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Finding a good place to go for lunch on Friday is an easy task, since being productive that afternoon isn’t really a requirement. So when I headed over with a gang of co-workers to The Host (14 Prince Arthur Ave.) for their $11.49 Indian lunch buffet, we had one goal in mind — distending our stomachs as much as possible.
We at Plato Putas adore our Mammas. We love how they stuck up for us when a sibling was threatening to beat us up, wiped our disgusting snotty boogers when the weather was cold and packed our lunches everyday. Realistically, the list is endless. But one of the main reason we love our Mammas is because they always love us back with a heartfelt home-cooked meal. Today is the beginning my friends, an homage to moms everywhere. The Double P’s will enter the homes of Mammas to stir up some of the good stuff, unlock family secrets and share the best recipes you won’t find in a cookbook.
We’ve celebrated the traditional Dosa before, and now it’s time to introduce a unique take on this Indian dish. Madras Pantry (877 Queen St. West) has updated the Dosa to make it enticing, palatable and hand-held for the Queen West crowd. Think of it as an Indian burrito or stuffed crêpe, with savoury contemporary fillings like Butter Chicken, Szechuan Beef, Tandori Shrimp, Spinach & Paneer or Jerk Chicken (all $7 including tax).
Ryan Fisher, one of the restaurant’s owners, took the time out to describe a traditional Dosa and reveal how it’s been remixed to become their own.
Madras Pantry just opened their doors at the beginning of August and already the Dosa’s popularity has exceeded expectations. Co-owner and chef Roger Mooking says they hoped to sell 70 Dosas per day. Last Friday they made over 160 and had to close early when they ran out of ingredients.
The space itself is completely eye popping. Designed by Commute Home, the interior installations feature wrestling chimeras, a magnificent sword-swallower and Siamese twin pigs. Enjoy your Dosa at the long communal table or borrow one of three picnic baskets (complete with placemats) and enjoy the scenary at Trinity Bellwoods Park across the street. Before you head home, pick up a few items from their pantry, such as chutneys, spices, rice, pickles and masala chai tea.
I decided to take Ryan’s advice and order the popular Butter Chicken Dosa. The batter contains rice flour and ground lentils, and each “crêpe” is made-to-order. The filling includes butter chicken, delicious curried potatoes with onions, lettuce, tomato and scallions, all topped with a generous dose of coriander mint sauce. It’s a surprising mix of east meets west, and the butter chicken is moist and flavourful with a bit of kick. Swig it down with a Mango, Strawberry Mint or Lime Lychee Lassi (yogurt drink), or a soda imported from India; Thums Up, Limca or mmmm, Orange Fanta.
Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to waver from the traditional, but Madras Pantry makes it easy to make the jump.
Tags: Indian, roger mooking
Lunch time in Midtown means two words: Biryani Cart. You’ll easily recognize this cart at 46th Street & Sixth Avenue by the swarms of unorganized people. This place likes to roll Desi style, which means good ol’ fashioned Indian ethics. Elbow your way through the crowd and yell out your order. Don’t get sidetracked watching the lost and confused faces of newbies, the Biryani Cart senses fear.
There’s a reason why this resto on wheels was the 2008 Finalist and People’s Choice Vendy Award winner. The Biryani is stellar, served with an hard-boiled egg and pickle for $5. But my favourite item on the menu are the Kati Rolls, $6 for two. A Kati Roll is India’s version of fast food which consists of a circular piece of fresh paratha (Indian flat bread) filled with delicious toppings and then rolled up, burrito style.
My Kati Roll of choice is the vegetarian Aloo Gobi. It’s stuffed with curried potatoes and cauliflower, fresh carrots, lettuce, cucumber, green peppers and smothered in a creamy spicy sauce.
What’s completely impressive about the Biryani Cart are the workers and their ability to memorize everyone’s lunch order. Sure they may mess up once in a while, but come on. Watching three dudes cook Indian food in a teeny cart in 35˚C weather is pretty spectacular.
* Just announced: the Biryiani Cart has been nominated as a 2009 Vendy Awards Finalist. The Vendys is an intense cook-off between the best sidewalk chefs in New York City. The winner will be announced on September 26th. Check out Meru Sikder, the Biryiani Cart owner, plead his case for this year’s Vendy Awards. Good luck, we’ll be rooting for you!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ0kgZ9_R_4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fstreetvendor%2Eorg%2Fvendys%2Ffinalists&feature=player_embedded]
Tags: Indian, street food, vendy award
It’s been a roller coaster of emotions with the new Toronto street cart program called A La Cart. When they first announced the introduction of ethnically diverse street food, I was elated. Our city definitely needed options beyond street meat (aka hot dogs). But when a paltry eight carts rolled out, I was disappointed. It angered me to learn about all the red tape the vendors had to endure; Hot dog vendors aren’t being forced to pass taste-test panels, buy standardized carts, submit business plans or better yet, prove nutritional value! Finally, when the Toronto Star reported only five carts are actually operational (others were assigned locations in construction zones or told they had to move), I was outraged.
I did become excited once again when I gathered my friends Billy and Sonia for a street cart crawl to test out their offerings. The outing was stunted because there are only two carts left in the downtown area.
CART #1
LOCATION: Metro Hall, just south of King St., east of John St.
CUISINE: Afghan
LINE-UP: Consistently had 4-5 customers
My pal Billy went straight for the main course — the Chalpi Kebab & Pop for $5. While he thought this was an excellent deal for lunch, he likened it to “a reheated hamburger patty in a pita.” I tried a bite and had to agree his statement was accurate.
The highlight of the crawl were the Samosas with Tamarind Dipping Sauce ($2). There’s chicken, beef or veggie and we tried all three. The veggie was a big hit, along with the chicken. “Crunchy on the outside, soft and tasty on the inside,” Sonia described. “For just $2 you can satisfy your hunger and create an explosion of flavour in your mouth.”
CART #2
LOCATION: Nathan Philips Square, northwest corner of Queen & Bay St.
CUISINE: Persian
LINE-UP: Completely non-existent for the 20 minutes we were there.
It seems word has spread that this cart’s offerings are substandard. I couldn’t even finish my Biryani ($5) because the rice was so dried out, not even the yougurty sauce could save it. Billy tried the Chicken Biryani and said: “It’s honestly not even worth mentioning. Dried, overcooked chicken in a slop-heap of rice.” The Chicken Kabob ($5, shown right) didn’t fare any better. Sonia’s verdict: “Chicken was dry and cold and the pita was drier and colder. For $5, I would much rather walk a few steps in front to visit the chip trucks.”
The city’s insistence that all foods are pre-made in a licensed kitchen ultimately means most items are going to be incredibly dry. While I understand health concerns and standards, I can’t help but think about all the places around the world where street food is the most delicious and cheapest choice. How did this idea fail so miserably in Toronto? And yes, let’s not sugarcoat things, regardless of food quality and this being a “pilot project,” the Toronto A La Cart program fails to impress.
Tags: Indian, street food