Rural towns don’t really specialize in Ethnic foods, unless it has the name sweet and sour attached to it. I have to admit before I hung out in Berkeley, California, my knowledge of Indian food was basically Samosas, or a cup of Chai. After my frequent trips to the iconic Viks Chaat Corner on the edge of Berkeley, I was hooked on everything from Bhel Puri to Aloo Tiki. But, there is no love sincerer than the love of food, and I wondered if I could ever get my Indian fix again in a small town like Carleton Place.
Imagine my surprise when I found out two local restaurants, Ballygiblins, and St. James Gate had Indian curry on their menu. Today, craving comfort, I opted to drop into St James Gate for a bowl of their delicious Vegetable Curry. What exactly is curry? Some people say that it was derived from a Tamil word, kari, meaning spiced sauce. If this is the case, any sort of food cooked in or served with a gravy could be considered a curry. So, if you think you don’t like curry, you are really limiting yourself. There are literally thousands of different curry blends that range from sweet and mild to hot and spicy.
At St. James Gate they let you decide your measure of heat. Their Vegetable Curry consists of potatoe, cauliflower, baby spinach, and green peas simmered in a special curry unique to the Gujrat area in India. The waitress Jamie advised me they had sold their last curry a few minutes previous, and the new batch was not ready. But, living in a small town, they aim to please, and Will, the chef, offered to make one using a Shrimp Curry base with vegetables. Seeing the Shrimp Curry had a real kick to the pants, she suggested I order the mild version.
The curry I was served did not disappoint, and it was chock full of fresh vegetables, complete with warm Naan, and Basmati Rice Immediately I was back in Berkeley, and the only thing I was missing was a Mango Lassi. Yes, this is filling, and definitely not a diet food, but as Julia Child says,
“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”
111 Bridge Street
Carleton Place, Ontario
(613) 257-7530
Today 11:00am – 11:00
More in the series of: You’ve Got to Eat Here
“Get your Green On”!– You’ve Got to Eat in Carleton Place!
“Get in My Tummy” — Ballygiblins — Ultimate Sticky Toffee Pudding
Tilting the Kilt, Vintage Whispers from Carleton Place by Linda Seccaspina is available at Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street, the Carleton Place Beckwith Museum in Carleton Place, Ontario and The Mississippi Valley Textile Mill in Almonte. available on all Amazon sites (Canada, US, Europe) and Barnes and Noble
Carleton Place- The Happiest Damn Town in Lanark County
For the Facebook Group:
- PLEASE JOIN US!– If you have events submit them to the Facebook group Carleton Place Social Scene– but if you have tidbits you would like to share like: the birth of a baby, birthdays, someone passed, someone visiting, etc, just PM me on Facebook and we will include them.
lindaseccaspina 