To me, nothing hits the spot on a cold night (ie, late March in Montreal) like good Indian food, in a nice warm place with great service. Allo Inde did not disappoint.

Allo Inde is below street level, and we were immediately greeted and seated by a host. They have 2 main dining rooms. We sat in the dining room with a bar, in a raised booth at the very front of the restaurant, and watched the world walk by (or slip and slide on the ice) during our visit.

They have a full bar, so we had drinks and contemplated their large menu, while munching on Papadum (large crispy spicy wafers). They have Table D'Hote (fixed price multi-course) dinners for one ($12-$16 CDN) and two ($26-$30) persons. If you prefer to order ala carte, they have beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp curry and Tandoori dishes all in the range of $8-$15 CDN, and vegetable dishes for $5-$6 CDN. Normally rice comes with the main course in Indian restaurants, but you have to buy it here for an extra $2. You can also add some Indian bread for $1-$5 CDN (we like the traditional Nan bread).

I ordered Chicken Vindaloo, Pilau rice, and Nan bread. Chicken Vindaloo is a hot and aromatic red curry sauce with pieces of chicken breast and chunks of potato (aloo) in it. I spoon it over the steamed rice, and eat it with the Nan bread. Yum! My wife had Lamb Saag, which is a mild spinach curry with chunks of lamb. She had rice and bread as well, and she liked it all.

Perhaps the most memorable part of our visit was how friendly and helpful our server was. Usually the staff in Indian restaurants is friendly, but very reserved, but when we asked our server about some basic questions about the sights in Montreal, he offered not only advice and recommendations on where to go, but gave us maps and a tourist guide (a small but very helpful book). I told him he should be a concierge.

They have free parking, and if you don't want to go out, they deliver for free.