Surprising Sri Lankan creations in the Tamil heart of Toronto
Along Markham Road near the northeastern border of Toronto lies one of the Little Indias of the city. The section between McNicoll and Steeles Avenue is the geographical centre of the largest Tamil population in Canada. It may not seem like it because of the industrial location but it sprawls out north into the residential areas of Markham and south to the more populated areas of Scarborough.
Tamils are an ethnic group from Tamil Nadu state in India and northern Sri Lanka. Large numbers migrated from Sri Lanka to Toronto during the civil war period from the 1980s to the early 21st century. As a result, Sri Lankan cuisine in Toronto has become synonymous with Tamil cuisine, even though Tamils are a minority group in Sri Lanka. The majority group, the Sinhalese, use slightly different spices in their cooking. By the way, it is surprisingly difficult to find a Sinhalese restaurant in Toronto. Check out Banana Leaf Catering and Take Out if you are interested.
On the other hand, Tamil restaurants are thriving in Toronto. For the most part, they have remained traditional and cheap takeout businesses. But enough time has passed since the 1980s to allow for deviations with classic recipes. Toronto is one of the few cities in the world that have the right conditions for fusion cuisine to emerge: a large Tamil population, a multicultural food landscape, and a sophisticated audience eager for new things and not adverse to paying more. The scene is still burgeoning, but here are some of the places I’ve come across in Scarborough.
Turkish-Sri Lankan fusion at Döner King
Döner King is hardly Sri Lankan. They actually sells döner kebabs: meat on a rotating spit, of Turkish origin. But as an homage to the Sri Lankan population in the neighbourhood, they created what is probably the world’s first döner kothu. It’s a limited item available only on Fridays and Saturdays. It is also hellishly delicious and ranks as one of the best kothu rotis in the city.
Kothu roti is a leftovers dish made up of chopped roti (flatbread), eggs, meat, and chillies. The ingredients are sautéed in a scorching hot griddle. Easy to make but difficult to make well. A popular street food and also the most recognizable Sri Lankan dish for Toronto residents.
Döner King’s twist on the dish is remarkably simple. Substitute regular meat with chunks of döner kebab. Other than that, the kothu roti is traditional. To be honest, their kothu roti was outstanding on its own, without döner. It was wet with gravy, which had infused into every part of the dish. This made all the difference because most kothu rotis I’ve had in Toronto were too dry. Freshly-cubed red onions and a wedge of lime go well with sliced green chillies. It was a potent combination and addictive to eat. Roti strips were moist and cut to a perfect bite size.
The döner meat was average and almost drowned out by the strong spices. I say almost because I could still taste a hint of oregano and a whiff of char from the grill. The meat was slightly overdone, probably because it was cooked twice: once on the grill and another on the the griddle. Nevertheless, I can overlook that because it was unavoidable and the rest of the dish was just so tasty. 8/10.
Döner King also has other fusion specials like döner pasta on weekends. It’s a cheap and cheerful takeout place.
American-Sri Lankan fusion at Confused Kitchen
Here is an eatery that is aware of the perils of fusion confusion. One can tell by its tongue-in-cheek name. The menu of Confused Kitchen isn’t that outlandish. It’s just American bar food like burgers and wraps, but with Sri Lankan fillings. They also have traditional items like kothu roti, biryani, and rolls.
Sri Lankan rolls are similar to Chinese spring rolls but have a breaded and doughy shell. I was interested in the fusion varieties that Confused Kitchen offered: cheeseburger and mac & cheese. Both sounded great on paper but needed more work.
On the positive side, the cheeseburger roll was packed with beef. But the cheese wasn’t sharp enough. It tasted like a regular beef roll. Some bits of pickles, tomatoes, or lettuce would have convincingly recreated the cheeseburger flavour. 6.5/10.
The mac & cheese roll fulfilled on the mac part but not the cheese. There was some neon orange paste that lacked the taste and texture of real cheese. Or fake cheese. It also lacked salt and pepper. The shell had more flavour than the filling. 5.5/10.
Both rolls had a flavourful, crunchy shell. There was a mild aroma of curry leaves. It might have been cooked in the same vessel as other dishes. If I had to nitpick, the shell could be thinner and the breading could be more even.
I passed on the burgers because they were too normal for my fusion food hunt. I ordered the deviled chicken wrap instead. Deviled chicken is stir-fried chicken strips with chillies and other spices. There is no set recipe, just as with many stir-fried dishes.
It was a huge disappointment. The toasted exterior looked good and had so much potential. I expected the wrap to be thin like a roti or paratha. It turned out to be several layers thick, hard, and rather stale. The deviled chicken was not spicy and lacked seasoning. The meat was overcooked, old, and didn’t have flavour. Accompanying coleslaw was ok but could use more herbs or spices. 3/10.
This place is tiny. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, they removed dining space, but it isn’t a huge loss. There’s space for just 4 people. Situated in a strip plaza, their business model is geared towards takeout. That said, there are some thoughtful touches like blackboard art and an (intentionally?) unfinished mural.
