Sahib: The best of India at a great price

When we visited Sahib in the first Monday of December, it was packed top the rafters. Obviously it wasn't the presence of a critic from The Chronicle that had brought everyone in, but rather, the generous lunch buffet laid out Monday to Friday, with a wide variety of appetizers, main courses and desserts for a modest $10.95. Sahib owner Rajiv Chopra, who has headed up the restaurant the past six years, makes it a point to greet each patron personally, and the Ile Bizard resident it makes a point of paying attention to the little things. My colleague and I tried a number of different appetizers to get things started; I tried the vegetarian samosa Ð a delicious triangular piece of fried dough stuffed with vegetables, while my colleague opted for the potato and chicken pakoras, which are held in high regard in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. Each was accompanied by vegetables and sauces as diverse as their colours were varied. When it came time to choose our main dishes, we were almost overcome by the array of choices available to us. Between the basmati rice, naan bread Ð so tender and hot you don't have to be hungry to eat it Ð and other options, I couldn't decide what to have. The naan bread is a perfect accompaniment to many Indian dishes, extinguishing the spicy fires of Indian cuisine. Sahib's butter chicken, a daily staple of the restaurant's buffet, is made with tender pieces of chicken drenched in a tomato-and-butter sauce. It's not for all stomachs, but it was divinely prepared and was a delight at Sahib. Less popular than the butter chicken Ð and for more advanced Indian-cuisine palates -- is the goat Patiala, but my colleague sampled it and pronounced the dish 'scrumptious.' For less adventurous palates, the daal makhani dish, made of black lentils prepared with Sahib's secret recipe is also a good bet and is a must for fans of less-spicy fare. The vegetarian allo mutter dish, made with peas and potatoes, also appealed to the vegetarian in me. After all that, we didn't even have room left to sample Sahib's patented traditional lentil soup, but we did have enough room for a bit of gulab jamoon, the most popular Indian dessert treat Ð and without a doubt, the sweetest such dish. It's made from little dough balls filled with milk covered in a sweet sauce made from cardamon seeds and rosewater. The traditional kheer rice pudding might be a better bet for people who don't have a huge sweet tooth. Don't be fooled by the restaurant's mundane exterior when you arrive. Once inside the building, the warm atmosphere and easy ambience will make your lunch hour agreeable whether you're in the bar section or in the main dining room. The restaurant can also welcome up to 60 people at a time for banquets or gatherings. The menu offers a number of different dishes at good prices and boasts the spectrum of both North American and Indian spirits at the bar. Restaurant Sahib is open seven days a week and conveniently located at the corner of Hymus and St. John's boulevards in Pointe Claire. Parking is free. Take-out orders are discounted at 10 per cent and the restaurant has free delivery between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday brunch is also available for $11.95 For more information, call 514-426-1121 or visit them online at www.sahib.ca. (Translated by Marc Lalonde)