getting your goat—ali's west indian roti shop
Another month, another Chowhound dinner. Headed down to Parkdale this time, to test out the Trinidadian food at Ali's West Indian Roti Shop (Queen W and Lansdowne). Decorwise, Ali's could best be described as fast-food joint with tropical scenery, such as the painting above. Business seemed to be mostly takeout, though a few customers decided to stick around the clean surroundings. Rather than order individually, we ate family style, ordering a variety of dishes. Staff helpfully described what was in unfamiliar-sounding items. We sampled mauby, a carbonated drink that started off with a pleasant hint of licorice that left a bitter aftertaste (though nowhere near as bad as Moxie). Nobody ordered a full cup. Instead, our drinks ranged from a large cup of peanut punch (think liquid Crispy Crunch/Butterfinger bar, very tasty) to 591 mL bottles of Busta soda (I tried pineapple, which didn't have the overwhelming sweetness of other brands). Other than pattties, we ord...