Tag Archives: East Indian

North and South Indian, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, , Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Samraat

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388 Bloor Street East
(416) 323- 9409

Located right in the Annex near another Indian restaurant (Natraraj) this North Indian buffet did not stike me as being a fabulous Indian buffet. Sure, the food was good and reasonably fresh for a buffet. Prices were a bit high ($12.95 for a dinner buffet, $7.95 for a lunch buffet) and it includes many meat and veggie dishes with Naan bread, pappadum, but no dessert. A friend told me “When you’ve been to one Indian buffet, you’ve been to them all.” For the most part I would agree. This one was good but nothing special.

I always have the same Indian dishes. You can be sure that aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), Tandoori Chicken, Butter Chicken, Channa (curried chick peas), Daal (curried lentils), and a vegetable curry made with peas and carrots will always be there. This time I had the channa, daal, aloo gobi, vegetable curry, and one of my favourites, Matter Paneer (Spinach with Indian cheese). Indian cheese tastes like tofu squares, chewy, and mild in flavour.

My dining companion said that his lamb curry was good, soft, and the gravy was tasty. He also enjoyed the rice too. Food was fresh and they do have a regular menu with many traditional Indian favourites (Mulligatawny Soup, Pappadum, Raita, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Bharta, Vegetable Curry, Channa, Aloo Gobi, Paneer Makani, various seafood curries (Goan Fish, Shrimp Curries), Tandoori breads, Lamb, Goat, and Beef Curries (Goat Curry, Lamb Curry, Rojan Josh, Beef Vindaloo, Karahi Lamb), and Rice Dishes. Serves many Indian desserts and traditional Indian-spiced tea. Free delivery within Annex and South Annex neighbourhoods. Accepts all cards.

Sidhartha,The

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1450 Gerrard Street East,
Phone 416 – 406 – 2538

When I introduced my parents to Indian food in the mid 1990’s I took them to Buffet Maharaja in Montreal and they were mortified. The food was oily, clammy, cold, and flavourless. I should have known better to take my parents to an “non-buffet” restaurant for their first exposure to Indian food. I have visited many Indian restaurants in Toronto and I must say Indian rice factory and Sher-E-Pun-Jab are by far my favourite so far. I still hope that there is an Indian restaurant in Little India that would win me over Indian Rice Factory and Sher-E-Pun-Jab.

Last week I went for takeout with Paulo and we roamed through Little India and we found Sidhartha, a north Indian restaurant, right at the corner of Craven and Gerrard. We peaked inside and it actually had ambiance (unlike Udupi Palace which has excellent food but looks like a hospital waiting room)

When we entered the restaurant, we immediately saw that this place is different. It’s clean, tasteful, with a kitsch-free, classy ambiance. It’s small and cosy , with colourful fabric ribbons, canapes with tables underneath, dim lighting, with a lot of deep reds and other rich colours on the walls.

The lunch and dinner buffets are $7.99 and $9.95 respectively and they offer many vegetarian items (aloo gobi, channa, bhartha, saag paneer) as well as non vegetarian dishes like tandoori chicken, butter chicken, and other traditional curries. Buffet desserts include barfi, deep fried honey cheese balls, and ice cream (mango + vanilla)

There is also an à la carte menu with a large variety of dishes. It seems I have finally found a nice, affordable, non-trendy, Indian restaurant to take my parents to the next time they visit me in Toronto. I am confident that they will enjoy themselves. The decor and ambiance is romantic, cosy (15-20 tables in one dining room), laid back, non pretentious, and comforting. They accept all cards.

Indian Flavour-closed Dec 2006

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595 Bay Street
(416) 408-2799

Conveniently located right at Dundas and Yonge right near the Eaton Centre in the Atrium (the mall across from Eaton Centre) I went with two co-workers to enjoy the lunch buffet for $8.95. The dinner buffet is $12.95. It was jam-packed with people, so I that is an indication that it’s good. I’ve been told by many colleagues that it’s a great place to dine for lunch or dinner

Indian flavour comprises 3 large dining halls, seats close to 100 tables, spread on two levels. Seating is large and spacious. Tables are spread far apart from each other and we did not feel congested.

