The first time we stepped into the restaurant, the vibe was friendly and genuine. The staff were super welcoming, chatting away with my boyfriend in Punjabi, and we quickly felt at ease. They've got a massive menu, which was a bit daunting at first. But every dish comes with a clear description of the ingredients in each dish, so even someone like me, who's not as familiar with Indian cuisine, could make sense of it all. The servers were kind and patient, excited to share their culture through their food.
Vegetarians will have a field day here since there are two entire pages in the menu of plant-based curry and meatless appetizers. But meat lovers aren't left out — there are plenty of chicken, lamb, and shrimp dishes to sample as well.
We kicked things off with paneer pakora ($8), which I think of as like mozzarella sticks but made with an Indian cheese softer than feta but with almost the same texture, and dahi puri ($6), thin, crispy, hollow puffs filled with potatoes and chickpeas, topped with a big dollop of yogurt and garnished with sweet and tangy sauces. You pop the entire thing in your mouth and as you crunch down, it explodes — a new experience for me but absolutely amazing. We couldn't get enough of the fried chickpea shells, green minty sauce, and sweet red chutney
We settled on malai kofta ($13) for our main — a ball of veggies and cheese mashed together served in a rich and creamy sauce. We also grabbed our favourite types of bread to eat with the dish, which we mopped up with some garlic naan ($3) and roti ($2.50).
Mini Punjab isn't just about Punjabi food though. They've got dishes from all over India, and mix North-Western Indian flavour well with local Punjabi dishes like sarson da saag, a buttery spinach curry served with chapatti, aka. corn roti. You can grab a combo of sarson da saag, a side of the Chef's choosing, a salty lassi yogurt drink, and gulab jamun (essentially a Timbit drenched in syrup) to sweeten your palate at the end of the meal ($17).
The South Indian special, dosa, along with sambar and coconut chutney ($9 to $14) comes highly recommended as well. Dosa is a thin crispy pancake either plain or with your choice of filling. The dish comes with a classic South Indian-style curry and a cool coconut sauce to balance out the heat.
At the end of our meal, we couldn't resist the chai masala ($3), which just tied everything together beautifully. The cup of Indian tea is a staple across the nation and its fragrance alone brought my partner back. We sipped the tea and tried not to slip into a food coma.
We left stuffed with leftovers in tow, all for around $50 — pretty reasonable, if you ask me, for the amount and quality of food we got.
The whole experience was kind of a revelation for me. The blend of spices and flavours was unlike anything I'd ever tasted. For my boyfriend, it was a comforting reminder of his mom's cooking and his roots. We're already planning our next visit to dive deeper into the menu and explore more of their vegetarian options.
For anyone in Montreal looking for a new take on Indian food, or just a hearty meal, Mini Punjab is worth checking out. It's not just the food; it's the experience, the warmth, and the feeling of being welcomed into a family. For us, it has become a small slice of home right here in the city.
Mini Punjab
The entrance to Mini Punjab in Montreal's Pointe-Saint-Charles.
Mackenzie Yorke | MTL Blog
Where: 2527, rue Centre
Cost: $10 to $20
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