Last February, I had the opportunity to go and visit newly opened restaurant Pukka (778 St. Clair Avenue West) with its owners Derek Valleau and Harsh Chawla (both formerly of Amaya The Indian Room). The space (upon entrance) hasn’t changed much but what Harsh and Derek have done with Pukka in the last year has been incredible. They have created a fine-dining Indian food experience from the moment you enter the restaurant to the moment you leave with carefully thought out dishes and cocktails.

The space is fresh and modern with soft mood lighting. The staff are friendly, accommodating and can explain every item to you on the menu without the bat of an eyelash. From the moment we arrive until the moment we leave, the restaurant is filled with a frenetic energy where every single seat and table is filled. Harsh and Derek seem to know everyone in the room or at least, they have made everyone so comfortable that it seems like they do!

So what is new? Well, Harsh tell us they have been focusing a lot of energy into their cocktail menu and trying to take classics while putting a bit of an Indian twist on it. Take for example, the British Raj ($10.20) with Gosling’s rum, lime, almond syrup and pineapple juice or the Rose G&T ($9.20) which contains rosewater, cucumber, peppercorn syrup and tonic.  Another honourable mention goes out to the Mumbai Sour ($10.40), with gin, aperol, grapefruit, cardamom bitters and egg whites.

The kitchen at Pukka is adorned with a clay tandoor oven and the menu is chalked full of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients while using rich spices and creams to take on their house-made curries and rubs. While many of the dishes were still around from my first visit, there were many new dishes that have taken up new homes on the menu. For starters, we have the Beets and Paneer ($11.70) made up of greens with pickled beets, toasted spiced pumpkin seeds with crumbled paneer cheese in a chilli-orange vinaigrette. The dish is simple and so well done as all the ingredients speak for themselves.

Next up was the String Chaat dish ($9.60), which was on the menu on our last visit but has changed (with the season). Consisting of seasonal string vegetables mixed t

ogether with sprouts, rice crisps, pomegranate, mango in with chutney and yogurt – it created a nice balanced dish with crunch and sweetness.

For our main dishes, Harsh explained to us that while they have spent a lot of time perfecting what they currently do have on the menu – they have taken the time to introduce some new items which have been warmly received by all. One such item has been the Lamb Lollipops ($26.70) served in a coriander curry sauce and rubbed in turmeric and mint. The lamb is juicy, tender and prepared with absolute care. The curry adds a wonderful kick to an already wonderful dish.

Some other standout dishes from the evening which were new additions were Seared Spice Duck Breast ($23.60, bottom left dish in photo below). The duck was melt in your mouth with the savoury flavours of tamarind and lime shining through. The dish was perfectly prepared. Next up, the Boatman Fish and Prawn Curry ($26.80, bottom right dish in photo below) was flakey, tender and and the coconut broth I could eat on its own. Finally, the Daal makhani ($10.80, top dish in photo below) which is a creamy black lentil dish was out of this world. Once again, simple but well done.

When I’ve been asked what the best Indian in the city is, I’ve always said: Pukka, hands-down. They are doing inventive things in the kitchen and behind the bar while preparing and sending out amazing food. You won’t be disappointed if you attend, so check it out.

Photos by Yuli Scheidt

The post Bringing the warmth of India to St. Clair West: Pukka appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

For many of us in Toronto, good Indian food is a hard thing to come by. We’re accustomed to buffet style or muddled flavours. Thankfully, Derek Valleau and Harsh Chawla (both formerly of Amaya The Indian Room) have taken on what they believe has not been filled in Toronto yet: a fine-dining Indian food spot that leaves you comforting for more. That spot is Pukka (778 St Clair Avenue West).

The space is fresh and modern with reclaimed wood table and pops of green, purple and orange throughout. You’ll find lots of funky paintings and soft lighting, which gives it a bit of a romantic touch. I had mentioned to Derek & Harsh when I first arrived that when I lived in the St Clair area some year back, restaurants like this were missing. Derek told me candidly that the area and its residents have been quite kind in their support, especially over the winter months. When Yuli and I attended on a Tuesday evening, the restaurant had ever seat full. This was even on one of the coldest winter nights we were having.

Pukka sticks to classical Indian cuisine. The kitchen is equipped with a clay tandoor oven and the menu is chalked full of seasonal, locally sourced ingredients while using rich spices and creams to take on their house-made curries and rubs.

The menu itself is divided into snacks & eats. The snack portion has you covered with some intoxicating dishes such as: Baby Kale Salad ($8.90), which seems simple enough but with dates, cashew nut dressing and lotus chips – it brings it to a whole other level. The Vegetable String Chaat ($8.40) is serving up ripe mango and granny smith apple with a little bit of pomegranate seed just for flavour. Mix that in with some delicious yogurt and chutney and you’ve got yourself a winning dish. Another killer starter was the Chicken 65 ($9.60) which had all the feels of good fried chicken. But should you be in the South of India. This dish was spiced with curry leaf, red chili, tamarind, cumin, garlic and other spices and was pretty much, this was off the chain. I could really seem them developing this into a main. But that’s just my personal opinion.

