Recommended by my boyfriend's colleague, we headed to Moksha a lazy summer evening to assuage my boyfriend's craving for a good, down to earth satisfying traditional butter chicken, and naan.. lots and lots of fresh hot naan! We found both and more at this little restaurant with an unassuming front.
We came fairly close to closing time, and so the restaurant was on the quiet side - soon to change as a day later, a group on came out for this place. Though the front signage and entrance was unassuming...
We were impressed by the totally unexpected classy ambiance and decor inside
Beautiful rich orchres, browns and touches of gold and orange transports you to a little piece of India in Edmonton, with wonderful tasty smells coming from the gleaming and clean buffet tables
the DRINKS
We got a mango lasso to share as usual...We're boring, we know! A bit undermined as there was still a few ice bits here and there, there was also plenty of mango in it and we made use of it plenty of times throughout the night to cool off our palate from the multitude of spices and chills.
the FOOD
Without fail, we always get naan to go with our curries if its available, and the naan at Moksha is probably the best naan in the city. Super crisp on the outside layer, tender soft interior with it piping out out of the oven. Omg. I could eat these until I'm as big as a house. We had the plain butter naan, but there are other flavoured versions like garlic topped with onions and fresh herbs too.
We were originally planning to order off the menu, but the enormous spread of food at the buffet was too tempting not to resist! So I piked up 1 item from each platter - though I missed some of the appetizers, and soon, my plate was overflowing!
My boyfriend really enjoyed the crisp Chat Papri - a thin crispy circular wafer that you can stuff with Golgappe or just stuff anything you want into it! The Aloo Chana - chickpea and potato curry was hearty and infused with flavourful spices.. mmmm! I forgot to try some Jaljefra, a cumin and mint flavoured drink available in the appetizer section, and there was plain yogurt and tamarind sauce with refreshing and citrusy notes available to tone down or punch up flavours as well.
The Fish Amrotsari - fried fish with a chili, garlicy and ginger zing in its batter had a big spicy note, but fragrant and tasty. The Kadi pakora - dumplings in yogurt based curry was new to me and was similar to a vegetarian matzo ball, in a light creamy curry. The Dal tabka (lentils) were rich, earthy and hit the spot, while one of my fans of the night was the Bhindi (okra). Cooked to almost a moo shy mush, the flavours packed into each bite was yummy! The Chana masala - chickpeas with a citrus, tomato note was average, and I was a bit disappointed with the Paneer karahi - traditional cheese cooked in whole spices, bell peppers and tomato paste. While flavourful, the flavours never penetrated the cheese.
The Chicken jalfreze - chicken curry with lots of herbal notes was tasty, and I loved the intensely creamy rich tomatoey butter chicken. Slightly spicier than Khazana's version, me and my boyfriend had a fun argument over which place executed the better butter chicken. The tomato fish was a lightly battered fried fish in a tangy tomato sauce, while the beef curry was cooked till the large cubes of beef were quiet dry despite the curry sauce it was bathed in. The shrimp curry was quite overcooked and a bit fishy, but that may have been because we did come in at the end of the night. The papadum was crisp and made for a nice cracker to scoop things up with.
After sharing that plate and another plate of their excellent butter chicken and naan, we nearly had to be rolled out of the restaurant. Overall, a great place for a large variety of Indian food and the best naan in the city! Definitely heading back to try their regular menu
Moksha Grand Indian Buffet
Address 9266 34 Ave NW
Phone (780) 468-9500
Hours Mon-Fri 11:30am - 2:30pm Dinner 5pm-9:30pm, Sat-Sun noon-3pm, 5pm-9:30pm
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