I will comment on the setup first as it did effect the overall experience. The space is tight and a lot of counter seating which is tight as well for someone who is slightly above average height for Canada. I was quite uncomfortable during the whole meal and that’s without wearing or holding heavy winter jacket etc. I wonder what was here before maybe a cafe as the space seemed to be geared towards that (more on this later as I didn’t see a stove) Stairs to go down are also a bit of unnerving venture with winter boots. Washrooms hmm need to be lit and cleaned better unless they are part of the theme!
Here is a play by play of the food:
Squash chaat hmm didn’t enjoy this at all. I couldn’t identify much in terms of the taste and the spicing/sauces? didn’t add anything to it either.
Karahi chicken bun a decent take on this street side food with spice not held back. I enjoyed this somewhat the person I dined with it didn’t.
Samosa chaat: again a decent take on this street side dish. The sauces are elevated a bit from what one expects. Decent kick as well and tamarind taste coming through in the sauce.
Roasted paneer: very disappointing dish. I was expecting a lot of taste either from the sauce or the paneer itself. Nope not the case at all. Big chunks devoid of any character.
Beef kebab: hmm ok for what you expect. The charred cabbage was better than the main IMO.
Sourdough naan decent.
The odd thing is they don’t have a stove I could see and the oven was being used non stop to heat up stuff with a blow torch being used as well. I wonder if most if not all items are pre cooked and just warmed up for service. Example no charring on the kebabs unless they are baked version (not as common). While a lack of stove isn’t an issue if one is serving street side food especially for chats. They do have mains that would require a stove or tandoor. Maybe it’s separate?
I can’t really expect Gerarrd street prices here as the neighborhood and overheads wouldn’t allow it. The appetizer (chaat) items are decent but the mains are below average. 2.5 stars out of 5 especially due to the uncomfortable setup.
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