The Bollywood Bistro

The tandoor does the talking at The Bollywood Bistro. The clearest first order is the Tandoori Mix Grill — lamb chops, chicken tikka, chicken hariyali, lamb seekh kabab, and malai tikka landing together on one plate — a sampler that states what the kitchen can do before a single curry reaches the table. From there it widens fast: North Indian curries and biryani, a full Indo-Chinese Hakka section, a deep vegetarian lane, seafood curries, and midday thalis, all run out of one east-end Guelph kitchen on York Road.

Starters set the tone for that kind of building. Samosas come crowned with chana masala, yogurt, and a sweet tamarind chutney; onion bhaji and crispy okra fry up in chickpea batter; chicken pakora handles the table that wants something off the bone; chana batura pairs two pillowy bhature with chickpeas and pickle. Then dinner finds its spine. Butter Chicken anchors the creamy lane — boneless tandoori chicken folded into a mildly spiced tomato-and-butter sauce — with Chicken Tikka Masala beside it and a bone-in Goat Curry simmered slowly in onion and tomato for anyone after more chew. The tandoor keeps working past the mix grill, through Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka, and a cashew-and-cream Murgh Malai Tikka, while garlic naan made to order and basmati biryani — chicken, mutton, goat, shrimp, or vegetarian — fill in around the edges. Most mains sit in the mid-teens, which keeps a full spread within reach.