There are two distinct buffets for vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections, physically divided, and far apart from each other. Indian Flavour is not trendy but very casual and non-pretentious. There is a separate salad and dessert section with amazing noddle pudding with rice and spices and excellent thick rice pudding with spices, raisins, and nuts

Food is hot, fresh, often refilled, and not just sitting there like most Indian buffets. Food is not oily or greasy. I had the eggplant curry (bhartha), the vegetable curry with string beans, carrots, peas, zucchini curry, and daal (curried lentils and black beans). There is a large selection of dishes for both the vegetarian and non vegetarian buffets. My colleagues had masala chicken, curried lamb, and curried potatoes. Ambiance was nice, spacious, clean, with an earthy green decor with green carpets, earthy green decor, with tiny bits of Indian influences.
They accept VISA and Interac and I would definitely go back the next payday 🙂

Regency Restaurant and Catering

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1423 Gerrard E
(416) 778-7366

 

In general, I am not fond of buffets and I’ll tell you why. Most of the food is is quite tasty but it just sits all night waiting to be eaten. If you’re not there at supper time (around 6pm) then your dining experience goes to shit. In last night’s case, we all decided to make a trip to Little India to try one of the popular buffets on this strip. I always passed Regency and it always looked clean, and the tables were always spic and span and the staff were always very cheerful and happy. Being the paranoid vegetarian, I always smile with relief when they tell me that there are many vegetarian options on the menu and on the buffet.

Last night’s fiasco was clearly an indication that next time we visit Regency, we’ll order from the menu, not from the buffet. The buffet food consisted of lamb and goat curry with chicken tikka masala and butter chicken. There was fresh naan bread and lots of fresh pappadum. I chose the typical channa masala which was a bit oily and warm, bordering on cold. I opted not to try the daahl as there were red bits which looked like meat. I ate the cabbage and potato curry (hold the potatoes) and the aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower curry) and all dishes were really good. I especially enjoyed the chunky pieces of cauliflower and the shreds of cabbage. My stomach did not enjoy the cabbage later than night. I was a walking time bomb. All the gas I produced from my cabbage and cauliflower experience could have sent me to Sidney, Australia and back, without the plane.

The salad bar area looked quite fresh. There was coriander and tamarind sauces, fresh vegetables (or so I thought), curried raw onions, and pickled mango. Desserts included chocolate, vanilla, mango tango, and pineapple ice creams.

I was disappointed in my visit there. I am happy to report that staff are very friendly and were attentive to our needs and requests. As for the food, it was very tasty. Flavours came through and it was not too spicy but you can only enjoy it so much when it’s cold and clammy. If the food was piping hot, more fresh, and not sitting there for hours, then we would have enjoyed it more. Next time we’ll come earlier, or order from the extensive menu. Supper buffet is $8.95 and lunch buffet is $6.95. Disgusting bathrooms. They accept every card!

Madras Durbar [closed Aug 2005- owner died]

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1435 Gerrard Street East
416-465-4116

Located right in Little India/ India Bazaar, this small restaurant has been reviewed in Now and Eye so Aaron and I thought we should check it out. Although I love Indian food and especially restaurants that say Indian Pure Vegetarian Restaurant, I am usually disappointed with South Indian cuisine.

I am not giving up on it though. I just find most of the dishes too soupy and saucy and not substantial enough for my large appetite. At this South Indian establishment, I chose the Thali dish, since it’s the most popular and largest dish (for the most value). My main meal was served on a metal circular dish with a lentil souo (daal), a coriander soup, a milky rice pudding with nutmeg/ginger/cloves dessert (yummy and spicy), a potato curry dish, a spinach curry dish, an vegetable curry dish, and another spicy soup with vegetables and beans.

My Thali plate was only $6.30 and seemed quite substantial. Instead of Naan bread of Chapati or Roti, it came with rice, pappadum, and poori (Fried roti, quite gross and greasy). Our Mango Lassis were the most enjoyable, thick and creamy. I enjoyed my meal immensely. The thali plate resembles a “tapas” –with little mini dishes. It’s great because you get to try many things all in sitting and it’s not filling like a yucky North Indian buffet. Food was very fresh, spicy ,and flavourful. Wait time was not too long. Waiter provided lots of fresh water.

Menu is 3 pages in length, first page has a list of about 10 entrees, all range in price from $2.75 – $7.00 and second page has a list of “savourys” which are appetizers that are not sweet. They are all around $2.00-$4.00. Sweets are at the back of the menu and there are the typical ones (Barfi, Kulfi, Ice Cream, Rice pudding) all reasonably priced between $2.75-$5.00.

To conclude, I thought my dish was very tasty but not filling enough. I am used to dining at North Indian establishments. I can appreciate the healthy 100% vegetarian selections and the smaller portions are much healthier than overloading at a buffet. I think the this place is one of the best places in Little India (Sidartha and Udupi Palace are runners up- New Haandhi, Famous Indian Cuisine, and Regency are yucky. )

It is small and cosy, warm and inviting, and not tacky or sterile like other restaurants on Gerrard street. I was also happy to see the 100% vegetarian menu. Those dishes are more filling and substantial and I was a little disappointed that my Thali plate came with 7 or 8 small portions of these dishes, most of them soups or dips or sauces for the rice or poori. The food is very different as the names of the curries are different too, but both North and South Indian cuisine are spicy, flavourful, and tasty, but I prefer North Indian. Cash and Interac and credit card accepted. Bathrooms are fair. I do not understand why each and every bathroom in these restaurants (I’ve been to most) are smelly and disgusting. Excellent prices, a no bullshit vegetarian establishment.

New Haandi

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1401 Gerrard Street East
416-469-9696

 

Probably one of the best dinner buffets for $8.99. Located right in Little India/India Bazaar on Gerrard east between Greenwood and Coxwell, this place is both a lunch and dinner buffet and has a regular sit down and take out menu. Lunch buffet is $6.99 and dinner is $8.99. They have many vegetarian options (hooray!) like Bhartha (Eggplant), Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower), Vegetable curry with potatoes and peas, Channa Masala (chick peas with onions and tomato in a red/orange curry sauce), Dahl (Lentil curry), Saag Paneer (Spinach and cheese).

The buffet is large and food appeared fresh.

They also have a dessert buffet with many flavours of ice cream, barfi (orange sweet semolina flour dessert) and Gulab Jamum (deep fried dough balls in a sweet syrup). Ice cream flavours include Mango Tango, Chocolate, Strawberry, Butterscotch, Vanilla.

The buffet also serves many fresh vegetables and a traditional Indian salad with tomatoes, onions, and lettuce with a spicy vinegar- type chili dressing. VERY YUMMY!

They also serve wine and beer. Decor is slightly kitschy with tacky chairs, tables, and tablecloths but I was happy that it lacks the pretentiousness of most Indian restaurants have downtown. The actual restaurant is very spacious, one big dining room, with large tables that are far apart from each other. Now for the downside, the washrooms. Unfortunately the bathrooms are cold, smelly, and unkept. They are located in the dingy basement outside the main entrance of the restaurant. This means that anyone off the street can go to the bathroom without entering the enterior door of the restaurant.

To conclude, I loved the food, the ambiance was fair and it was refreshing to see many vegetarian options at such a damn good price. The hell with Indian restaurants in the downtown core who think they can charge an arm and a leg because most of the clientele are rich white people. I may be white but I am not a fool. I won’t pay a lot for a decent Indian dinner!

Al-Madina

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1008 Danforth Avenue
(416) 778-8881

Located right at Danforth and Donlands, this place serves East Indian food for really good prices, all within the $5.95-$7.95 price. This is my kind of restaurant. There are some vegetarian options but not many. I went on March 7th, 2004 with two friends and we enjoyed the Lunch buffet for $4.95. Seats about 15-20 people, small place but nice and cosy, fast food type of ambiance. I had the daal (lentil soup) type sauce with green bean and potato curry and fried corn fritters, similar to a vegetable pekora.

For dessert, we had this orange semolina flour dessert that tasted like rice pudding but was made with orange semolina flour, cloves, ginger, and sugar. Semi smooth, semi lumpy like old-fashioned homemade pudding. Our chai tea was authentic and home made and only $1.00.

Can’t complain at all. The overall ambiance is fast-food, not shi shi poo poo like many Indian restaurants in Toronto. I would highly recommend this place because the cook/owner kept on refilling the buffet platters with fresh food. For dinner, the buffet is $6.95 but the cook/owner told me that you could choose the buffet or order straight from the menu. Most of the menu consisted of meat dishes and vegetarian items were sparse. They accept cash, Interac, and VISA!

Curry Twist

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3034 Dundas Street West.
416-769-5460
Far out west, on the ouskirts of the city lies an area named “The Junction”, home to a lovely little restaurant named Curry Twist. I’ve wanted to try this restaurant for awhile now, but due to its disparate location I’ve avoided it until now. In recent months, I’ve tried to expand the nature of my food wanderings to encompass more parts of the city that I have never been. Having worked in Scarborough, I was able to try a host of restaurants, finding some hidden gems in an otherwise sea of strip malls and chain restaurants. It’s always a pleasure to “discover” new areas of the city you’ve lived in all your life.

After the long haul to get out there, we were greeted to a mix of wonderful Indian spiced aromas upon entering the establishment. The place itself is clean, quiet and altogether a lovely venue for a dining experience. Compared to somewhere like Nataraj, a bustling and busy place which I had visited the week before, Curry Twist offers a much more laid back and somewhat romantic atmosphere.

The service was quick and pleasant. Shortly after we were seated, we decided on an appetizer of bread rolls stuffed with a mixture of spiced potatoes, green peas, fresh coriander and ginger. We shared this simple but tasty dish as well as our mains which consisted of the typical butter chicken and not-as-typical saag paneer. The butter chicken came served in an interesting metal bucket complete with a metal handle and had a rich, creamy tomato flavour. I had never tried the saag paneer before, which appears to be a type of cheese cooked in a strong green sauce. To me, the sauce looked and tasted like a very strong pesto. Both dishes were well prepared with a host of subtle tastes, though they were both missing the usual spiciness I’ve become accustomed to in Indian food.

Altogether, the meal was quick, reasonably priced (about $20 each) and good. My only complaint would be the lack of spice, I like my Indian turned up a notch.

Skylark Restaurant- Indian and Mughlai cuisine

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1433 Gerrard E
(416) 469-1500

My friend Paulo and I were roaming around Little India and we did not know where to eat. We came upon this restaurant and looked inside. We were cold (it’s winter now in Toronto) and we wanted somewhere to warm up and eat. The owner of the small restaurant saw us and came to greet us and told us that this place has the best Indian cuisine.

We went in to order. The menu was quite large and they had a buffet special. I am not too fond of buffets so I ordered from the menu. I ordered the okra, tomato, and onion curry, known as Bhindi Dopiazza, which was super yummy, but slightly oily. In addition, I ordered the chick pea curry, known as Channa. The channa was different than other channas since the chick peas were slightly mushy and mashed up but the curry sauce was thick and hearty.

Paulo ordered the butter chicken and he seemed to really like it. He also ordered an order of nan bread and cauliflower and potato curry, known as aloo gobi. All of our dishes were large and plentiful and they were hot and fresh. I was impressed by the price too. The Channa was $4.50 and the Bhindi Dopiazza was $5.49 but those were “takeout menu” prices. Paulo’s aloo gobi was $5.49 and the butter chicken was $7.99

The service was swift, friendly, and the ambiance was plain. Although the menu does not include drinks, I did see a patron order the famous Indian spiced tea, known as Chai. Think of it as a spicy milky beverage that’s actually a tea.

Hopper Hut

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880 Ellesmere Road
416-299-4311‎

 

The first time I went for a meal at Hopper Hut I was taken there by an East Indian employee who’s taste buds were well attuned to the fiery spices of southern Indian food. I am not one to shy away from spicy food but I recall being so overwhelmed by the heat that I had to ask for a side of yogourt just to neutralize the sensations.

My most recent visit to Hopper Hut didn’t diverge much from the first. I stuck to the conventional South Indian choice of vegetarian thali while my lunch partner decided to go with something called the vegetarian lamprie. I wish I was able to discern much less recall what the different vegetable curries were that made up the thali. There were three tomato based curries, each one spicier than the first. The three other vegetables were not as spicy but after a few bites of the other ones it didn’t matter since my mouth was already on fire. The thali also came with a large bed of rice half covered in a yogourty/onion sauce and the other with a milder, tasty “orangey brown” sauce… that is really the only way I could describe it at this point. If this sounds like a lot of food for $6.99 then you need not worry about the papadam and an extra potatoey dish that comes alongside the thali. Dessert, also included in the price of the thali, is a tapioca based custard, that thankfully was not spicy; though by that time I had already used evey napkin at the table plus some to sop up my running nose.

Next time I go for South Indian, I am going to have to try something other than the thali. The lampries that my friend ate was pretty much the same as my meal but with all the ingredients blended together in a banana leaf. This actually made it more difficult to eat as she couldn’t supplant the hot spicy taste with the cooler dishes. Quite an experience but not one that I could easily get used to on a regular basis.