665012 Thu Nov 05 14:26:10 -0800 2009 6 57 Western Canada 0 5159139 Hi Edmontonian Chowhounds, here are the details for our November restaurant review of the month. Hopefully we can get lots of reviews on this one. I think there were only a couple on the last months! Restaurant: Zaika Indian Bistro bar http://www.zaikabistro.com/ 2303 Ellwood Drive Ellerslie Crossroads Please post your reviews as a reply to this post at the end of the month. Thanks! & happy chowing! Thu Nov 05 14:26:10 -0800 2009 105701 cleopatra999 1 5159502 Thanks Cleo for taking the reins on this one. Thu Nov 05 16:41:32 -0800 2009 5159139 74367 foodiesnorth 2 5161777 Had lunch in their lounge today. I'll repost at month's end Too bad it is so far from where I live but the Henday does make it more accessible that it would have otherwise been albeit the construction zone in which they are located can be a tad hectic. Fri Nov 06 13:27:08 -0800 2009 5159502 14314 Bob Mac 1 5185515 Had dinner there on thursday with the wife, the drink special was any bottle $4 so we enjoyed a Singha and a Stella. We both decided on the buffet as it looked very good and fresh. The fish pakora was salmon and looked excellent but the flavor turned out to be pretty bland. The samosas were very tasty and the only complaint I have was i wish there was more dip selection for these as they were missing my favorite kind (not sure what it is called but it is kind of a jelly consistency that is sweet with a bit of spice). The butter chicken was very good, dal was very good, the nan bread was good but i like when they cook it in front of you (no oven in the dining room), lamb curry was okay, rice pudding was good they also had some traditional sweets that i can not comment on as i still have not developed a taste for these. The service was excellent, attentive but not to much so and the price was very reasonable. I definitely go back as this is very close to my house and its nice to see that the area is getting a few non chain restaurants unlike south edmonton common. (will try to work on my review writing skills as it does not compare to some of the reviews posted last month from others) Mon Nov 16 09:23:17 -0800 2009 5159139 1124952 brigal 2 5185744 Thanks for the update brigal. Don't worry about your review skills, your post is snappy and to the point; which is perfect! Too bad they didn't have your favorite chutney or raita.. How much was the evening buffet by the way? Mon Nov 16 10:28:35 -0800 2009 5185515 190434 raidar 3 5185810 Evening is $17, lunch $12. Have been there twice this month so far...can see it happening again before month's end. Will post a review later. Mon Nov 16 10:50:31 -0800 2009 5185744 144892 Dan G 4 5209795 going to be away for the rest of the month, so I am posting now :) We went early on in the month (4 of us) on a Sunday night. There were lots of big groups there, but we got in right away (6:30pm), no reservations I did some research ahead of time about their wine list and I was impressed with their deliberate choice of wines that compliment Indian food. I am glad that I did this as our waitress did not really seem like she new a lot about the wine. The service was prompt and friendly, until the end when we went to get our bill, our server had disappeared. We all went buffet. I was hoping to do a la carte but could not convince the rest of them. We did order a paneer dish and garlic naan off the menu. The paneer was delicious, rich and creamy with lots of peas. The garlic naan was not as garlicky as in other Indian restos. The buffet is comprehensive, butter chicken, tandoori, pakora, samosa, naan, chana masala, veg korma, goat curry etc. The spice level is definitely toned down, the only one with heat was the eggplant dish. Overall the buffet was good, the best was the fish pakora. my major complaint was the heat, the buffet was warm, not hot, which is one of the reasons I don't like buffets. The dishes were tasty though. I wonder if you ordered the items that are found on the buffet as an a la carte dish, if you get fresh, or just what they are making for the buffet? This is the problem I see with having a buffet every night. I only go out for Indian about 1x/year. I think considering where it is, I would probably go somewhere closer. It really did not seem any different/better or worse than the other places I have been. I am really not a connoisseur of Indian food though. Thu Nov 26 10:17:08 -0800 2009 5185810 105701 cleopatra999