first to bring this cuisine to the city. There are now five locations in operation all around town, my preferred one being the south one in Strathcona Industrial Park (which is a great little hub for all things India). While there are tons of options for great Indian food in the city these days, New Asian Village (otherwise known as NAV) holds a special place in the hearts of many Edmontonians - especially my husband's. Edmonton Journal named NAV the Best Indian Restaurant 2020 and their legacy remains strong. I visited on a Saturday evening and a reservation certainly never hurts. The restaurant is large and expansive, featuring several dining areas. The space has undergone some pretty substantial decor updates in the past few years, however the core of the atmosphere remains the same. They used to have private curtained booths which they have since done away with, now opting for a more modern and updated look. Fabric drapes from the celling and turquoise velvet serves as a jewel-toned accent. The details are ornate and there are no shortage of beautiful art pieces from India. I think that they've done a great job of refreshing the restaurant and making it feel new and current again. Seated at a cozy booth, we planned our attack. New Asian Village is very popular for their buffet, which is what many people visit for exclusively. It's a pretty great deal. You pay one reasonable price and are treated to a vast array of dishes that range from starters, to mains that include curries and tandoori chicken, to desserts. It's certainly not a bad option! However, they also offer a menu that you can order off of and *controversial opinion* I believe that this is the better way to go. How come? The food that you get when you order off of the menu is markedly better in quality. In my experience, they save the good stuff for the menu and use the buffet to get rid of whatever is left over. There. I said it. Have you ever tried the lamb curry in the NAV buffet? More like bones curry! When you order it off of the menu there isn't a single bone in sight and you are treated to beautiful, succulent pieces of lamb. When my husband and I first met we went through a phase where we would go for NAV buffet several times a week. It was a magical time. Years later, I absolutely understand the excellent value and draw of the buffet but I think that I've grown out of it. Our server was extremely attentive (she checked on us frequently!) and she almost seemed shocked when we advised her that we would not be partaking in the buffet. She almost tried to convince us otherwise. But we were resolute and panned the menu for our ideal feast. For me this always begins with a warm cup of Chai ($3.00), my very favourite in the city.
It's basically like ordering a coffee, except so, so much better. And the best part? It's unlimited. Once I had (quickly) downed my first cup the server realized what she was dealing with and brought me an entire pot. (Which I finished as well.) This is what REAL masala chai tastes like. It's nothing fancy and it's not full of foam and sugar (although they do serve it with packs of sugar which I never use). It's just made with gorgeous spices and is like an exotic warm hug. It's as if coffee and tea had a baby and the result was something so much better than both of them. A million times nicer than what you get at any cafe, the chai at New Asian Village is special to me.
If I could tear myself away from the chai for a minute (I cannot) I would be pretty interested in the fun Indian-themed cocktails that NAV serves. They all have adorable on-point names and I'm especially into the Tandoori Caesar which uses Indian spices and a rim coated in masala. Or the India's Flower that is made with rose petal syrup. Someday. (Maybe.) Next, a complimentary serving of papadam arrived at our table, served with a spicy mint chutney.
Light as air and impossibly crispy, these are fun and easy to eat. I loved that they're a bit salty and basically melted in my mouth. The accompanying chutney seems complex with its refreshing mint and punchy spice. I could snack on these all day. We also ordered an actual starter and for me it always has to be the Amiritsari Fish ($11.00) which is a fancier name for fish pakora.
This was one of my favourite dishes of the whole night! The portion was heaping however I am now realizing that it was supposed to be served with tamarind & mint chutneys which we never received. (Although we still had the mint chutney left over from the papadam.) I did miss that tamarind though! The flavour of the batter was incredible; salty, expertly seasoned, and fragrant. The fish on the inside was meaty, delightfully moist and tender, and not overcooked in the slightest. These were addictive. This isn't meant to be a blog that dunks on the buffet, but the fish pakora would never be of this quality in the buffet. They would be dry and much smaller. Even without the tamarind chutney, this fish was such a winning dish - just imagine if the tamarind had been in the mix! Let's talk naan. Obviously a key component and is included automatically with many of the items on the menu. (A nice departure from many Indian restaurants that will charge you for every single piece.) New Asian Village has an entire tandoori breads section of the menu that is quite extensive. There are nine different kinds of naan alone, some of them even made to be sweet like dessert. You can see and hear the cooks working the dough and operating the tandoor oven throughout your visit and they always do a wonderful job with their breads at NAV.
