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Onam sadhya in Toronto

Partake in the largest celebratory feast in the Malayali (Kerala) calendar

This review is for 2021. Keep an eye out for the next onam sadhya on 2022-09-08.

Toronto’s burgeoning Kerala food scene explodes in one summer weekend of the year. That’s for onam sadhya, a feast celebrating the harvest festival. Restaurants shut down normal service and assemble the same onam sadhya set meals all day. Lines are long but most are in a jovial mood. It’s a fun activity to join in, even if you are not from Kerala.

Onam sadhya in Kerala

Kerala is a southern Indian state with a bountiful coastline. Its cuisine is not widespread in Toronto, so onam sadhya is a good occasion to sample them. I am not familiar with Keralan food. I was going to visit Kerala in 2020 but COVID happened. So, I can’t judge the authenticity of restaurants here.

Onam (ഓണം) is the harvest festival of the Malayali people in Kerala, falling between August and September. Sadhya (സദ്യ) means banquet. Put them together and you get the harvest feast. More than 20 items are splayed on a banana leaf. The meal is traditionally vegetarian.

Packed onam sadhya from Thanima Kerala Kitchen — Onam sadhya for takeout (Thanima Kerala Kitchen)

One of the first things you’ll notice is that the rice is not typical of the rest of India. It’s matta rice, a short-grained and plump variety. It has the texture of brown rice and is similarly coloured reddish-brown.

Rice from Thanima Kerala Kitchen — Red rice from Thanima Kerala Kitchen

Other food items in onam sadhya may include any of the following. I hope you like coconut.

Achaar (അച്ചാർ): Super sour pickle.
Avial (അവിയല്‍): Blanched, semi-dry vegetable mix with curd and grated coconut.
Eriserry (എരിശ്ശേരി): Pumpkin curry.
Olan (ഓലൻ): Ash gourd, black-eyed peas, coconut, and gigner.
Pachadi (പച്ചടി): Vegetables in yoghurt and coconut sauce.
Palada pradhaman (പാലട പ്രധമൻ): Dessert dish. Rice pudding with milk and dried fruits.
Pazham pradhaman (പഴം പ്രധമൻ): Dessert dish. Banana pudding with coconut milk and jaggery.
Pappadam: The familiar lentil cracker found throughout South Asia.
Payasam (പായസം): Dessert dish. Rice pudding with milk and jaggery.
Puli inji (പുളി ഇഞ്ചി): Thick sauce made from tamarind and ginger.
Pulisseri (പുളിശ്ശേരി): Sour yoghurt and coconut curry.
Rasam (രസം): Spicy tamarind soup. Also a Tamil mainstay.
Sambar (സാമ്പാർ): Spicy, thick lentil soup with vegetable chunks. Also shared with Tamil cuisine.
Sharkara upperi (ശർക്കര ഉപ്പേരി): Sweet banana chips in a jaggery batter, sliced in wedges.
Thoran (തോരൻ): Finely chopped vegetables with grated coconut and mustard seeds.
Upperi (ഉപ്പേരി): Banana chips, sliced crosswise.
Whole banana

This being Toronto, there aren’t exactly a lot of banana trees to pluck leaves from. And importing banana leaves is too expensive to feed the masses that slam Keralan restaurants for onam sadhya. So, restaurants here use a waxed, green-coloured paper instead. And in the era of COVID-19, it’s all takeout and DIY.

Onam sadhya is a big deal in Kerala, similar to a Christmas dinner. I recommend pre-ordering to avoid waiting in line for an hour or more. Nearly all Keralan restaurants here offer online ordering.

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Minerva Tiffins

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.

Interior of Minerva Tiffins — Minerva Tiffins

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.

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Bombay Bakers

Vegan street food as good as (or better) than Bombay

Mumbai is known for its street foods. Until recent years, good renditions of them were hard to come by in Toronto. It was difficult to find a Bombay restaurant in the first place. Today, there are more choices available and Bombay Bakers is the best I know of for quality and cost. I’m frankly amazed at how they can keep prices competitive with India.

