The Rockfort Authentic Chettinadu and Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Calgary

The RockFort Authentic Chettinadu and Indian Cuisine – Calgary The RockFort in Calgary is a true culinary gem, distinguishing itself by bringing the robust, aromatic, and often fiery flavours of Chettinadu cuisine—a unique regional South Indian style—to the city. For diners looking to explore Indian food beyond the familiar butter chicken and naan, this restaurant is a must-visit. The Food: A Festival of Spices The restaurant's core strength lies in its commitment to authentic Chettinadu cooking, with chefs hailing from the cuisine's epicentre in Tiruchirapalli, South India. The kitchen prides itself on grinding its spices fresh daily, which translates directly to the depth and complexity of flavour in every dish. Chettinadu Specialties: The Chettinad masalas are famously complex and are typically known for their heat. Dishes featuring these unique blends, such as the Spicy Grilled Chicken Dosa or Crab Pepper Masala, are highly recommended for those who appreciate a genuine kick of spice. Dosa Excellence: The dosas are a standout feature. These enormous, crispy-on-the-outside, spongy-on-the-inside South Indian crepes (made from fermented rice and lentil batter) are a cornerstone of the menu. Whether you opt for a classic Masala Dosa, the fiery Rockfort Masala Dosa, or a milder option like the Paneer Dosa, they are prepared perfectly and served with three traditional dipping sauces: coconut chutney, tomato chutney, and an aromatic lentil sambar. Broad Menu: While specializing in Chettinadu fare and South Indian staples like idli and vada, The RockFort also ensures there are options for all palates. They offer popular North Indian favourites like butter chicken, naan, and vindaloo, ensuring a diverse and accommodating menu. The Experience The restaurant strives to provide a unique and engaging dining experience. Open Kitchen: A key feature is their open kitchen concept, which allows diners to interact with the chefs and watch their meal being prepared, a rare sight in many Indian restaurants. Authentic Touches: The commitment to authenticity extends beyond the food with unique offerings like Boiler Chai, street-side style lassi, and South Indian desserts. Service: The owners and chefs, who have worked in Canadian restaurants since 2005, are often out on the floor, engaging with customers and sharing their passion for their regional cuisine. The Verdict The RockFort Authentic Chettinadu and Indian Cuisine is a high-quality establishment that successfully introduces Calgarians to the vibrant, spice-rich traditions of South Indian Chettinadu cooking. It is a fantastic choice for the adventurous foodie, the lifelong Indian food enthusiast, and even those with less adventurous palates looking for familiar North Indian classics. Recommendation: Go for the Dosa and dive into a fiery Chettinadu curry for a truly authentic and...

Do NOT go here. If you look at my reviews you’ll see that even with restaurants that don’t have the best food, I’m usually generous with my reviews (I generally don’t write reviews unless they’re really good). But here I must say, I’ve never had worse Indian food in my life

As someone who’s roots are in South India, who’s spent every summer growing up in South India, and who’s parents still live in India to this day, I’d like to think that I am relatively well-versed in the cuisine.

I moved to Canada a couple of months ago, and I miss home food everyday. Yes, I cook, but nothing beats a good home cooked meal by your parents. As such, when I arrived in Calgary and met someone from Chennai, my first question was “is there a place where I can get good South Indian food? I don’t care what state, I just want good food” and he told me about Rockfort, I was excited to go. My colleague and I decided to go at our first opportunity

After looking through the menu, I decided to go with the Kerala Beef Fry. However, I asked our server whether it was the Syrian style Kerala beef fry. She wasn’t sure, so I explained what it was (coconut bits, dry no gravy etc) and the manager came and tells me “that isn’t Syrian fry.” I decided against arguing, and I went with the Andhra chicken curry instead. Right after the manager and server left, I double checked a few recipes online to make sure I was right (I was)

The food came and right away I knew it wasn’t Andhra. So I asked the manager and confirmed. I even said if it was a mistake that I’d be ok, nothing wrong and I wouldn’t make a fuss. “No sir. This is Andhra chicken.” Ok then. I’ll give it a try

It was NOT Andhra chicken. It was a generic, normal, chicken curry that I could’ve made at home. It’s meant to be spicy, filled with coconut, filled with flavour, and the right amount of cinnamon. NONE. OF. THAT. WAS. THERE. The chicken was rubbery and overcooked, honestly would not be shocked if it was microwaved.

The icing: a terrible stomach ache the rest of the night.

Extremely, extremely, disappointed. Shame on the management for trying to pass this as South Indian food. If you want to call it a generic chicken curry, THAT IS FINE. But do NOT try to cheat...

Me, my husband and our uncle were there to dine on 4th June evening. The worst restaurant we had ever visited in Calgary. Please don’t go there if you consider sanitation or hygiene. We were at the right entrance corner table. One of the servers were start from the beginning was coughing and standing at the entrance near us, I was very uncomfortable and the server even noticed that but he ignored that and kept coughing with no basic respect, understanding people get sick but we come for a dining experience and it’s food that they serve. When someone is continuously coughing and serving food and water and standing in front of customers while customers are eating is unacceptable and rude, and the other lady who was serving was so rude and when we inquired about food she kept saying I don’t know the language repeatedly but we spoke to her in English, and my husband told me that she went to the kitchen that they make food (transparent glass to cover the kitchen) so we can see through, she was cleaning her nose while she was in the kitchen. Where are the basic sanitary rules gone. We went there because we heard that they serve good food. But the way these servers behave/ serve food is unhealthy and with no basic sanitary protocols. It was such an unpleasant unprofessional experience. I still feel disgusting about the whole thing when I remember it. This restaurant needs to be reported to authorities, if you can’t practice proper discipline don’t do business here. The food that you make taste good doesn’t mean you can run a restaurant. Read about basic sanitation and train your staff to respect people. Respect the country and basic human decency. Wish I could 0 stars in the review. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO ANY ONE IN...