I consider myself knowledgeable of Mexican and Italian cuisine as I have traveled to both countries a number of times and studied intently. With frequent exposure I am fairly well versed in French, Middle Eastern, Greek, Vietnamese and Thai cuisine as well. I have taken a cooking class to learn how to make samosas but other than that, I cannot claim to be an expert in East Indian cuisine and yet I love its complex tastes and flavours.

I have sampled the excellent dishes at Charisma of India on a number of occasions but have never had an opportunity to enjoy their lunch buffet overflowing with authentic items from the north of India. On this day the selections were: butter chicken, goat curry, tandori chicken, spicy chicken, vegetable korma, palak paneer (pureed spinach), bhindi masala (spicy okra), channa masala (spicy chickpeas), aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), vegetable samosa, vegetable pakora (vegetable fritter), vegetable biryani (vegetable rice) and another five items that I did not make note of.

Mitesh Trivedi the sole owner/operator of Charisma of India knows that naan (flat bread) doesn’t hold well on a buffet so he has his kitchen make it fresh and his staff delivers it right to your table.  We appreciated it so that we good lap up the soft vegetables and sauces on our plates. All the sampled dishes were so tasty, that is, based on my limited appreciation of complex Indian spices.

Mr. Trivedi was trained as a civil engineer in his native land and after he garnered other restaurant experience here in Winnipeg, he opened this lushly decorated one in 2007. He had studied the neighbourhood and knew that many vegetarians resided within walking distance. Although Butter Chicken is my personal favourite, Indian cuisine was ahead of the curve with its veggie-centric fare.

Kath’s quote: “This curry was like a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that I’d once heard…..especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging ‘Joy.’ It stunned, it made one fear great art. My father could say nothing after the meal.”-Anthony Burgess

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.