It's warm and chewy but also crispy. A perfect combination of desirable textures that easily rip apart for use as a food delivery device. Onto the main event! There is so, so, so much to choose from at New Asian Village; from tandoori kebab platters, to chef's specials, meat & seafood, and plenty of vegetarian dishes. The options are practically endless! We tend to order mostly the same things every time and frankly we could use to branch out a bit. However, on this visit we wanted only the hits. Starting with Apna Navratan Korma ($17.00), my husband's favourite.
Otherwise known as "vegetable korma," as soon as we see those crinkle-cut carrots we feel joy. Do the vegetables definitely come from a frozen bag? That doesn't matter. Ultra rich and creamy and packed with veggies, this dish is always a must. I could have used for more paneer (an Indian cheese) and I did find myself wanting a bit more flavour overall. This dish doesn't contain any spice so compared to the other dishes this one seemed overshadowed. Next, a very old favourite, Lamb Curry ($16.00). Classic. Plus I add Raita ($5.00) on the side, which is a nice compliment to the meal. It's a fire extinguisher of cool yogurt mixed with grated cucumber & carrots.
We were asked for our desired spice level to which I replied "medium." There are six different meats to choose from and you can combine them with any of their ten curries. For me, lamb curry always hits the spot and a nice drizzle of raita on top is always the perfect accompaniment. Very rich, the curry at NAV is wonderfully fragrant and packed an ideal amount of spice. The pieces of lamb were large and tender, without a single bone. I got a few pieces that were a bit too fatty for my liking but overall I find this dish to be such a standard. And of course we could not have forgotten the Asli Butter Chicken ($18.00), likely the most famous dish of all.
A visit to NAV isn't complete without the butter chicken and it's still one of the best things to order. So creamy, so rich, so flavourful. Plus the pieces of chicken are huge tender chunks of happiness. I mean, I don't want to be the person who loves the most obvious thing... But I am that person. The butter chicken at New Asian Village is quite wonderful and a must-do. All of these saucy dishes require a nice fluffy bed to lay upon and NAV has that covered with four different types of rice. My favourite has always been the Coconut Basmati Rice ($6.00) which isn't usually included in the buffet and also isn't always on the menu at other Indian restaurants.
Laced with actual pieces of coconut, I love this rice because it brings a delicate sweetness to the meal. The combination of sweet rice and heat from the curries creates that perfect spicy/sweet combo. It's the best. My very favourite Indian dessert are Jalebi and I love New Asian Village because they always have them in the buffet. However, these did not seem to appear anywhere on the actual menu. I told our server that I really wanted some jalebi and she seemed to imply that they aren't available on the menu for ordering but that she would hook us up. A few moments later she arrived with a plate of them and didn't charge us for them at all (I'm pretty sure that she just nabbed them out of the buffet). So kind!
Jalebi are made by deep frying flour batter into crazy circular shapes which are then soaked in sugar syrup. I love them. They're fun to eat. The outside is made of crispy tubes and inside you find liquid sweetness. They're very unique. There's even a recent song about them by Tesher & Jason Derulo called 'Jalebi Baby.' So you see, everyone loves them. When I have a NAV masala chai in one hand and a jalebi in the other... That is a great moment for me. New Asian Village is certainly a mainstay in Edmonton and it has done a lot to bring the flavours of India to our city. These days there are other Indian restaurants that are a bit more higher-end but nothing can take away the familiarity and comfort that NAV effortlessly brings. Personally, New Asian Village was the first place where I ever tried Indian food and I'm willing to bet that many people in this city have the same story. Because of this, NAV will always be an iconic Indian restaurant to the people who live here and we'll always keep coming back.
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