[Indian BYOW: Cari Mela] Food Coma

You’re craving some serious methi gosht but fear the trek all the way up to Parc-extension?

I’ve got some good news for you: it’s called Cari Mela and it is located 2 minutes from métro Charlevoix (Pointe-Sainte-Charles).

Depending on the evening of the week, you’ll be warmly welcomed by one of the Al Mohmmed brothers. Iqram was the one in charge tonight, big smile and with a perfect mastery of Montreal’s notorious frenglish.

While you browse through the extensive menu, papadum is brought to your table. Thin and crisply addictive, you’ll have the choice to indulge over them with a mint and a tamarin chutney. Dinner wise, J and I decided to give their tasting menu a try ($20/each); the meal included an appetizer, a meat dish, a vegetable dish, rice or Nan, and a dessert – for each of us. We could easily have fed four people with our two orders, and decently nourished six souls if we were on the cheapo side. J went for the B menu and its saag chicken, while I chose the D plan for its spicy shrimps Korai. Now, Cari Mela is not the type of place that will try to mislead you. When they say something is spicy, they really mean it. Case in point – look at our faces below. How about the shrimps themselves? They were giganormous and extremely flavorful, with chunks of onions and bits of tomatoes here and there. When we were clearly on the verge of exploding, Iqram kindly took our plates and offered to prepare what was left for take-away before we even had to ask. He came back moments later with our Styrofoam plates in one hand, and mango lassis and desserts in the other. Today’s sweet treats were made of Gulab Jamun and Borfi. If you’re not familiar with Indian desserts, know that they’re not light on the sugar syrup. If you’re ok with that, you’ll be in heaven. After J’s herculean effort to finish my dessert portion, we thanked Iqram and dragged ourselves out of the restaurant. We had plans to meet up with friends for a big night out, but forget it; I went straight home and took the nap of my life.