Pushap offers you the rare ability of a having a delicious and complete meal for $5.75, not bad right? On top of that, if you order take out you get 10% off which is really nice to know. Their website says they are famous for their prices and unique homemade cuisine, and that is a valid statement. They’ve been actively serving authentic North Indian cuisine for over 20 years, and recently added a second location on Jean Talon. Pushap’s menu consists of vegetarian dishes only, and even though I’m dedicated meat lover, I was still completely satisfied due to the variety of options I was presented with and felt that I wasn’t missing out on anything.
When you walk into Pushap, the first thing you’ll notice is the sweets. They have a large variety of fantastic Indian delicacies. Moving past the sweet section, there are about 10 tables inside a small room. The tables and furniture are really old and worn out, as is the wallpaper and decoration so it might be better suited for a second date as opposed to the first. The metal pitcher of water and some of the tableware looks like it could be displayed at a museum showcasing ancient India. Over our heads was a light fixture that could have belonged to Gandhi.
After receiving the menus, I asked what their most popular choice was, and I was recommended the Thali. Thali is a sectioned plate, which holds their daily specialty and is served on a silver platter. It consists of two portions of vegetable curries (either chickpeas or lentil) served with rice, salad and a bread of your choice.
In the middle of the Thali sat a good amount of chickpeas simmering in a wonderfully flagrant spicy curry sauce. This section was a simple one but held a bold and flavorful taste. To the left of the chickpea curry was a popular staple in Indian cuisine; Aloo Gobi. It consists of potatoes and cauliflower in a spicy curry sauce and I would highly recommend it as it is a wonderful selection that will please your taste buds. The last section was a green pea Sabji, which was the spiciest of the platter and a fine addition. There was also a single piece of fried tofu inside that left me wanting more. I ended up mixing the peas with the rice in the main section and when I was eating them together I couldn’t get enough. The rice was cooked perfectly, slightly sticky and clumpy, and went well with each curry. The last thing I received was the fried Bhatura, which was an excellent companion to the platter. The extremely deep fried flat bread may have been the most enjoyable part of the Thali.
Although this was plenty of food, I was curious to know what their samosa tasted like and because of its modest price, even if I had a single bite it would still be worth it. In the end I ate the whole thing. The Chana Samosa was even better than everything I already ate previously and it was due to the incredibly sweet curry. Served on top was sour cream and some raw onions, which is the only thing I would change. The onions were really strong and made my face burn red, so I took them out. Other than that the samosa was perfect.
On my way out, I tried the popular Gulab Jamun which is made with Indian buffalo Milk (Khoya), dough and flour, then deep fried till it reaches a slightly crispy texture. It basically tastes and smells like a doughnut, and its delicious. The wonderful Gulab Jamun ended my Pushap experience on a very sweet note.
My whole meal with a drink and tip was around $10.00. I really feel that this is a fine example of North Indian home style cooking and should be known not only to vegetarians, but to every lover of Indian cuisine.
Pushap:
5195, rue Paré, Montreal, QC, H4P 1P4 T:(514) 737-4527
http://www.pushaprestaurant.com/
JarredReviews is my personal weblog. The opinions and experiences represent my own. If you read that I didn’t particularly enjoy a meal or restaurant, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try it and see for yourself. Restaurants can have an off day, people make mistakes, we’re all human. My writing is mainly so that you can find out about great restaurants that you may have not heard about, and also to give you an idea of what I enjoyed that you can experience for yourself. Food reviewing is very subjective and you must take this into account and use your discretion when reading any review; If I have had a bad experience somewhere, do not let that stop you to try the restaurant for yourself.
