The word nosh comes from the Yiddish word 'nashn' which in turned comes from Middle German 'naschen' meaning to nibble. Which makes it a fine word to use for a place that's not exactly a restaurant, and not really a bar, and certainly not a fast food joint. I only checked the etymology, as I wondered if it came from India, as Varsha serves Indian style comfort food. But nope, it's the Dodd family's move into dining. And if they are as successful at this as moving furniture and lumber, it'll be around for a long while.
For those who don't know Victoria, Gordi Dodd is local legend for his cheap-o adverts for his home furnishings store, as well as his good prices and services. My latest bed and sofa were brought there, and I've slept well on both.
The restaurant takes over the corner that was home to Nando's (spicy roasted chicken, which I love, and everyone else seems to think is better done else where) and before that a conveyor Sushi place, where the conveyor was a large scale train-set.
Varsha has a much better set up, with a series of small booths around the windows, bench seating for slightly bigger groups and set of tables one one side for parties. It's all clean lines, square edges, and certainly not the old British curry house. No flock wallpaper. It's modern, yet still relaxed with the bright prints and fabrics.
The menu is not heavy on lists and lists of curries and meats and variations. It's doing comfort and quick plates with a Indian twist, not a full blown 3 course extravaganza. The stand out is the Masala fries. Served as poutine, where the gravy is butter chicken sauce, this is a fantastic combination. Though I would love to try it with paneer rather than curds. The spicy dust all over the fries makes them incredibly moreish, with a got crisp bite to the potato. Coupled with the gooey, creamy mess that the curds and sauce merge into, and you've got a winner. And I ate them with my friend who knows her poutine, and she ordered it many times.
Elsewhere, there's burgers, wraps and tacos. I tried the fish tacos once, and the tandoori grilled fish was great, and the chef knows how to prep seafood it seems. The crispy, pakora fried one was a mess of flavours and textures, and a real pain to eat. My second visit, I tried the coconut fish curry. This was good to, with a subtle spice to the dish, flakey white meat in the sauce, tender and tasty. I spiced it up with Varsha's home brand chutney, which is nice enough, but not sure worth the extra dollar to order. This dish came with a light naan bread and some fluffy white rice, and filled me up. A cosy, happy feeling inside.
I got my meal with chai tea, which was also well balanced between the cardamom and other spices. A steaming mug of this will set lots of things right on a cold evening. I need to remember this place on the rotation of easy dinners to do down town. I like the setting, I like the service and I like the unfussy, but original combinations on the menu.
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