Masala Café Sherbrooke — Restaurant in Sherbrooke

After reading all the good reviews, our experience at Masala Café Sherbrooke was a bit disapointing.

Food: We both had the thali, wich we took with 3 accompanying dishes that we shared: butter chicken, korma lamb and tikka masala mushrooms. The thali was also served with papadum and chutneys, wich arrived on our table very fast and were excellent.

When the thali arrived, it was served with a small fresh cachumber salad and a small bowl of dal, wich were good. The thali was also served with 1 single naan bread, wich was excellent. Unfortunately, when we did ask for more bread, at around 19h30, we were told that there was no more (I though: "no more naan bread in an indian restaurant, really?"). The rice, however, was great!

For the thali accompanying dishes (butter chicken, korma lamb and tikka masala mushrooms), they were a bit disapointing. The chiken was good!, but in all 3 plates, the savors were drowned in what seemed to be cardamom (wich is a spice that I like, but not when it is so omnipresent). Also, the lamb felt a bit dry. All in all, the food was okay, but disapointing when you pay 85$ for 2 plates (including a 15% tip), no drinks, no deserts.

Service: Service was another area in wich the Masala café lacked. The waitress was kind and smiling, but throughout the service, we were many times remembered that "the service might be lacking because they (the restaurant) was "smashed" by more customers than they thought they would have on a sunday evening..." which was on the eve of the Journée nationnale des Patriotes, so they should of planed for it (right?). Despite those frequent remarks, we found the restaurant pretty empty and calm at 19h00. The service was fast enough, wich made all those comments a bit unasked for and, quite frankly, a bit unpleasent (although we did empathized with the waitress). Also, we brought our own bottle of wine, wich one of the waitress was unable to oppen, so we did it ourselves, wich was not a big problem but, still, for 85$, you expect a service that includes the oppening of a wine bottle without fuss. That second waitress did told us that she was only there to help the other waitress and was usually working in the kitchen, and that her boss should of planned for more staff (wich, again, might of been true, but was a bit unasked for and unpleasent to be always remembered of that situation throughout the meal).

Atmoshpere: Decor and atmosphere were nice, wich was one of the resasons we chose that restaurant to begin with.

Price: 85$ (including a 15% tip, for 2 plates of thali, no drinks, no side dishes, no desert). The first thing that my guest told me after the meal was: "Well, that was okay, but definitely overpriced for what we got." Unfortunately, I felt the same way. I hoped our experience there would of been better considering all the good reviews I read before deciding on that specific restaurant. Maybe our experience was a 1-of thing and we were just bad lucked. Still,...

Wow the waitress there is so rude, for starter the stupid restaurant has all kinds of prestigious rule about how you need to order your meal, we were forced to eat appetizer because we don't want to buy the whole set for two people, yes you heard me, you need to buy two separate full courses meals, including at least one side dish or you need to pay $5 to share???and it's not a buffet restaurant. We bought takeout after our snack meal, the waitress gave us two bills and put them together on her phone. We tipped her 20% for our meal and she gave us stone cold eyes and said in Quebec we tipp 15%. I was shocked by how frankly rude and greedy she was, but I replied politely that isn't it a general rule that we don't tip take out? She rolled her eyes and said, well....it depends on the service. @/$:$)/ what service? She literarily asked us to get up to order our take out by the counter and waited there. Wow...speechless. I'm never going back to this place again and I regret giving her 20% tip!!!! Plus, to be completely fair and unbiased, the Indian food there is not that good, McGill gym sells better...

I love the first cozy and clean impression. The table by the window is lovely and their decoration is simple but very cute. The waitress was nice and friendly. Unfortunately we waited for the food a little bit too much but I keep thinking that it’s because of the fresh preparation. The food was fresh and tasty enough for the concept “indo-québécois”. This concept was very we’ll shown in each and every plate. People complain about the untasted food but it’s kinda normal, not a lot of people in Quebec like or can handle spicy stuff. So in general the food was good. The samosas were definitely waaaaay too expensive for the small deep fried potatoes!!! I would NOT recommend this on the menu. However the cauliflower pakoras was a very tasty and cute healthy idea compared to the usual pakoras... their speciality; thalis which are great and tasty. Also their mango lassi was quite expensive but very good and fresh. not a place where I would go back many times but as a first try The Masala Café...