To celebrate my dad's birthday we went on a recommendation to the Clay Oven. It's a fair drive from our house but we were hopeful that this would not be a turn off. It was okay.
http://www.clayovenrestaurant.ca/
Rating: 1 Poor - 5 Great
Atmosphere................2.5
Music .........................4 (typical Indian music)
Food............................3.5
Service........................4 (our main waiter was great, another was a bit stunned)
Menu Selection..........4.5
Wine Selection ..........4
Price...........................3.5*
*price is based on quality of food
Given other Indian restaurants we'd been to in Winnipeg I guess we were expecting more of a restaurant and less of a diner atmosphere. But not to be turned off we kept an open mind. Promptly seated (reservation was made) and greeted with a smile! The beverage listing is fine, a few wines, coctails, beer etc. Nothing exciting, but enough to keep you interested. Two of us chose "Clay Oven" caesers, quite good, an Indian spice ,that I couldn't quite place, certainly enhanced the flavour. Our guests chose the Indian beer, King Fisher and of course coffee.
We decided to each order a dish and share the bounty. My father the Hot and Spicy lover chose Lamb Vindaloo and requested "Hot"; I selected the appetizer platter complete with samosas, Paneer Pakora and Sona Tikki, and Butter Chicken; my mom ordered Shrimp curry, and my husband chose a vegetarian dish with lentils in a curry sauce.
Everything arrived at once, which isn't a major issue, but it makes for a crowded table. The appetizers were okay, the samosas a bit dry, but tasty.
Our main dishes were good, however the "Hot" Vindaloo, certainly wasn't as hot as we'd like. It was more of a lower end Medium. Our other dishes were definately mild, although ordered medium.
Butter chicken, I've had better. It tasted as though canned tomato soup had been used. The shrimp curry was tasty, but far too much sauce for the amount of meat.
The best dish, in my opinion, was the vegetarian lentil dish. Very tasty, good ratio of protein and sauce and the many spices were very evident!
The prices were okay compared to the quality. Most dishes were in the $12-15 range. Similar to most other restaurants, but I just didn't find the quality was there.
I'm not sure I'd return given the distance from our house and the fact that is was mediocre in both food and atmosphere compared to other Indian restaurants closer to us.
My overall rating - 3.75. Atmosphere definately needs an upgrade and the food needs...something. Maybe more care? I'm not sure, it just didn't give me the "wow" factor.
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