Chutney’s Indian Grill

By ChrissySeptember 7, 2017September 6, 2017

I love Indian food. I’m not just saying that because my boyfriend is Hindu. With its use of cayenne, coriander, garam masala, and other pungent ingredients, the resulting taste combinations in Indian food are unlike anything found elsewhere in the world. And while it is admired for its curries, mouth-burning spices and complex flavour pairings there is a misconception that Indian food is formulaic and can be clumped in nine dishes found in a buffet line.

Chutney’s Indian Grill is trying to break this mentality. Chutney’s was created as a fast-casual spot for people to enjoy healthy, built-to-order Indian street food. The bright space, modern branding and approachable menu all serve to break the Indian-restaurant stereotype, and they are looking to franchise.

Here are the five things you need to know about Chutney’s Indian Grill:

It is located at 4316 17 Street, in the new shopping common just off of Whitemud Drive.
You can customize your meal to your taste, so get creative. Chutney’s uses the same build-it-yourself concept as Freshii, Mucho Burrito and U.S.-based Chipotle. The menu is accessible and easy to follow. First choose your base: a roti roll (a “burroti”), rice bowl or salad bowl – then layer it with a protein of your choice, sauce, topping options and, finally, a chutney or two. The possibilities are endless. Sauce options include a butter sauce, tikka masala, vindaloo or daal. The chutneys range from sweet and cool to mild and hot. If you want a larger meal, you can opt for the platter which comes with your choice of two proteins, two sauces, toppings, masala chaat fries (skinny fries seasoned with Chutney’s chaat seasoning) and a side of naan. They also offer a kids menu.
They have a genuine focus on quality. While we were there, we had the opportunity to talk to the owners, and from our brief conversation, it was clear that high-quality food and customer service is a top priority. They put a lot of thought into developing the menu, recipes and entire concept in general. The ingredients are fresh and the staff are friendly and well-trained. If the item is not made in-house it is sourced locally.
They are licensed, so enjoy a beer with your meal. Try the Mountain Crest Rani Lager brewed by Minhas Microbrewery in Calgary. It is light, crisp and great with Indian, Thai and other spicy foods, which, as one of the owners pointed out, it says right on the bottle. If you’re not in the mood for an alcoholic beverage or you just don’t like beer, try the mango lassi, the combination of sweet mango and tart yogurt is refreshing and is a nice accompaniment to a typically spicy meal.
The food is delicious, seriously. The truth is in the taste. We created two different meals: one burroti and one rice bowl. The burroti (which I highly recommend) was stuffed with chickpeas and topped with the tikka masala sauce. The roti is made right in front of you and is finished in a panini press. In the bowl we opted for brown rice (versus quinoa), chicken as our protein and the butter sauce. Both were wonderfully seasoned and extremely satisfying. The chutney’s added on at the end, add an extra dimension of flavour, we paired each meal with both a sweet and hot chutney, as recommended by one of the employees. Sides include street food favourites such as samosas, which we tried, along with the masala chaat fries, and the naan. We ended with the ladoo bites, which were a nice, not overly sweet way to finish the meal.