Warm, welcoming and tasteful: and that’s just the decor. Best Indian food for miles around — interesting and diverse menu, ample portions and beautifully prepared and presented.
I’ve been a longtime customer of India Bistro which has been a longstanding restaurant on Davie Street for over 13 years. Little did I know, Kamal Mroke – the owner of India Bistro – had opened a sister restaurant called Swad Indian Kitchen in the Ambleside neighbourhood of West Vancouver just a few years back. I had been told by Mroke himself that the ambiance and cuisine at Swad are rather different compared to India Bistro. Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Swad Indian Kitchen for lunch to try a few of their dishes. Here’s a look at some of their offerings.
Swad Indian Kitchen is an Indian restaurant that opened in summer of 2015, located on Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Not to be confused with the Marine Drive in south Vancouver, this is located in North Van. Even though this is quite far from my house (I live in Richmond), I decided to give this restaurant a try with Queen B since I was invited by their restaurant owner and PR team.
We visited Swad this evening, a perfect indulgence of satisfying comfort food on a rainy evening. The Chicken Kuku Paka (an Ismaili speciality of boneless chicken breast simmered in coconut milk, coriander, ginger, garlic and green chillies) was rich and creamy with tender pieces of chicken and left a nice amount of spice lingering on your tongue. We also ordered the Reshami Paneer (fresh paneer (cheese), caramelized onions, and tomato gravy). This was similar to the taste of butter chicken, but less tomato-y and more creamy, we loved it! To pair with the curries we ordered garlic naan (which was slightly more crispy rather than soft) and a fragrant basmati vegetarian rice. For dessert, a house made mango ice cream with bits of pistachio. We enjoyed our evening, filled with delicious Indian flavours and extremely friendly service. Thank you Swad, we will be back!
I haven’t visited too many Indian restaurants in Vancouver, I can count the number of times with one hand. Super excited to try Swad Indian Kitchen in West Vancouver. It’s a bit of ways from home but work the trek. Immediately coming into this warm and cozy modern restaurant, the smell of Indian spices just tickled my senses and wet my appetite.
The two of us came here after visiting the market. We wanted to get something quick and easy before heading back. While this is not our idea of something to-go, there wasn't much of a wait so we decided to give it a try. We tried the mussels with curry masala, wasn't really my cup of tea but the entrees were. The rogan josh was on default because it was ready, and boy was it delicious! The lamb was tender and smelled delicious. Our naan came stuffed with dried fruit adding a delicious taste to our meal.
Headed down to Swad for lunch with some colleagues and it was loud. A little surprising but it was packed. We shared some of the items from the lunch menu, which included chicken tikka and goat curry. Service was attentive and warm - a little pricey I must add but well worth a visit. Probably one of the best on the northshore right now for Indian food.
Not sure if ownership has changed, but this place has definitely gone through some major renovations. The decor is very nice, food is perfectly spiced and the wine list is not bad. We came on a weekday (Tuesday) and got a special discount. The pakoras, especially the fish ones were a great starter and the lamb was uber tender. Some plates were a tad bit overpriced, but overall it was great.
We're big fans of ethnic food and this place was another score in our book. First time here and we loved it. Delicious plates and fantastic wines.
We did have a bit of a problem parking because everything was booked. We just showed up looking to try our hand and another new indian place, not expecting much. The manager was great and stayed with us until we got a table. The rounds of food were great, all from the paapar to the lamb. Finished off with a mango ice cream.
Celebrated an important birthday at this gem of a restaurant. Everything was great except for the seating, we came without reservation after our favourite spot was booked. The waiting took a bit too long but once we got in everything went well. Great ambiance and feel to it, definitely upscale in terms of food and setting. We tried the butter chicken and korma with a special naan and it was exquisite.
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