Exterior of Bombay Bakers — Bombay Bakers

The foods of Mumbai (Bombay)

For less worldly readers, Bombay is the old colonial name for Mumbai, the financial and movie capital of India. Other than its snacks, it doesn’t have a distinctive cuisine, taking its cue from neighbouring regions like inland Maharashtra, the Konkan coast, and Gujarat state. Endemic to the area is the endangered Parsi cuisine, brought over by Persian immigrants a thousand years ago and adapted to local tastes.

While Parsi food is rare in Toronto, these Mumbai street snacks are easy to find. Nearly all are vegan.

Bhel puri: Savoury mix of rice puffs, fried bits, boiled potato cubes, and chutneys.
Falooda: Rose syrup drink that is found from Iran to Indonesia. The one in Mumbai comes with layers of vermicelli jelly, basil seeds, and a scoop of ice cream.
Pani puri: Crisp shells filled with chickpeas and doused in sauces.
Papdi chaat: Savoury mix of round crackers, fried bits, yoghurt, and chutneys.
Pav bhaji: Bread rolls with a dip of mashed curry vegetables.
Vada pav: Deep-fried potato patty sandwiched in a bread roll and smeared with chutneys.

These street foods are harder to find.

Bombay Sandwich: Grilled sandwich with chutney spread. Found at Bombay Bakers.
Frankie: Round flatbread that is fried, rolled into a tube, and stuffed with various fillings. Bombay Snack Bar and sibling Bombay Frankie have them. So does Bharuchi’s.
Keema Pav: Bread rolls with a dip of curried minced meat. Bombay Snack Bar is the closest place to downtown Toronto that has this.

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Rasovara

North Indian thali fit for royalty

Rasovara is my favourite vegetarian restaurant in the Greater Toronto Area. Heck, it’s one of my favourite restaurants of any type. Vegetarian cuisine usually conjures images of organic salads and mock meats. But don’t forget that South Asians have been perfecting it for centuries. Vegetarian dishes can rival any meat dish, given the right ingredients and technique.

Rasovara is a specialist in premium thalis. That’s a pretty bold move considering that thalis are associated with cheap daily specials. Even better, their dishes hail from Rajasthan and Gujarat, which are under-represented in Toronto. They also have a smattering of Punjabi ones. I rank Rasovara highly because they manage to make every dish taste different from one another and of course, sumptuous. No mean feat considering there are 8 different curries in their thali. Each ingredient had a different cooking time and they were able to achieve perfection.

Thali—the original Indian buffet

Thalis are multi-course meals served at once on the same platter. The arrangement is invariably rice and breads in the middle and small bowls around the perimeter for the various curries. They may be vegetarian or not. Traditionally, refills are unlimited, so they are the original all-you-can-eat meal.

Thalis are an affordable way to sample a bit of everything. Items in a thali change often, on the whims of the chef. Kind of like a tasting menu for the masses. But cafeteria quality. I have eaten dozens of thalis across India and none of them were memorable. It’s difficult to find a premium version of something that is associated with a lunch special. Rasovara bucks the trend.

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Hyderabad Biryani Hut

Solid, good value biryanis

Hyderabad Biryani Hut is one the better biryani specialists in Toronto. By specialists, I mean they have at least 8 types of biryani. It’s even in the name of the restaurant. I was hoping they would stick to that but alas, their menu includes other cookie-cutter North Indian dishes that far outnumber biryanis.

Exterior of Hyderabad Biryani Hut — Hyderabad Biryani Hut

Dum, dum, dum, DUM biryani

Biryani is a distinctly Indian rice dish that has its roots in Iranian polo (probably). Both are prepared by cooking rice halfway, then finished in stock. Meat is layered below the rice and cooked together. Alternatively, meat can be cooked separately and added when the rice is done. Unlike the Iranian version that is fruity and more restrained, the Indian biryani is fiery, more elaborate, and a meal on its own. There are dozens of variations throughout India, Pakistan, and the diaspora in East Africa, South Africa, and Southeast Asia. But the most revered variant is Hyderabadi dum biryani (హైదరాబాదీ దమ్ బిర్యానీ), from Hyderabad, India.