Indian-Chinese-Sri Lankan fusion at Babu Villas
The next spot on our tour re-fuses an existing fusion classic. Chili chicken is an Indian-Chinese abomination of battered chicken pieces drenched in radioactive red sauce. It’s actually not very spicy and strikes me more as sweet and gooey. Not my thing but it has its fans among those who grew up eating this kind of food.
Forces of the universe dictate that someone would bring chilli chicken and kothu roti together. And so it has come to be. The pioneer of chilli chicken kothu roti is probably Gasa. Since they are in Markham and not Scarborough, I won’t cover them here. Gasa used to have a branch in Scarborough, but that has been replaced by Babu Villas. They have comparable offerings, so I will just review Bavu Villas.
Chilli chicken kothu roti is not on Bavu Villas’ store menu but they will make it if you ask. It’s also on the menu of online delivery apps. As with their biryanis, portions are very large and cheap.
The kothu roti is as bright red as you would expect from chilli chicken. I was hoping the chicken would be breaded and deep-fried. It wasn’t. It was simply pan-fried. There were chicken pieces in every bite but it didn’t have deep flavours. It tasted faintly of chilli chicken because the sauce was diluted across the whole dish instead of concentrated on the chicken.
Babu Villas caters to Tamil spice levels. Strangely, the kothu roti I tried wasn’t spicy at all. The chef could have held back because I didn’t look South Asian. For me, chillies are not supposed to make up for the lack of flavour. They should accentuate existing ones. The lack of heat exposed how plain the dish was. Some fresh herbs like raw onions, coriander, or bell peppers could have livened the dish up. It was serviceable as a working lunch. 6/10.
As with other Sri Lankan takeouts, they have a selection of short eats (snacks).
Biryanis are equally popular here. They also have a small shelf of imported biscuits.
Sri Lankan ice cream at Lingan Cream House
The last stop on our fusion food tour isn’t strictly fusion. But it is surprising enough to merit inclusion: Sri Lankan ice cream. If you are like most people and have no idea what on earth it is, come to Lingan Cream House. In honesty, there isn’t much difference with regular supermarket ice creams. The difference is with the accompaniments and flavours.
The flavours go slightly beyond supermarket ones but are not too wacky. Tropical fruits like coconut, banana, and pineapple make an appearance. Still, traditional flavours like chocolate and bubblegum outnumber the unusual ones.
The ice cream by itself is nothing special. Creamy texture but flavours taste artificial. The reason for coming here is to try the specials, which pile on questionable toppings in an uniquely Sri Lankan fashion. The jelly special, for example, comes with red and green gelatinous cubes at the bottom. It tasted of artificial fruit cocktail. It had the texture of seaweed. It’s a love-or-hate thing. There were some pieces of actual fruits in the mix, but they were of the canned variety. The biscuit wedged at the top added some textural contrast but wasn’t crisp. It was like Indian Parle-G biscuits—on the short and crumbly side.
It wasn’t a bad ice cream sundae, but one can get higher quality and more creativity at downtown ice creameries. Try it for nostalgia if you grew up with this flavour profile, or if you want a different ice cream experience. 6.5/10.
The original Lingan Cream House is in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. The Toronto location is probably its first international outlet. Like the original, there are also short eats available.
Verdict
The Sri Lankan fusion scene is fledgling. It isn’t great at the moment but could grow with the 3rd and subsequent generation of Sri Lankan-Canadians. Restaurateurs have to go beyond the budget takeout business and explore different dining formats and recipes. The success of kothu roti (Jaffna) pizza at Descendant shows there is demand for high quality, imaginative combinations. Foodies can encourage experimentation by rewarding chefs who push the boundaries of culinary arts. So, head out to Scarborough and find the next gem in the making.
Practical information
Döner King
- Rating
- 8/10
- Prices
- Döner kothu: $9.03 ($7.99 excluding tax)
- Address
- 5651 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 10
- Hours
- 1200h – 2200h
- Date of visit
- July 2020
Confused Kitchen
- Rating
- 5/10
- Prices
- Cheeseburger roll: $2.26 ($2.00 excluding tax)
Mac & cheese roll: $1.70 ($1.50 excluding tax)
Deviled chicken wrap: $10.74 ($9.50 excluding tax) - Address
- 5005 Steeles Ave East, Unit 107
- Hours
- 1600h – 2200h
- Date of visit
- October 2020
-
Bavu Villas
- Rating
- 6/10
- Prices
- Chilli chicken kothu roti: $10.00
- Address
- 2950 Kennedy Road, Unit 3
- Hours
- 1100h – 2400h
- Date of visit
- October 2020
-
Lingan Cream House
- Rating
- 6.5/10
- Prices
- 2 scoop special with jelly and fruit pieces, peanut chunks, and biscuit: $5.99
- Address
- 6055 Steeles Avenue East, Unit C121
- Hours
- 0900h – 2330h
- Date of visit
- August 2020