Restaurant review - Swagat Tandoori Restaurant

You are probably wondering how can I have the nerve to write a restaurant review after my recent post on the execrable crime against a TransLink bus driver on Halloween night. However, it is my belief that even when negative things happen, we ought to focus on the good and the positive. And I did find one positive thing about this weekend. I found a place for GREAT Indian food, both for take-out and in-restaurant dining.

Swagat Tandoori Restaurant is located pretty much in beautiful English Bay, around the corner from Denman and Davie. I had been trying to come here as their lunch and dinner buffet special seems totally worth it and inexpensive ($10.95 for all-you-can-eat Indian for dinner - sweet deal!) Anyhow, J and I were walking by and we thought "oh well, since you want to try it, why not buy some take-out".

Let me tell you, two people ate and I still took food home! The place is neat, the owner is sweet and the food is OMG to-die-for. Very good food, I had the butter chicken with rice and vegetables and I swear I can't stop eating this food until I am completely full. The portions are generous and I look forward to a continued consumption of food from Swagat Tandoori.

They do delivery within the West End (if I recall correctly) and dinner for two is totally a sweet deal at $ 24+tax.

Restaurant review - Milestone's Grill and Bar (Denman)

There are restaurants that you just know you can count on to make a good impression. Milestone's is one of them. I went with H and his friend S who was visiting from Washington one night to Milestone's on 4th Avenue (near Macdonald) and we had a great meal. I took my Mom and M for dinner to Milestone's on Robson and it was excellent. I went for one of my birthday celebrations with many of my former colleagues to Milestone's in Yaletown and it was really good. My brother and I had dinner at Milestone's on Robson half a dozen times. So it was just appropriate that I went to this restaurant with a very good friend of mine who came to Vancouver to give a keynote speech to have dinner there.

Luckily, as I have mentioned above (and I have had dinner at Milestone's so many times I can barely remember) this is a restaurant where you can count on for good food. One small drawback that I noticed last year was that before, they brought you a small side of salad with your pasta (huge portions) and you had a full meal. They don't do that anymore.

However, if you choose wisely, you'll end up eating so much you won't even need a side of salad. In my case, I had the meatloaf with bread pudding and garlic mashed potatoes (and some veggies), and my friend had a seafood grill (which came with rice and veggies as well). While the prices aren't all that cheap (in the range of $ 20 for entrees), the food is really good and filling.

We shared the Ibarra chocolate cake which was to die for. So I'd come back to Milestone's on Denman (which apparently was the original location) for a meal, for sure. This is one of those 'reliable' restaurants that wouldn't fail. Yes, it has become a chain but it is a good chain of local restaurants. - UPDATE - I only include one location but I've been to all of them, and they're awesome.