Little Hut Curry

4623 Marine Avenue
11:45 to 2:30, Tuesday to Saturday
(Occasionally Sun/Mon also)
(604) 223-2446

by Eva van Loon

Recently a visiting performer had only an hour to get from one gig to the next in Powell River—during dinner hour! By the time his entourage arrived by reservation at Little Hut Curry, only 27 minutes could safely be allotted to dinner. And the Kaurs did it! We were all beautifully fed in the same sunny, art-full local ambience some many of came to love when this location housed only Bemused Bistro. Delicious north Indian foods materialised at our table as if by magic in no time at all, and 27 minutes proved the perfect break to enjoy one another’s company, satisfy our appetites without the heaviness that sometimes accompanies dining out, and make last-minute plans for the evening’s show.

Mohinder and Janmeet have added three entrees to their menu that answer perfectly to the public’s need for healthy, light, not-too-spicy fare: salmon, prawns, or paneer, served with greens and potatoes. I’ve tried all three and they’re perfect. Even paneer, a fried cheese which I didn’t often choose in the past, has become my good friend at Little Hut Curry.

Paneer also comes as an appetiser, along with pakoras (renamed nests), pappadums that spark your taste buds, and the ever wildly popular naan bread.

Vegetarians favor Indian restaurants because the menus always include their preferences, and Little Hut Curry is no exception. Try the dal, which here is more like a stew, almost a soup, or the potato-and-paneer curry. Probably the most popular meat dish is the butter chicken, which goes down like silk, followed by the lamb curry. Fish curry, chicken curry, and prawn curry have their advocates as well. I favor the Platter, which is the Hut’s close approximation of a thali, a popular Indian meal served on a big round tray with a dozen or more small dishes grouped around various breads. This one consists of four curries and a pakora, letting you try out most of the curries at one sitting. Hot-pepper aficionados can ask for the special hot sauce and won’t be disappointed.

Little Hut retains Bemused Bistro’s good (if short) wine list. If your curry’s hotter than you expected, however, try raita, a creamy drink that will cool your mouth and put you in the mood for another exciting bite.

Have even less than 27 minutes? Little Hut Curry offers most of the menu on take-out and deducts a dollar from lunch or two dollars from dinner prices. Packages for 2 to 5 people are also available for $25 to $55—extremely reasonable. Stuck at your desk for lunch? Little Hut even has “tiffin service” (haven’t heard that word in a long time). Plan for a little Indian holiday at your desk by calling between 9 and 10 a.m. to place your order, and watch your tiffin lunch come to you between 11 and 11:45. The answer to noon meetings!

This one’s a keeper. Visit soon.