At the beginning of March I moved into a new place about a block away from Christie Pitts Park. The location is phenom, and is smack dab in the midst of a (cheap) foodie's paradise. To my south there is Little Italy. To the northeast there is Korea Town. Northwest of me is what I like to call Little Ethiopia, given the number of Ethiopian joints that line Bloor near Ossington (a review of Ethiopian food is coming soon). And right across the street from me there is a quaint Portugese deli that sells amazing sandwiches for 5 bucks. It's safe to say I live in the culinary equivalent of the United Colours of Benetton.
Anyways, a while ago I was meandering down Bloor, past Christie Pitts, when I was slapped awake by the beautiful yet pungent smell of curry. I blindly followed my nose to a small South Indian restaurant called Madras Masala. Just to give you some context, I am of Indian descent and typically only get good Indian food when it is prepared by my mom who lives on the other side of the country in B.C. I can make a few dishes on my own, but nothing compares to Indian food cooked by someone who knows what they are doing. That said, I was waxing nostalgic and compelled to get me some home cookin'.
Madras Masala, as can be implied by its name by those who are geographically literate, is a South Indian restaurant. A staple of South Indian cuisine is a beautiful creation called masala dosa, which basically means "spicy pancake". Now, as gross as that sounds, I'm telling you it's really good. Would I steer you wrong?
So, on the menu there are a variety of dosa's you can get. I keep it simple and go for the Masala Dosa. The dosa itself is crepe like, and is comprised of rice flour, lentils, and fenugreek seeds (no clue what these are). It's fried and filled with a spiced mixture of potatoes and onions. It comes with two types of chutney you can dip it in - coconut and coriander. It's also served with a bowl of sambar, which is basically a tamarind flavored lentil soup.
The dish is vegetarian friendly which is nice. I also think it's probably fine for those who can't tolerate gluten given that its rice flour... but don't take my word for it, I don't want any hate mail if I am wrong.
What I am sure of is that you get a pretty good meal for a great deal - $7.99 plus tax. Both the taste and smell will linger for days. It's fantastic.
If you do pick-up you get an additional 10% off, but be sure to tell the guy you saw the deal on their website, otherwise he'll act like he doesn't know what you're talking about (insert Russel Peters joke here).
Thanks for reading and please come again!
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