Guys on the evening of Saturday 11th of September I will be in downtown Torronto on my own and fancy having a curry. Can any of you Canadians or expats over there recommend where I should eat. Even better if any of you are free and fancy sharing a meal I'm your man PP

Hi Panpot,

If you're determined to stay in downtown Toronto, your pickings for quality will be slim.

Chef of India on Eglinton is probably your best bet. Its pretty good, but isn't standard BIR.

The closest to BIR you will find is Shafiq's in Peterborough, but that's an hour out of town.

If you fancy a bit of a walkabout, there is the Little Bangladesh area on Gerrard East. Loads of restaurants there, unfortunately haven't had a chance to try out many of them yet.

Hope this helps a little. Please do tell where you end up going, and your opinion on the food.

Cheers,
Josh

Thanks Josh will keep you posted.PP

Josh I am just back from a business trip to Niagera Falls with an extra night in Toronto. Yesterday I found a handful of CIRs just passed University Ave on Queen St West. They all had a buffet brunch so I dived into the first one I came to for all you could eat for 12 Dollars including tax. There was lots on offer from Onion Bhaji and Samosas for starters to 12 Curries with Nans and plenty of deserts. I had a bit of most and have to say while the food was generally good apart from the Bhaji and Tandoori Chicken it didn't taste like Glasgow Standard Fair. Inevitably I can't really expect the best from a buffet and it would be foolish to assume anything from what was on offer regarding quality in CIRs. What I can say is the food was way better than anything you will get in French IRs. Cheers PP

Quote from: Panpot on September 13, 2010, 11:02 AM
apart from the Bhaji and Tandoori Chicken it didn't taste like Glasgow Standard Fair.

I wouldn't expect it to though Panpot. Judging by the ashoka recipes Glasgow fare is a world unto its self.

Thanks for reporting back Panpot. Always curious to know what Brits think of CIR cooking.

Buffets are universally low quality (curries particularly). I avoid like the plague and always order off the menu. Over here, it seems every CIR insists on having a buffet on offer.

Usually its also traditional dishes, with only a few meat options. Always dark meat, to keep costs low.

Never had a French IR meal. The only other European country I had a curry in was in Iceland. Absolutely awful.

-- Josh

Quote from: Secret Santa on September 13, 2010, 05:48 PM

Quote from: Panpot on September 13, 2010, 11:02 AM
apart from the Bhaji and Tandoori Chicken it didn't taste like Glasgow Standard Fair.

I wouldn't expect it to though Panpot. Judging by the ashoka recipes Glasgow fare is a world unto its self.

Well i like these kind of stuffs to eat. Specially the Tandoori Chicken.  ;D

Quote from: joshallen2k on September 14, 2010, 12:14 AM
Never had a French IR meal.

I have, and it was awful : the tandoori chicken was seriously high (off, well past its "eat by" date), and I got food poisoning.  Never again.  But to be honest, it serves me right : French cuisine is so superb that you have to be nuts to choose to eat something foreign when you are visiting France.

My recollections of Indian food eaten whilst visiting Canada are virtually non-existent : I know that there was (?is?) a wonderful multi-ethnic food store in the North part of Waterloo, from which I bought almost everything I needed (I was staying in a self-catering "Visiting Profs" apartment at the University), and there was certainly at least one good authentic Chinese restaurant, but I really can't remember eating anything Indian other than meals that I cooked for myself.

** Phil.

Having lived in Montpellier last year for 6 months also agree the IR are terrible and very expensive stuck to french cusine most of the time but was dying out for hot spices in the end.
Went to this place wasn't very good to be honest

http://www.restaurant-bombay.fr/