bombay via eglinton

-

My name is Jamie and I am an Indian food addict.

Other than a menu in the family map box for the Himalaya restaurant in Windsor, I grew up with no exposure to Indian food. Dad occasionally swooned about it, but Mom never cared for curry so I suspect he had to live without it for years. I balked the first time he tried to introduce me to the cuisine, during a family trip to Toronto where I insisted everyone eat together since we had been separated all day. I suspect I was pooped from a long day of walking and wanted something familiar, which ended up being Swiss Chalet. Dad grumbled and I don't blame him.

I was open on his second attempt, during our annual session of watching the Christmas high school basketball tournament at the University of Windsor. Dad watched the games and chatted with fellow coaches from the county, while I tagged along for food. Usually we went to the long-defunct South Campus Place, where I was introduced to french onion soup in a crock. He discovered an Indian spot halfway between the U of W and downtown, the New Asian Curry House. An order of lamb and potato-stuffed naan had me hooked. Through the rest of high school, we went for regular curry fixes.

Addiction didn't take hold until a university semester in London. I quickly discovered a wide range of sauces at Sainsburys and cooked curries once a week. There was a cheap vegetarian buffet near Mornington Crescent that I often popped into - the food wasn't memorable, but it fit my student budget and provided ideas on dishes to make. Improvising dishes proved fun (curried adzuki beans anyone?), convincing my flatmates that I was a gourmet chef.

I eat Indian at least once a week. My cupboards are stuffed with spice packets and pastes, the fridge stocked with at least one bottle of Thums Up. If I don't prepare my own, I'll head out for a fix.

All of this is a preamble to January's Chowhound dinner at Bombay Masala.

***

Fish Koliwada
We started by ordering the entire appetizer menu except for soups. Nearly all items were battered, causing one diner to note how spectacularly they would photograph. My favourite was Fish Koliwada (pictured above), described as "deep fried market fish in chef's special batter." The catch of the day was salmon, a change from the pollack-based pakoras I'm used to.

Paneer Tikka
One of first mains to arrive was Paneer Tikka, giant cubes of tandoori-style cheese. It was one of the few non-meat dishes we ordered. Many of our choices were lamb-based, which proved tender and well-trimmed of fat.

Goan Fish Masala
Goan Fish Masala ("A Goan specialty traditionally cooked in coconut paste, tamarind and spices") was a table favourite. As with the earlier fish dish, this proved to be salmon.

Worries about ordering too little were groundless. I found it hard to resist nibbling long after my stomach tossed in the towel. Some ordered chai as a wind-down, which was served to us in glasses thanks to another large table. From a distance, it looked like we were drinking chocolate milk.

My fix was more than satisfied.

Bombay Masala
953 Eglinton Ave W., Toronto

Pictures taken January 4, 2008. Full set on Flickr. - JB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

past pieces of toronto: knob hill farms

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile , which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. I've republished all but two of those pieces on this website.  Here's the first of the final pair, both of which provided good lessons for future writing. Prepare yourself for a lengthy preamble.
Read more

big v: once upon a time, it was an amazing part of your life

-
Image
While dodging back alley drunks in downtown Kitchener a month ago, I noticed that the back door to a Shoppers Drug Mart bore the mark of its previous identity as part of the Big V pharmacy chain. Years of hearing their slogan "an amazing part of your life" have burned it into my brain, along with images of their comical crusading knight mascot, 25 cent cans of Coca-Cola and the free lunch cooler bags sometimes offered up with the latter. Big V was started in the mid-1960s by a group of Windsor pharmacists who joined together to pool their purchasing and marketing. Most locations were pharmacist-operated, with names reflecting the owners (DeRe, Pond's , Cornett), the neighbourhood (Seminole in Windsor) or town. The chain grew to 135 stores by the time it was purchased by Shoppers in 1995. Amherstburg's store was originally Haslehurst's Big V, then switched to the more generic "Amherstburg" by the time I started shopping there with my parents. Loc
Read more

past pieces of toronto: albert britnell book shop

-
Image
From November 2011 through July 2012 I wrote the "Past Pieces of Toronto" column for OpenFile, which explored elements of the city which no longer exist. The following was originally posted on December 2, 2011. The Starbucks at 675 Yonge Street isn’t your typical branch of the corporate coffee giant. The walls are lined with sturdy old wooden bookshelves while the floor is a checkerboard of black and white. Why this location is not like the others is hinted at on the façade. Look up to the second floor and you’ll notice a legendary name in Toronto bookselling: Albert Britnell. The quality of the literature on the shelves inside doesn’t always match the standards the Britnell family maintained for over a century of book retailing, but it’s a nod to the building’s past that comes in handy while waiting for a friend or first date. English native Albert Britnell entered the book trade by working in his brother John’s bookstore in London. Both brothers moved to C
Read more