After inhaling all of these delicious snacks, we thought it would be wise to test some drinks off of the cocktail menu. You know to – ahem – cleanse the palette. First up was the Snapdragon ($9.20) which consisted of vodka, pear nectar, ginger beer & lime. It was sweet and fun, not too over-powering and reminded me of summer. Thankfully, it went so well with everything we were eating. Yuli decided to test out the Chai Town ($8.40) which had bourbon, chai tea, pomegranate liquors and bitters. From my sip, it was pretty delicious.

Our servers (who were incredibly lovely and so helpful) brought out our dazzling course of mains, who informed us that most of the dishes were gluten-free. So fear not gluten-free fans, you are in luck! First up, we were brought out one of my favourite dishes of the night: Mushroom & Spinach Stuffed Paneer ($17.30). This dish was rich and bold and filling. Plus: paneer cheese is heavenly. Next up, the Pan Seared Sea Bass ($22.40) which consisted of coconut milk, curry leaves and roasted spices. The fish was beautifully cooked and the aromas of the curry was hypnotizing. You know you cannot visit an Indian food restaurant without having Butter Chicken ($17.90) and while it was good, it was not Pukka’s best dish of the evening. Oddly enough, I enjoyed everything else so much more than the Butter Chicken. The tomato infused butter sauce was rich and delicious but the chicken was a bit dry. Nothing terrible but again, not my favourite out of everything that came out. Next up, we had the Madras Pepper Steak ($19.70) which was tender, juicy and served up with caramelized onion and coconut. It was beautifully rich and delicious. This was probably my second favourite main of the evening.

Don’t forget, you have your options of sides too. We opted for the Green Beans ($8.70) with caramelized onions, coconut and turmeric and Rice ($4.60) served up in a lovely little jar (resealable) with so many aromatics. These pair deliciously with all the mains.

If you’ve left room for dessert, there is that. We opted for the Eton Mess ($7.60), which was a mess of all things delicious: rosewater-soaked meringues in pomegranate syrup and sweet lassi cream. Um, so into it.

So if you’re craving authentic Indian and feel like making the trek to St. Clair West, make a date for Pukka. You will not be disappointed. Reservations can be made daily.

Photos by Yuli Scheidt

The post Pukka Spices Up St. Clair West appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Fucked Up – Do You Feed? (Official Video) from Lance Ludwig on Vimeo.

Banjara (796 Bloor St. W) generated plenty of controversy last year when, in December, it was named Toronto’s top Indian restaurant by BlogTO. The parade of sensitivities ensued: Didn’t it used to be a Coffee Time? Why the hell didn’t Lahore Tikka take the honour? (Even if the restaurant serves Pakistani food.) Were BlogTO readers wilfully ignoring the underrated, and authentic, restaurants of Gerrard St., or Thorncliffe, of Scarborough in favour of downtown-West supremacy?  Perhaps. But such criticisms aren’t entirely fair; Banjara has a lot going for it. It’s cheap, for one. The portions are generous. And, in the summertime, their Christie Pits location—not Banjara’s Yonge-Eglinton chapter—they’re one of the few large, and noteworthy, Indian-resto patio in the city’s downtown West.

And that’s what draws us in—along with the allure of sipping cold Cheetahs, the Toronto-brewed Indian restaurant beer staple, on a patio. By the time we’re seated, service is quick, almost too quick; they’ve checked in on us twice before we’re ready to order. By the time we settled, we elect for Indian-restaurant faves: Savoury stuffed onion kulcha, garlic naan, pulao rice, matar paneer and fried okra. The food arrives all at once, which is overwhelming—but definitely rewards the inner glutton. We start with the cut ‘n’ quartered kulcha first, which was a flat-out revelation: Slightly reminiscent of cong you bing, the flaky Chinese onion pastry, the kulcha’s simple onion-and-garlic inner completely crumbles in your mouth. No, it’s not fit for sopping up sauces, but it’s delicious.

We move onto a serving of pulao rice—wonderfully seasoned basmati with a subtle hint of cream—and the matar paneer, a dish consisting of green peas and Indian cheese. (Which, it should be noted, is rennet-free.) The peas add slight sweetness to affair and the firm paneer holds it together, but the star of the dish is its sauce: Creamy, plentiful and balanced, it’s next-level richness nearly overwhelms its rice pairing. It’s the type of dish that prompts meal timeouts. We take one.

Moving along, we tear into the naan, which is encrusted in minced garlic and brushed with ghee (that is, Indian clarified butter). We serve out portions of the okra next—and it turns out to be the meal’s highlight. Avoiding the pitfalls of plenty of okra dishes—they’re often tasteless and slimy—Banjara’s fresh okra is crisp and near-caramelized. It’s lightly seasoned, and one a dish that doesn’t allow its spice to overwhelm its ingredients—a rarity for cuisine that is, quite often, built around slow-cooked foods. Paired with the overzealously fragrant naan, and we make quick work of the okra.

These, of course, aren’t just food-reviewer platitudes: The meal was, especially at its price point, which clocked in at $50 with beers included, excellent—and perhaps the best Indian meal available in Toronto’s downtown west end. Maybe those BlogTO readers were onto something after all.

Article written by Mark Teo

The post Do you want to go for a curry with me? (At Banjara.) appeared first on Toronto Guardian.