Showing posts with label paneer tikka masala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paneer tikka masala. Show all posts

Ancila's Indian Cuisine (Mississauga)


Dining at Ancila’s Indian Cuisine is sort of cryptic, so you'll just have to roll with it. Starting with the reservations: the restaurant accepts them, but I’m told to make sure to cancel, if necessary, as they won't take another reservation for that time. This led me to believe that the dining room is tiny, when in reality it’s a fair-sized establishment. Upon entering, I see one large table is occupied being served by a waiter; not in a rush I wait patiently and it wasn’t until a women (presumably Ancila) leaves the kitchen that I’m addressed and instructed to sit wherever I like.

She returns to the kitchen and as I’m sitting there – without water, cutlery, or even a menu – I begin to wonder what’s going on. Finally, when my friend arrives, Ancila comes back to the table and things get clarified. We’re advised there are no printed menus; instead, she'll ask questions to come up with an order: On a scale from one to ten, what is your spice tolerance level? Are you vegetarian? Of the proteins are there any you particularly enjoy? Do you have any dietary restrictions?

With that we decided on a creamy medium spicy vegetarian dish and a spicier tomato based meat offering along with rice and naan. Ancila then went back to the kitchen to prepare everything and didn’t return until later to check on our experience.  

There was plenty of paneer in the tikka masala ($11); soft and fresh, it’s contrasted by a slight crunch from the bell peppers and onion. Being a thicker sauce, this went well sandwiched in between the warm toasted naan.


The mutton in the karahi ($12) was cooked well; stewed until tender with the collagen around the bone starting to break down. Cooked to a level-7 spiciness, the tomato, ginger and coriander sauce was hot enough to cause the tongue to sting and bring heat to your face. When too much sauce was spooned onto the rice ($3), a forkful of cooling raita ($2.50) helped calm it back down.


A downfall from not having a menu is not realizing all the options available. For example, for the sides, aside from rice we also ordered butter ($1.50) and garlic ($2.50) naan (any difference between the two is slight). However, after finding their menu online, I realize they also serve flakey paratha and flavourful briyani, I wish we had those instead.

It’s a quaint restaurant and with their no-menu system feels like you’re dining in Ancila’s home. “Let me make you a bit of food, what would you like?” it sort of feels like. The dishes take a while to prepare but what comes out is piping hot and made-to-order. Just be mindful about adding items too late in the meal, depending on the time, they may not be able to make dishes as even the samosa dough is made fresh. 

Like dining in a home, it’s a calm unhurried experience – there for a later dinner, Ancilia assured us to take our time and chat more, despite the restaurant being closed. What started off a little puzzling ended up being a good experience.

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Mississauga, Canada
 Address: 6905 Millcreek Drive

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Ancila's Indian Cusine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Little India (Toronto)


I have doubts when visiting a restaurant and the customer base doesn’t represent the ethnic origin of the establishment. Little India is one of those places… possibly due to its central Queen West location close to the Entertainment District. Nonetheless, since they’ve been operating for years and are generally rated well, a dinner seemed in order, despite their lack of Indian clientele.

For anyone who likes chicken fingers, Little India’s chicken pakora ($7.75) is a fantastic take on the classic dish. Juicy pieces of white meat is lightly breaded in a colourful but rather tasteless batter and deep fried until it’s ever so slightly crunchy. On their own, the pakora are underwhelming; but, a dip into the sweet and spicy tangy tamarind sauce does loads to improve the starter.


The lamb vindaloo ($15.50) had the basic hit of fiery heat you’d expect from the dish, but lacked the vinegar and herbs in the background that makes it more than just a spicy curry. The lamb itself was fine – soft enough and not gamey – however, the portion rather meagre with large potato chunks filling a third of the bowl.


What I’ve come to realize is vegetarian dishes are often better choices at Indian restaurants. There were large pieces of paneer in the tikka masala ($14.95). The creamy tomato sauce just ever so slightly spicy but not overwhelming to detract from the cheesy firm tofu texture of the paneer. The eggplant bharta ($12.50) was wonderfully fragrant and flavourful; it didn’t depend on chilies, instead relying on sweet chopped caramelized onions. It’s the perfect dish for those who can’t handle heat and goes equally well smeared onto naan or combined with pulao rice ($4.25).


Little India’s garlic naan ($4.25) is great – chewy, fluffy and has a light smokiness without tasting burnt. The salty garlicky topping goes especially well the eggplant bharta, definitely consider pairing as an appetizer.


Having tried rasmalai and gulab jamun on previous occasions and finding both overly sweet, I was delighted to find additional options on Little India’s menu. The kheer ($3.95), a rice pudding, uses a similar sweet cardamom infused milk base as rasmalai and is heavy on the sauce compared to rice (imagine a sweet congee). Despite the crystal shards in the kulfi ($4.75), it was my favourite of the two sweets. The sweetened milk ice cream is cold and hard (give it some time to melt), but after getting through the crystals finishes off creamy with a nuttiness from the finely chopped pistachio and almonds. Of all the desserts, the sugariness is subdued and ideal for those who want a lighter dessert.


Perhaps I’ve been too judgmental – if a restaurant attracts diverse clientele, they shouldn’t be penalized for the hospitality. After all, they may not necessarily “tone down” their menu; factors such as service and location matter as well. Little India’s service was impeccable – friendly and everything served quickly and correctly. Little perks like the complimentary discs of crispy papadum with crunchy carrot chutney are also hard to turn down. Give everything a chance, you’ll never know until you try.


Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 255 Queen Street West
 Website: www.littleindia.ca

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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:


Little India Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Bindia Indian Bistro (Toronto)

Bindia aims to serve Indian food within an airy brightly lit bistro. Their dining room doesn’t have an ounce of red or gold, instead there are calming blues and warm wood tones. The well ventilated restaurant means you can even go out afterwards without being perfumed with the aromatic aromas.

The vegetable pakora ($9) was a rocky start. The plump chickpea flour fritters arrived a lovely golden brown with plenty of crispy edges, but should be smaller as the inside was mushy and mealy, instead of the airy puff you’re expecting.

Luckily, the heaping lamb biryani ($19) redeemed the restaurant, incorporating flavourful spiced basmati rice where even the medium spice level already had me reaching for the raita (a thin cucumber yoghurt that really helps sooths the tongue). Tucking into the mound you’ll find chunks of tender lamb, not nearly as flavourful as the rice, but helps the mild lamb taste remain and distinguish itself from beef.


If a powerful lamb dish is what you’re craving, their vindaloo ($19) is also extremely tender despite containing even large pieces of meat and sits in plenty of their house-made sauce. The dish is great for slathering onto an order of basmati rice ($5) or tucked into a piece of warm crispy naan ($3).


Bindia’s paneer is the softest I’ve ever experienced, definitely closer to a cheese consistency than a firm tofu. Within the paneer tikka masala ($16) were large cubes of Indian cheese, stewed with onions and green peppers in a lovely masala cream sauce. Despite not having an ounce of meat, the dish is a rich and hearty.



With a big dining room, Bindia can accommodate large groups – certainly, during our holiday visit seems to be hosting many corporate lunches. Their dishes are great for sharing, so pass them along and break naan with your colleagues.

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 16 Market Street

Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:



Bindia Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato