Given the news that another Indian restaurant is joining the Old Strathcona fray (where New Asian Village, Daawat and Origin India have already staked their claims), it looks like Whyte Avenue is becoming quite the hotbed of Indian cuisine.
Origin India is my favourite in the area, owing to their elegance and attention to detail. Their dining room, accented with spot lighting and dark furniture, is intimate and polished. The naan, prepared fresh to order every time, is excellent, and their service is gracious and timely.
Mack and I dined there again in the late fall, but this time opted to order from the a la carte menu, a departure from our usual buffet harvest. We were told by our server that two dishes would suffice to share, though we ended up having to supplement our basmati rice accompaniment with an additional side ($3.00).
Mack, ever the butter chicken faithful, made that dish a necessity ($16.00), while my personal favourite, mutter paneer ($15.00), rounded out our meal. It was a quiet night at the restaurant (we were the only party early on), but it did allow for quick kitchen-to-table service.
Naan
The plates were beautifully arranged – tiny pomme frites in a rainbow of colours and an artful mound of rice bookended each entrée serving, and made it seem like we had ordered a buffet for two. Their butter chicken is one of the best in the city – moist and tender, I find the heat just perfect for my palate. The mutter paneer was equally good, the velvety cubes of cheese and pop of peas enrobed in a thick and creamy sauce.
Butter Chicken
Mutter Paneer
Even with the competition, I think Origin India will remain my favourite – its consistency and food quality will keep me coming back, regardless of its neighbours.
Origin India
10511 82 Avenue
(780) 436-0558
Only Here for the Food 
We really liked the decor when we were there. Food was good too. Your photo of the naan looks so good I just want to reach into the computer screen and grab it!
It’s so refreshing at times to order off the menu at an Indian restaurant, especially with some goodies never making it to the buffet tables for various reasons. Looks good.
I can’t bear to go for Indian at a non-buffet place. I also can’t bear the price at New Asian Village. My go-to Indian restaurant is Punjab Sweets & Restaurant on 34th Ave. $15 for the buffet and they always have mutter paneer!