Minerva Tiffins is moving to 16 Lebovic Avenue.
Freshest South Indian snacks in Toronto
Nestled in an industrial plaza near the Golden Mile is a little stall called Minerva Tiffins. It used to be the only tenant in the desolate food court for a long time. Today, it’s joined by three or four others but make no mistake, Minerva Tiffins is single-handedly running the show here. On the occasions I’ve visited, all the diners went straight for Minerva.
Undoubtedly, word-of-mouth and some media coverage helped, but the reason for its sustained success is its incredibly fresh-tasting South Indian food. Specifically, Andhra snacks. It’s grown so much that it’s moving to a proper restaurant of its own.
The food
Minerva Tiffins is the second restaurant I’ve found that makes pesarattu. (The other is Godavari). Pesarattu (పెసరట్టు) is a variation of the savoury fermented South Indian crêpe, dosa. It’s made with mung beans instead of rice flour.
The edges of the pesarattu were nice and crispy and the mung beans gave some grit. The upma (ఉప్మా; semolina porridge) was ok—mushy with some vegetables. The spice mix was simple and punctuated with curry leaves; I would have liked more chillies. I preferred the upma at Godavari but the pesarattu here was better. 8/10.
The pesarattu came with 2 chutneys instead of the usual 3 at other restaurants: peanut and tomato. The peanut chutney was my favourite. It had finely ground nuts and it tasted like a mouthful of peanuts with each dip. The tomato one was rather indistinct and wasn’t as tangy as expected. It had a similar feel to the peanut one. If they offered a bright or acidic chutney, it would be perfection.
The items that wowed me were their snacks. Take their medu vada (గారె; savoury lentil doughnut), for instance. Restaurants usually pre-make these and leave them sitting in a warm drawer. It’s a fast food that gets little attention. Minerva Tiffins is crazy enough to fry vadas on order. Wait time is longer but is worth it.
These were the best-tasting vadas I’ve had. My prior experience had been with pre-fried vadas. The difference was palpable. The dough was light and fluffy. I could even taste the subtle fragrance of rice. The exterior was golden crisp and the interior wasn’t greasy. Spice mix was traditional. 8.5/10.
For a bite-sized version, try punugulu (పునుగులు). It’s made with the same batter. Think of it as the South Indian version of Timbits, but better.
It came with the same two chutneys as other dishes. The owner was kind enough to offer me sambar (సాంబార్; tamarind lentil soup) too. As usual, the punugulu were freshly-fried to order. 8.5/10.
We can’t talk about South Indian snacks without covering idly. Of course, Minerva Tiffins has them and cooks them à la minute. Idly (ఇడ్లీ) is a steamed cake made from rice flour and urad dal (black gram) flour. It’s usually accompanied with sambar.
The idlis here were more fragrant and spongier than others I’ve tried in Toronto. 8.5/10.
The sambar was good but not great. Perhaps a bit more tamarind will help brighten it up more.
The place
Minerva Tiffins is in a plaza that is fast becoming an excellent halal food hub. It’s in a nondescript food court that looks new and sadly vacant. It has the ambience of a fast food restaurant and is serviceable for a quick meal.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that Minerva Tiffins will move to its own restaurant just up the road at 16 Lebovic Avenue.
Verdict
Freshest South Indian snacks in Toronto. Demonstrates the best in traditional recipes. The only weak point is the lack of contrasts and variety of chutneys. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Minerva Tiffins
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Upma pesarattu
Idly vada combo - Prices
- Upma pesarattu: $10.16 ($8.99 excluding tax)
Idly vada combo: $9.03 ($7.99 excluding tax)
Punugulu: $7.90 ($6.99 excluding tax) - Address
- 41 Lebovic Avenue
- Hours
- Monday 1100h – 2200h
Wednesday to Sunday 1100h – 2200h - Date of visit
- August 2021, April 2022