Spicy Affairs Bowmanville - Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Clarington

I was looking forward to trying Spicy Affairs as soon as I heard Bowmanville was opening a location. I have been searching for excellent Indian cuisine that was closer to home and didn't require me to travel out west towards Toronto.

Tonight my girlfriend and I placed a dinner order and we enjoyed our meal however there are some critiques I feel I need to share.

First the somasas filling was delicious but there just wasn't enough for how much pastry there was. Overall not bad.

The pakora that I was given seemed old, was luke warm on the inside and maybe even a little cold. I can't recommend this item.

The naan bread was good. A little gummy and chewy but also not bad. One per person would suffice because one naan is rather large. Good value.

Chicken Biryani was great. Excellent flavour. The pieces of chicken were large and tender. Seasoning overall was top notch.

Chana masala was also a hit. The best item we ordered. Excellent flavour and texture. The small size was plentiful for two with leftovers. Could easily feed four. I will order this again.

The Chicken Madras on the other hand was a miss. The cream and oil had separated and had an unpleasant grainy texture.

Tamarind sauce was tasty and sweat. Green chutney was super flavorful and delicious.

Overall it was worth trying out but I will need to try more items on the menu to ensure I know what to order on repeat and what to avoid.

I highly recommend the Biryani and the Chana Masala.

Spicy Affairs is a welcome additional to...

While it's great to have more Indian food options in BowmanviIlle, I really feel Spicy Affairs have missed an opportunity here. This location isn't like their Oshawa restaurant, where your main dish is cooked to order. The food is pre-cooked, and it's kept warm in a serving station, so you're not sure how long it's been sat there and this definitely impacts the food quality. There's no freshly cooked taste and you don't get to adjust the dish, like asking for a different spice level. I love a hot curry, but even the vindaloo is very mild for my taste and you basically get what's in the pot. I guess this is why they added Express to the name. I also didn't recognise the same Madras taste from their restaurant in Oshawa, it was almost Korma like, so either they spooned out the wrong dish (another thing that wouldn't happen if food was cooked to order), or the recipe is off somehow.

Overall it's just OK for a curry hit every now and again, but it's disappointing that Spicy Affairs didn't take advantage of what BowmanviIlle is missing with regards to the scant Indian food...

Very disappointing. First, the on-line menu does not indicate that all the prices are for small portions. I was told that I would need the medium sizes when I called to place my order. I ordered a vegetable curry, a butter chicken curry and rice. The cost was $37 - quite a bit higher than the prices shown on the website. However, my biggest complaint is the curry - I couldn't taste any. The food was bland. I was not offered the usual option of mild, medium or hot. I have had spicier meals from a Campbell's soup can than at Spicy Affairs. We dined in the Oshawa restaurant a couple of years back and were disappointed there too. I guess this shows that franchise restaurants have to stick with a standard offering, no variations - and no spice. I will give them another try but I'm...