St. Clair Ave West is now home to yet another fabulous restaurant. I’m not kidding I can count about 6 restaurants on this street that I adore

Ji opened about a month ago and is brought to you by the same owners as Pukka. Ji is described as an Indian Gastropub which means there’s a great cocktail list (Chutney Mary, Chai Flip, Tamarind Margarita  etc) as well as shareable plates/mains and desserts. This sign says it all!

Not only am I fan of the food, but I think they did a great job with the decor as well.

I usually pay no attention to the art in a restaurant, but this piece was noticed!!

We went with another couple and shared a variety of vegetarian dishes. Every single dish was flavourful and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them on another visit.

CHILI TOFU – pan tossed with onions and peppers.

SWEET POTATO CHAAT – with yogurt, tamarind and mint chutney

SEMOLINA PUFFS – filled with chickpeas, potato, yogurt and chutney

CAESAR SALAD – Romaine hearts, roasted chickpeas, smoky coconut “bacon bits’ with a vegan cashew dressing

TRIO OF CHUTNEYS with Papadums

I’m looking forward to my next visit at which time I’m going to order some non vegetarian dishes like: Hakka Shrimp, Naanchos, and Chicken Purris. Can you tell that I’ve been studying the menu? I really can’t wait to grab another couple and visit.

Congratulations Derek and Harsh for opening (and creating) yet another fabulous restaurant.

For more information about Ji. 

Address: 760 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto

Phone: 416 792 5550

Twitter/Instagram: @HelloJiToronto

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/HelloJiToronto

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It’s not every day that I drive to Mississauga to go check out a restaurant but I thought than an Indian Buffet with 150 delicious items, deserves a visit!!

Tandoori Flame is well recognized as North America’s Largest Indian Buffet & Restaurant with over 14,000 sq.ft. and with a capacity for more than 500 guests! As a result, there’s a lot of wedding parties, and celebrations held at Tandoori Flame. Not to mention that they have 11 food stations which means there is truly something for everyone!!

I ate, and ate, and ate and before you knew it…I was stuffed. I’m pretty sure I went up to the buffet three times, if not 4..but who’s counting. LOL

The food was fresh and flavourful. When I visit a buffet, I like to know that the food hasn’t been sitting out for hours and there’s no doubt that the food at Tandoori Flame is FRESH.

I’m also impressed that they “get” social media.

Tandoori Flame has two locations and I really believe that this concept will continue to expand!

For more information:

Website: www.tandooriflame.com

Twitter; @TandooriFlame

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

Disclosure: My meal was complimentary, however all opinions are my own.

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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.

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