India rising

Since the turn of the millennium, the biggest restaurant trends in the Calgary area -- and across most of North America -- have been the growth in sushi bars and Vietnamese noodle houses.

Irish pubs were sprouting like shamrocks for a while, but I think that market has been saturated. Now the hottest growth spurt seems to be in restaurants from the Indian subcontinent. They're popping up all over. For example:

Delhi Darbar

Delhi Darbar has recently opened at 2742 Glenmore Tr. S.E. (720-6669). That location is in the little strip mall that borders the parking lot of the Glenmore Inn.

Delhi Darbar (darbar translates loosely as "castle") is an unassuming, sunny room that fills up at noon with a mix of folks in business suits and others who've come direct from construction sites. The hard-hat crowd lines up with the suits at the $11 buffet and chows down on an array of Indian dishes.

It's a creative lineup, spanning India with dishes from north to south. I spied a channa (chickpea) dish that was the colour of dark chocolate and was rich in the scent of cinnamon, cumin and cloves, the aromatic spices of south India. Beside the channa was a platter of vindaloo chicken for those who like it hot and another of creamy vegetable korma for those who don't. Among the various trays was one filled with the obligatory butter chicken.

One thing that caught my eye on Delhi Darbar's evening menu was a list of Indian "fusion" dishes. Sanjay Kumar, the young chef and co-owner, has a sense of the contemporary side of Indian cuisine. So you'll find dishes of eggplant and butternut squash cooked in coconut sauce with curry leaves. Or wine-marinated lamb chops served with spinach, potato and fenugreek. Or prawns with peppers and a honey-dijon mustard. Interesting stuff.

Co-owner Zoblu Islam Khan likes the idea of variety on his menu. He sees it as his way of serving a crowd that ranges from big, hungry guys in overalls and business lunchers in suits to the families of the Ogden and Riverbend areas of Calgary.

Karma

Farther south on Deerfoot, Karma is finally open at 4600 130th Ave. S.E. (257-4977). Serving a mostly northern Indian menu, Karma also delves into the realm of Hakka cuisine. The Hakka culture of China is widespread and includes a sizable enclave in Calcutta. It was in this West Bengal city that a unique Indian-Chinese cuisine developed using Chinese cooking styles (dumplings, soy sauce, scallions) and Indian spices and ingredients (cumin, coriander, tumeric, paneer, potato). Karma only has four Hakka dishes on the menu, but if they become popular, I'm sure we'll see a broader range.

Moti Mahal

Also in the south, Moti Mahal has recently opened a second location in the former Copper Chimney in Midnapore Mall (240 Midpark Way S.E., 201-7336). Fans of the original Moti Mahal can now find their favourite northern Indian dishes at the new restaurant.