At this point, there are very few restaurants in Saint John, New Brunswick that I have not visited for their nachos. I previously had the nachos at Thandi Restaurant in 2013 and did not get a picture at that time, and ended up not having their nachos again until 2021. I mentioned Thandi on my interview with Julia Wright on CBC Information Morning Saint John as one of the places that you may be surprised has nachos. The reason I said that is Thandi is known (in my opinion) for its Asian food and it is hard to go there without having one of their delicious curries, such as butter chicken or vindaloo. However, we decided that we finally needed to dedicate a visit to Thandi for nacho research. It would also make sense to go since I mentioned them in the CBC interview (May 2021) but they were not yet posted on the blog! What if they should have been in the top ten all along? As a former soccer coach said "you should never finish a game and say 'what if'." I am happy to report that I no longer have to say "what if" regarding the Thandi nachos.
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| Thandi Beef Naan Nachos - October 2021 |
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| Thandi Beef Naan Nachos - October 2021 |
Distribution of Toppings
When you have naan or pita chips and there are not many layers, it is very hard to mess up the distribution of toppings. However, I will make it official and say that the distribution of toppings on this plate of nachos was perfect. Every naan chip had cheese and veggies and there was a decent amount of steak pieces.
Quality
First, I loved that there was plenty of cheese and that it was two cheeses blended together with an excellent toast factor on the naan chips. These large steak pieces reminded me of what I had at The Old Triangle back in 2018 in Moncton. I also recently looked at The Old Triangle's menu and did not see any beef options available for the nachos anymore. Let me know in the comments if you know the current situation at The Old Triangle - I may have to go back there for more research! In addition, I loved how many sautéed veggies there were. Everything was well cooked, and the veggies had a great texture and flavour that complemented these nachos. The chutney style salsa was an interesting twist which also helps set these nachos apart. The only things I would add are an option for adding hot peppers, or something hot and spicy (I know they have some super hot stuff in the kitchen at this Asian-fusion place!) and an option for traditional corn tortilla chips. I always find that with corn chip nachos, the chips are firmer and crunchier for better dipping, and you get a lot more chips versus naan or pita, thus extending the nacho experience. I do appreciate how Thandi gave these nachos their own Asian-fusion twist by using the naan chip.
Value
The naan nachos are $15 including a cranberry salsa and a sour cream. If you want to add chicken or beef it is $6 extra. For the quantity of steak on this little plate of nachos, that seems on the pricier side, but the steak was juicy, tender, and delicious.
Quantity
I know my brain wanted a nice Indian curry after sharing those nachos, but my stomach said "you've had your meal. Go back some other time for the curry." The amount you get on the plate is not huge by comparison with many places. It is no Snooty Fox when it comes to the plate size, but not many places have big plates like that in our experience. The difference with these nachos is that the fried naan bread is extremely filling. This, combined with the complimentary naan and hummus (one of the many great things about Thandi), made us both satisfied to share this plate of nachos for supper.
Service
The server was very friendly and visited many times to see if we wanted another beer, dessert, or a main meal as we ordered only an appetizer. We always receive top notch service at Thandi.
Conclusion
Sometimes I wonder if, when people are reading a review, they try to figure out the final grade while reading. The quantity was about the same as other pita-type nachos we've had, the Asian-fusion twist was interesting, and the quality blows a lot of the current top ten restaurants out of the water. Being able to get those tender steak pieces is a key differentiator. There is someone on the Saint John Foodie group that continually recommends these nachos saying that these are the top nachos in Saint John. After this experience at Thandi Restaurant, I can see why.
Nacho Blog Rating: A-