www.royaldar.ca – 250-245-0168

If you’re anything like me, after a long, exhausting day at work, all you want to do is go home and relax with a glass a wine.  That is unless; you have reservations at the Royal Dar restaurant in Ladysmith.  The H&L staff was thrilled about accepting an invitation for a delicious dinner at the Royal Dar.  You know that house on the hill with an elephant in the garden?  The one located at 120 Roberts street, just seconds from the highway?  It is one of the best Indian style restaurants on Vancouver Island, and definitely worth the 15 minute drive from Nanaimo.

The restaurant is not very big, but it is big on flavours.  Unlike large restaurants, Royal Dar offers an inviting atmosphere surrounded with tasteful Indian decor.  Indian music plays quietly in the background; the hypnotic beats have you swaying side to side.  The Chef comes from a 5 star hotel in India, creating outstanding Indian-style cuisine.

As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by a friendly smile and exotic aromas.  All of the sudden, you realize how hungry you actually are.  Kam Gill, who used to cook on the Morning Show with Bruce Williams in 2001, opened the Royal Dar over five years ago.  She seats us in a cozy corner, asks us the level of spiciness we can tolerate and assists us in selecting a wine from the wine list.  The red house wine is chosen, a 2008 Rosemont Estate Australian wine, which is not available in liquor stores.  It is a rich, full flavoured Shiraz with vibrant fruit blends of Grenache and Mataro.

Our first appetizer arrives.  The Royal Dar Platter consists of: chicken and lamb, vegetable samosa, stuffed paneer pakora and prawn amritsari – all served with green chutney and hot sauce made in house from scratch.  The jumbo prawn amritsari is incredible!  The Stuffed Paneer Pakora is made with Indian cheese stuffed with spinach and onion, dipped in a chick pea batter.

Time for the entrèes!  Each main course is served with mouth-watering Naan bread, made to order in a clay oven; made authentic and fresh every time.  It is served with soft basmati rice, Indian salad and Subjee, which consists of potato, peas and Indian vegetables cooked to perfection.

Next, the four mouth-watering entrées are placed on the table on separate plates for everyone to share.  The vegetarian Paneer Chilli looks delicious with cheese cooked in a thick curry sauce sautéed with onion, bell peppers and spices.  The Lamb Korma is cooked in a special curry sauce with cream and ground cashews (highly recommended).  The Seafood Goa (my favourite) is made up of prawns, scallops and red snapper in a Goa curry sauce with ground coconut that gets your taste buds buzzing.  A Chicken Bengal can be requested, but it is not on the menu.

Not a fan of Indian food?  Not a problem!  Royal Dar offers three Mediterranean dishes on their dinner menu.  Options include: Wild Salmon, Stuffed Chicken or the Seafood Delight, which is an assortment of wild salmon, charbroiled prawns and succulent scallops.

What makes this restaurant unique?  You can arrange card readings with your lunch if you book in advance.  The Royal is the place to dine in Ladysmith!

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