33 Baldwin
416 598 2502

Daniel and I met for lunch at OCAD and instead of dining in the Village by The Grange food court, we decided to walk to Baldwin village where we would either go to an Indian or Thai restaurant (our favourite types of food). We walked to Baldwin street, just a hop and skip away and we passed by a medley of ethnic delights: Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian, Vegetarian, and Indian. We went to the Gateways of India last time for lunch and enjoyed a crazy buffet full of food. We decided to try Jodhpore Club Corp. Indian cuisine for a change.

Upon entering, we immediately knew from its cosy, homey feel that this place was definitely more quaint than Gateways of India. Jodhpore was much smaller with only about 5-7 small tables made of teak and had many traditional Indian elements, yet the decor looked like an old Ontario cottage with stucco, exposed dark-wood stained beams, and high ceilings. I’d call the place quaint since it was small and unassuming and that is also how i would call the buffet.

The buffet was nice in terms of presentation but it did not have much variety at all. There were 4 veggie dishes (kofta, daal, matar panneer, and aloo). I did not see the typical channa masala, aloo gobi, or bengan. I was so much disappointed but surprised and in a way happy to see some change in your typical Indian lunch buffet. Daniel noted the presence of lamb, tandoor chicken, butter chicken, and potato wedges. We did see the typical helpings of pappadum as well as tamarind and coriander sauce, but we did not see any salad or dessert or the cliche dessert of mango, chocolate, or vanilla ice cream, often stale with freezer burn.

I started my dish with the curried potatoes (aloo) but I was disappointed to see that there was no cauliflower. I also enjoyed the kofta (soft lentil dumplings in a rich creamy mild curry sauce). In addition I had the daal (lentil puree), fresh naan, pappadum, and mattar paneer (peas and Indian cheese) which was delicious. The buffet was humbling since it was no exploding with variety and there were fewer high quality dishes than most other Indian buffets. Unfortunately, there was no channa masala, or dessert.

Daniel thought the food was good but he admits that for the meat dishes, he prefers
the other Baldwin Indian restaurant. He felt that the butter and tandoori chicken
were somewhat bland and the mutton in the korma dish was rather in-edible. Daniel thought that the vegetarian selections were really quite worthwhile, however, especially that lentil ball dish thingy (kofta)

Daniel described the decor as the left-over from a previous owner. There
were lots of British Raj (British colonial administration in India) with type prints on the wall were a little disturbing, especially given the name “Club”. He thought it made one feel as if one were at a “seem-better-days”. The idea of a British colonial club (in the dying days of the British Raj) tried to keep up the appearance of order and control.

Overall, he thought it was okay. He would go back, but really would opt for the other
Baldwin Indian place if given the choice. I would definitely go back to Jodhpore, despite the lack of variety. Service was fast and friendly. The server always refreshed our water and food was refreshed all the time. The glazed over “expired” look of the food was not present so we were happy. Next time we will probably order from the main menu since the buffet did not offer enough variety. Accepts all cards. Wheelchair accessible at the entrance, but bathrooms are downstairs.