ottawa foodies

Fairly new to Ottawa restaurant scene... we have our favourites in Montreal but we're looking for REALLY good food. We prefer our food mild to med. and don't mind a "dive" if the food is great! What do you recommend? Thanks.

Little India cafe for the lunch buffet. Don't do dinner or a la carte. Popularity has driven pricing well past acceptable. Great food though.

Host India is another good place

Coconut Lagoon is supposed to be good, but I haven't tried it yet. My quest for consistently good Indian food in this city goes on; the majority are awful.

I'm partial to Aahar, although I have only ever had their Buffett.

One Indian friend of mine once suggested Taj Mahal on Bank st in the Glebe, although I have yet to try it.

My work friend took me to Haveli out in Bells Corner. It didn't look like much from the outside but had a great lunch buffet. I'll have to go back to give them a better review.

Coconut Lagoon is great. Taj Mahal, not so much.

I like Coconut Lagoon too, it's a little different since most Indian restaurants around here focus mostly on northern Indian food. I also like Ceylonta (one on Carling, one downtown) which also does southern Indian as well as Sri Lankan food. Their string hoppers are awesome.

I like the lunch buffer at the indian clay oven in kanata (Carling close to March)

Mia's on Richmond. New. Awesome.

I think Little India Cafe is worth the $.

Ceylonta on Somerset or Carling is Sri Lankan, not Indian, but imnsho does everything most people like about Indian food, only better.

Coconut Lagoon, Karara (only takeout, not really a restaurant), Ceylonta.

Seconding Aahar

The new place on Somerset, Buddha by the Roses, got a cracking review in the Citizen. I'm very keen to try it, they're billing their style as Indian fusion which interests me greatly and the location is good because I really like Centretown.

Buddha's best dish IMHO is their Chicken 91. If I remember correctly, it was inspired by Nelson Mandela's time in prison (released in 1991) , and made with 28 spices (years spent inside), this is one very spicy and complex dish. Delicious.