I discovered Pukka via Twitter (does that surprise you?) and then found out that they  recently opened up a little over a week ago on St. Clair Ave. West.  I was eager to blog about Pukka seeing as I haven’t reviewed an Indian restaurant ever!!

Let’s start off with the space:

Not too dark. Not too bright. Plus I love the colour combos. It’s a pretty cool space for a restaurant in “North Toronto”. (in my humble opinion)

Now let’s talk about the food. Pukka has managed to make Indian food – INTERESTING. It’s not heavy, or greasy or boring at ALL.

Here’s four dishes that really were outstanding. They were interesting, fresh, extremely flavourful and light.

Top Left: Vegetable String Chaat – puffed rice, sprouts, chutneys and sweet yogurt

Top Right: Baby Kale Salad – dates, lotus chiops and spiced cashew dressing. See what I mean?

Bottom Right: Wilted Winter Greens – pickling spices.

Bottom Left: Tandoor Roasted Paneer – sweet peppers and pineapple

The meal continued with a few other winners:

Top Right: Chicken 65 – South Indian Fried Chicken (this is a MUST to order – and I’m not even a huge fan of chicken!!)

Bottom Right: Butter Chicken – tomato butter sauce.

On the Right: Vegetable Pakoras with Tomato Chutney

Believe it or not,…we managed to try dessert despite the fact that we were full.

Left: Eton Mess – rosewater meringue (my favorite), mango, pomegranate and sweet lassi cream

Right: Chai Pot Creme- candied pistachios, orange blossom creme anglaise, spiced shortbread (I loved the shortbread…hope they sell it separately one day)

Someone knows what they are doing in the kitchen and every dish was executed perfectly. I was super impressed with the flavours, textures, and presentation of each dish.

I have no doubt that the neighborhood is going to embrace Pukka. (which is pronounced PUCK – A).

For more information:

Pukka: 778 St. Clair Ave. West (West of Bathurst). 416 342 1906. They open everyday at 5 pm.

www.pukka.ca

Twitter: @pukkatoronto

Disclosure: Pukka is currently a client but I assure you that all opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

A few weeks ago, I was invited to check out Kanga Meat Pies at Sanagan’s Meat Locker. I honestly thought I was going to try Kangaroo Meat but I was oh so wrong!!

Infact I was introduced to four different Aussie meat pies! Kanga Meat Pies are best described as: an individually portioned, handheld, buttery pie filled with loads of meat, veg and gravy. Their pies are intended to be eaten with one hand only (the other is strictly reserved for the beverage of your choice)!

The two young woman behind Kanga had travelled to Australia and fell in love with the meat pie scene “down under”.  So they came back to Toronto and started to recreate them. Kanga Meat Pies were first introduced at TUM (Toronto Underground Market) but now you can buy them at Sanagans too!!

I did not grow up with meat pies but something tells me there are two components to the “perfect” meat pie: the crust and the filling. Guess what? Kanga Pies nailed it! My friend also pointed out to me that there are no PEAS in these meat pies, so if you are allergic to peas or don’t like peas – then these pies are for you!!

Not only are they pretty….

But they are delicious too.

I was surrounded by foodie friends at this event, and was thankful that we could split each pie into quarters so I could get a chance to try all four varieties. Two flavours stood out as my favourites: the Steak and Bacon and the Butter Chicken.

Hope you get a chance to try Kanga Meat Pies soon. You won’t be disappointed.

For further information:

Kanga Meat Pies are now sold at:

Sanagan’s Meat Locker, 176 Baldwin St. In Kensington Market.

Hot Oven Bakery, 177 Roncesvalle, Toronto

Twitter: @eatkanga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatkanga