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| Inside the Butter Chicken Roti |
"BUTTER CHICKEN IN A ROTI?!" These were the words that escaped my lips as Bella Regazza and Hot Tamale explained Gandhi's concept. We passed it along the way to Bella's house along Queen West between Bathurst and Portland. A small diner-should-be take-out place that can house 15 people at its maximum, Gandhi is reminiscent of the many ethnic gems in Scarborough with a twist. The hipster crowd is in full force and its owner should install a revolving door into the simple fluorescent-lit dining space warmed by a portable heater with the consistent flow of people trickling in and out. Don't let the surroundings fool you: the roti's are a nod to naan brimming full of familiar Indian vegetarian and flavourful and familiar Indian meat dishes Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka, etc... This is as authentic as it comes, these are no "blue menu"-sauced dishes, with your choice of medium or hot flavour with accompanying desserts: gulab jamun being my favourite. We feasted on the Buter Chicken (11.95) and the Saag Paneer (9.95) with gulab jamun (2.95) ordered at the counter and then served to our table. Wash it down with some Frooty Mango drink ($5.00 for a container that drinks 2) in styrofoam cups and you can't go wrong! We couldn't finish and had enough to last for lunch the next day. One roti is enough to share between two, although if you're hungry and craving Indian food... eat it up! Just like a friend said, "The food is just as good when heated in the microwave the next day..." Gandhi, I'm a believer!
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| Our Gandhian Feast |
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| Inside the Saag Paneer Roti |
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| In the Gandhi realm |
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| Thirst-Quenching Frooti Mango Drink |
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| The Main Man |
Roti. Goodness I haven't thought about roti in years, at least not since I lived in Hamilton where a friend and I (Rebecca!) would go to a little shop and buy huge roti's filled with duck and goat. Ah. Unfortuently the place was shut down as ABOVE it was a busy and productive crack house. Still, I always thought it only added to the mystic of the place. Thanks for the post, it made me relive some happy memories!
ReplyDeleteBut. Introductions are in order. My names Daniel and I think my previously mentioned friend Rebecca may have mentioned me and the fact that you might want to visit the cheese stand of the company (Monforte Dairy) I work for.
Truthfully, the prospect of convincing a savvy blog writer to visit a humble cheese stall is a daunting one. SO! I decided to ply you with both delicious cheeses and sophisticated French titles that describe my job!
Not only am I am fromager at Saturday markets at the St. Lawrence market but when actually working at the dairy I'm the affineur which admittedly is a pretentious way of saying that I love for, tend to and anticipate the needs of the cheeses Monforte makings in our aging rooms.
But... I suppose it's all cursory until you have an idea of what kind of cheeses we make. If you're interested you should come by the North Market in-between 8 and 2 and I'll do my best to ply you with cheese. The stall is in the dead center of the farmers market.
Hope to see you,
Daniel