Dum (దమ్) refers to cooking over low heat with a flat-bottomed vessel. The vessel is sealed to keep steam in and impart a bit of pressure cooking. Traditionally, dough is used for sealing. These days, one can wrap a moist towel around the rim of the vessel and put a heavy weight on the lid for the same effect. This method is less tedious and messy.

For authenticity, I look for restaurants that use dough to seal the vessel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell if this was the case with Hyderabadi Biryani Hut. The biryani was cooked and transferred to a different bowl for serving. To be fair, that’s how it is done in restaurants in Hyderabad. Some Toronto restaurants cook and serve biryani in the same vessel. They leave the dough on so you can slice it open and uncover the mouthwatering biryani within. Khau Gully is one such restaurant.

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The Host

Best all-you-can-eat Indian buffet in Toronto

The Host is a venerable Toronto restaurant that also boasts the best Indian AYCE in the city. The draw of AYCE is quantity over quality but this is a rare case where you can get both quantity and quality. This buffet is only offered during Friday lunch hours, so plan your visit accordingly.

Two reasons why this is the best buffet. Every item is good enough to order on its own. That is the hallmark of a great buffet. Even secondary items like naans and dessert are done well. I can’t think of any other AYCE restaurants where everything is a hit. The second reason is that it costs $22.59, which is shockingly affordable. If you need more reasons, it’s consistent in quality and conveniently located downtown.

To be clear, there are slightly better Indian buffets in the Greater Toronto Area which includes Mississauga and Brampton. However, The Host reigns supreme in Toronto proper.

The buffet is hosted in a naturally-lit room at the back of the restaurant. There is plenty of seating space and it’s easy to get a table even though the buffet is popular. It attracts staff from the nearby University of Toronto as well as Yorkville residents.

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Godavari

This restaurant closed in Autumn 2020. Thanks for the memories!

Affordable Andhra cuisine in a lavish setting

The evolution of South Indian restaurants in non-Asian cities usually starts with pan-Indian eateries serving stereotypical food (think butter chicken and biryani). Then, it branches out to general South Indian restaurants serving dosas and idlis. The first regional specialization to emerge is Tamil cuisine. The majority of cities never get past this stage. If there is enough diner demand and sophistication, Keralan restaurants will appear next. Andhra and Telugu restaurants are rare, with the exception of Hyderabadi biryani shops. Only a few cities outside of India and the Middle East get specialists in the least-known South Indian cuisine, Karnataka.

That’s why I was excited to try Godavari, one of only two Andhra restaurants in the Toronto region. Although they don’t have the full gamut of Andhra dishes (like avakaya, a mango pickle), they offer some regional specialties that can’t be found elsewhere in Canada. Andhra cuisine is one of the spiciest in India. Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the spice levels at Godavari because I did not order any spicy dishes for this visit.

Reception hall at Godavari — Reception hall. A complete change in atmosphere from the outside.

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Gujarati Foods

Exceptional dhokla and namkeens

Lately, I’ve been on a hunt for the best dhoklas in Toronto. Dhoklas look like yellow sponge cakes but are savoury and made of rice flour and chickpeas. They are the emblematic snack of Gujarat, India. Not many places in Toronto have them and there are even fewer Gujarati restaurants. Strange, since once would think that the predominantly vegetarian cuisine would attract a strong following from urbanites.

Gujarati Foods is one of the few places in the region that focuses on, what else, Gujarati foods. This is actually a factory in the hinterlands of Brampton. Amazingly, they make their own namkeens (crisp snacks) on premise. This is like finding a place that makes their own potato chips. They have an attached storefront with different varieties of namkeens in giant bins. You scoop up how much you want and pay by weight, like a bulk food store. Brush up on your Indian snack terminology before going. Most bins are not labelled and the price list doesn’t have pictures, just the name of the snack. Prices are higher than packaged namkeens from mega brands like Haldiram’s, but you can taste the quality difference. They average around $5.09 to $5.65 per pound. There are around 20 varieties including common ones like chevdo, chakri, and ratlami sev. The most premium one is special chevdo, also the most expensive at $6.78 per pound. Bhel mix is popular and my favourite because it contains a good variety of components and is reasonably priced.

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