WHERE DELECTABLE MEETS HEAVENLY
Once you make Mountain Grill your destination, it’s hard to miss as you drive down Regional Road 8 in Stoney Creek. The building is a bold mustard yellow, with a dark green tiled roof.
We walked in for lunch recently, and the interior reflected the Indian esthetic. A picture of the Taj Mahal hung on one wall, Indian music played in the background and a large tapestry displayed several bronze coloured elephants. There were also pictures of mountain ranges, including Mt. Everest and the Himalayas, hinting at cuisine from northern India.
A young woman who was doubling as host and server looked to be in her late teens or early 20s. She sat us at a table in the middle of the room and left us to decide on our drinks.
As I looked over the options, I noticed the tablecloth was a little stained but overall, the restaurant had a clean appearance. My tea came out and my three dining companions (my in-laws were in town visiting) got mango drinks and shakes. The shake was creamy and fairly thick but could have been colder for a more refreshing effect. The tea was not as heavily spiced as I expected, but was good nonetheless.
We ordered the appetizers for two so we could sample a variety. The plate was full of fried treats, including samosas, aloo tikki, pakoras and onion bhaji.
Samosas first, stuffed with potatoes and green peas. Delicious. Biting into the triangles of flaky dough, crunchy at the corners, led to a brief second of anticipation followed by the lovely contrast of soft, moist potato and pea filling with the perfect touch of spiciness.
The onion bhaji had that contrast as well, and once you bit through the crunchy, slightly greasy exterior, the onions melted in your mouth. Everything, including the aloo tikki (small potato pancake) was fried or baked to the right level of crispiness, and the fillings all had a nice level of mild spiciness.
On the side, tamarind sauce with a hint of anise. Instead of leaning toward tart, it was a little on the sweet side.
Bhel puri came out next. I felt a little like I should be watching a cricket or football match as I ate this snack mix that’s so popular in India.
Mainly puffed rice, chopped raw onions, boiled potatoes, nuts, and spices, bound with a thick tomato-based tamarind sauce. It was like a thick salsa with a bit of a gloppy feel, something to wash down with a beer.
They did have Kingfisher, and a couple of other beers as well as wine on offer (Yellow Tail and Jackson Triggs, for example) but as it was midday, I stuck with tea and water.
My mother-in-law has a lactose intolerance and one thing she appreciated about Mountain Grill was that they had a reasonable amount of non-dairy options. Vegans are also in luck here, though there are plenty of options for omnivores as well.
Our server dutifully told us which dishes my mother-in-law could partake in, and which to avoid. She simply pointed and commanded, “This? Don’t eat.”
The mains began to come out and I wouldn’t have minded if a little more attention had been paid to clearing the appetizer plates beforehand. However, we shifted dishes around as the lamb tikka, baingan bharta, channa masala and chili paneer were set down, along with rice and naan. (For those who are really into bread, the menu has 10 kinds of naan, including some stuffed varieties.)
The baingan bharta (roasted eggplant) was wonderfully rich with flavour from curry leaves, a half-step up in spiciness from the appetizers. The char on the eggplant gave the dish even more depth.
The lamb, however, was a bit dry although the marinade had a rich tandoori flavour.
The star of the mains was the channa masala: chickpeas cooked to a beautifully soft consistency and a sauce with a lively flavour combination of tamarind and tomato plus a bit of cumin to round out the palate.
We ordered the chili paneer because I was curious about the chef’s specials. Our server knew the chef had trained in Nepal, but could not offer much more than that. Either way, the dish had a distinct Chinese influence. The cottage cheese was served with green pepper and onion; the dish was coated with a chili sauce that made me think of crispy Asian chicken. It was different than anything I have tasted, and it felt a bit odd to have the cheese and the sweet heat together.
After the dishes were cleared and we’d sat for a short bit, I went up to the counter to ask if we could order dessert. We decided to try the kheer (rice pudding) and the rasmalai (milk cakes in sweet, milky syrup). The milk cakes had a crumbly texture and the syrup was decadent. The kheer had lots of pistachio, which we enjoyed quite a bit.
So overall, some hits, some not quite to my taste, but Mountain Grill is certainly reliable for the more mainstream dishes. There is a lunch special menu and their website offers a discount for ordering online. Good value, and good ways to explore which dishes you like best.