The first thing you notice when you walk into Canmore’s The Roaring Rolls is that you’re not in a typical Indian restaurant. The well-appointed dining room is plush, deep green and creates a chic, lounge-like atmosphere where you’ll want to bring your date or hang with friends on a Saturday night. Proprietor Ankit Ralhan says it’s all by design - that his vision for the restaurant is to give diners access to a take on Indian food that surprises and delights.
“We like to call it fusion,” says Ralhan. “For example, our butter chicken bao takes something traditionally Indian and puts it with Chinese bao to make something new and delicious.”
And it IS delicious. The butter chicken is deeply savoury and more boldly flavoured than is typical for this dish, and the fluffy bao is the perfect way to deliver it. Ralhan says he aims for local and for organic ingredients whenever possible and pays close attention to the details. It pays off.
We treated ourselves to the haas avocado chaat featuring creamy avocado and crispy papadi with a complex blend of spices to create what may be one of our favourite appetizers ever. It’s colourful and well balanced with creamy, crispy and crunchy textures and cool, bright and aromatic flavours. This is a must-try dish.
Ralhan says the restaurant orders a small batch of fresh, Alberta-raised goat each week for the bakra stew to ensure it’s never frozen and offers maximum flavour. The result is an absolutely delicious dish with the tenderest of meat, aromatic spices and perfectly done basmati rice. Billed as a meal for one, the portion is generous and you won’t go away hungry.
Don’t forget to try one of the delicious custom cocktails while you’re there. We loved the aam panna margarita, which brings India and Mexico together in one delicious, green mango, tequila and cointreau cocktail that is the perfect blend of sweet and savoury. If cocktails aren’t on your menu, treat yourself to a house-made chai featuring a gorgeous blend of spices, including ginger that’s been boiled for 10 minutes to ensure maximum flavour - well worth the wait.
With a range of appetizers, single-serving katora bowls, family-style “old-school” favourites, and even brunch coming soon, The Roaring Rolls is very much worth a visit this summer. Stop by Mon., Wed. and Thurs. 4-9 p.m., Fri. 12-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. and 12-9 p.m. on the weekend. Closed Tues.
