Typical indian? No way. Only one other place in Montreal serves Idlis and while they are pretty good, the accompanying sambar is water compared to Jolee's delicious sauce. People come here just for the idlis and vadaas which are also incredibly authentic. My mom is the toughest indian food critic I know but she will drop whatever she is doing to head over for a quickie lunch with me at Jolee. I keep calling it Indian, but it's more Sri Lankan/South Indian... either way it's awesome. (Biryani, not so good...string hoppers haven't tried them yet... Dosas are passable and a little too thick for my taste)

last night was my second visit to this restaurant in 5 years. the first being a dinner for two with my new girlfriend at the time. yesterday night being part of group of 8 friends, two pregnant, one of them mine. full circle. another fun night, with friendly service and a charming relaxed atmosphere. we opted for a special menu for groups where for 30$ we are served multiple dishes, from appetizers through mains to dessert. i would have preferred in hindsight to have chosen our own dishes. while all the classics were presented, they all seemed...similar. from over spiced shrimps to over spiced lamb, hiding the inherent flavours in both the seafood and meat. too much food and not enough character in each presentation. in comparing it to my favourite upscale lebanese resto (la sirene de la mer) the fatouche salad was disappointing, the pita flavourless and tabouleh...well it was green. that's a good thing. anyway, long story short. decent food, happy waiter (except for the creepy older sommelier with the worn out belt), and fun group centric ambiance. you'll enjoy it the first time you go, i'm pretty sure.

as an indian born here in montreal i'm often asked by friends 'where should i go for good indian food?'. to which i say, "my mom's place". but then i tell them to come here to bombay choupati if they live (or make the trek) on the west island. my personal favourite spot by far with the best naans, butter chicken (order it spicy) and goat curry... mmmm goat curry. a cool appetizer to try is the bhel puri, just try it, it's special. service when it's full, which it often is, will be a bit slower due to only one server. however, she is so friendly and the food is so good that you will just need to show a little patience. the husband wife team in the kitchen will leave you amazed at the flavours they create for you. enjoy. and ps. the masala dosas are spectacular as well.