I tried the Bombay butter chicken ($19.99), Bhindi (okra) masala ($15.99), and naan ($5) from Mumbaikar on Bloor W.
It was a spicier saltier butter chicken.
Really generous. 1.5 lb serving of butter chicken, 1.5 lb serving of Bhindi, 8 oz of naan. I weighed everything because the order felt so heavy.
I’m going to guess based on this meal that this place won’t wow the Indian experts on this board. They have some street food options. Good place for somewhat hip Indian in Bloordale.
They deliver through UberEats, Skip, DoorDash and Ritual.
Anyone remember ’ AMAYA ’ on Bayview, south of Eglinton, years ago?!
I was so happy to see them opening up a place at Fairview Mall food Court!
Bought a medium size ’ Grass Fed Goat Curry ’ for under $13. Very generous portion. Complex and tasty, not overly spicy hot!
To my surprise, a couple of stalls further down is ‘another’ Indian food place - ’ Butter Chicken Roti '. They offer a variety of combos. I chose the rIce one with a choice of 2 curries, which I picked Beef and Lamb. The Beef Curry was a stand out. Price of combo was $17…but again the portion was very generous!
I guess I should also mention places I don’t think are worth a visit.
Banjara comes to mind as their popularity escapes moi.
I would rate their food at food court level at Best.
Friends who are somehow their fans usually have take out from there that they used to have for guests so have ended up having Banjara a few times.
Another spot whose popularity is perplexing is Host Indian restaurant. I have somehow ended up there (Yorkville location) ever since I moved to Toronto. The buffet lunch used to be popular as one could fill up which isn’t my idea of eating better food.
So after a few visits I would skip this place. Then a few events were held there that were unavoidable (catered) again below average imo.
Some friends do visit this spot still even though they are from region of this cuisine
Is there a new Yorkville location? The building was knocked down to make room for the new condo.
I guess the business accounts are heading to Adrak, when they want Indian food in Yorkville?
I lived near The Host on Prince Arthur for 8 years, but I never visited.
I think The Host had a much smaller restaurant in a white building that had been located on Cumberland closer to Yonge in the late 90s. I remember ordering a good sag paneer, to go, with visible pieces of ginger, which left an impression back then.
Nope a new you guessed it condo tower going up there. I recall only elm Street location left for Toronto (few in the suburbs) so they haven’t been here for a few years. Adrak is only open for dinner so not sure about business crowd there. Though I do see a lot of cars (I assume from the suburbs) coming in (gasp! As I thought on would go head to the suburbs to get better food from that cuisine) i walk by there often in the evenings though could be a spill over from osteria Giulia.
I never drive for food anymore. I haven’t been to Scarborough, North York, Richmond Hill or Markham to eat since 2019. I rarely travel north of Lawrence.
I wouldn’t drive to Mississauga from Toronto for food, and vice versa. I hate traffic. I time my drives to avoid rush hour. I have occasionally driven into Etobicoke on my way from Toronto to London, to pick up take-out. I do plan on stopping in Mississauga for take-out at some point, but I haven’t done it yet, and I’ve been travelling from Toronto to London fairly frequently since 1998.
The people driving their cars from the Suburbs to Adrak or maybe Sassafras (hee hee. Someone recommended Sassafras in another forum and I bit my tongue), are Toronto’s Bridge and Tunnel Crowd, aren’t they?
Well I will travel for certain kind of food for sure. Though certain foods that travel well are available via even the delivery apps (bihari kebab from BBQ 2ight) so I don’t even bother having friends bring extra anymore or try them while I’m in the area
I think more than sassafraz is The One restaurant at Hazelton hotel particularly in summer is a see and be seen kinda show (I think more appropriate than spot) Adrak is a bit perplexing as they do have suburb locations as well. I recall trying the RH location eons ago and wasn’t even remotely impressed despite high praise
Ended up at cumin kitchen in this visit. It was recommended by someone hence the trek. I don’t visit this area much so didn’t know what to expect. Somewhat ‘gentrified’ from what I recall.
The space is functional I guess with some seating up front and more in the back.
Here is a play by play
Papadum freebie I am not a fan but did enjoy the mango chutney
We had the Momo app nothing special imo (steamed version)
Malai tikka was good nice tender meat (I still rank bhoj as the top imo)
Butter chicken hmmm we were told that this version is sweeter so we can adjust the spice. The person I dined with can’t handle spice much so stuck to the mild version. Nothing special and I personally don’t enjoy sweet curries I have learned.
Naan (garlic) and whole wheat bread roti were both decent. Give them a try if in the area and craving this cuisine
P.S. House lager is ok I guess
I have noticed that authentic Indian restaurants, in order to appease the western palate, have adjusted a lot of their curry dishes by adding substantial sweet components to them. My recent Indian experience in London, UK reflected that too!
I think there might be 2 main styles of Butter Chicken in Toronto. The sweet creamy type many people are accustomed to, which is almost like a rosé sauce, and a non-sweet type that is heavier on the mustard seed, chiles and other spices.
When I’m craving Butter Chicken, which is very rare, less than once every 5 years, I crave the sweet type. The last Butter Chicken I ordered this year, at Mumbaikar was not sweet at all. It was too salty for me, and it was fairly heavily spiced. I don’t think it’s probably worth a trek out of one’s way, but the place is an option in Bloordale, and it’s better quality than Banjara.
Well I hear ya. Bhoj special butter chicken used to be spiced version and the regular being slightly sweet now it’s sub par. Will try out the place you mentioned as have seen it on delivery apps. As for being better than Banjara hmmm that’s setting that bar very low
that’s setting that bar very low