SpiceCityTo

Journalist Sarah Efron explores strip malls and hole-in-the-wall restaurants in search of the city's best ethnic food

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Indian-style roti that rivals Gandhi's

A quaint semi-detached house at Dupont and Spadina is home to Roti Cuisine of India, a restaurant that specializes in Indian-style roti that rivals the legendary Gandhi Indian Cuisine

Owner Vijayan Venkitaraman, a former cruise ship chef from Chennai in South India, opened up the restaurant with his brother two years ago. The original plan was to open a conventional Indian restaurant, but Venkitaraman felt a simpler, more casual concept would work better in the small space. Inspired by Gandhi Indian Cuisine, he decided to wrap classic Indian curries inside a Caribbean-style roti shell.

 


Spice lovers won't be disappointed, as these rotis pack a serious punch. While the butter chicken roti ($10.99) lacks the tomato content of the standard dish, it doesn't disappoint. The boneless white meat chunks and tender potatoes make a tasty and filling meal. 

The lamb curry roti ($8.99) has small, lean cubes of lamb mixed with potato, nestled into a slightly crispy shell. The curry is cooked for six or seven hours to maximize tenderness, while the roti is toasted on a flat grill. 

 
 
Not only is the food on par with Gandhi, but Roti Cuisine of India also offers some new variations on the Toronto-style Indian-Caribbean roti hybrid. Baingan bhurtha roti is made with oven-roasted eggplant, sauteed herbs and green peas. Chicken and lamb saag rotis include pureed spinach, and shahi shrimp roti is cooked with coconut milk and ground cashew nut sauce. The restaurant also features a wide selection of biryani (rice dishes), and you can order Indian beer, such as Kingfisher.

Although you can dine in the restaurant, the majority of customers order take-out. You can see the complete menu on the Roti Cuisine of India's website, which is worth visiting just to read the baffling Google-Translate-gone-wrong text, which promises dishes with "the perfect poise" and "high calorific value."
 
Photos by Dana Lacey. Thanks to Zoe S. for the tip. 


Roti Cuisine of India is located at 308 Dupont Street at Spadina. Tel: 416 968 9366. Hours: Open Monday to Friday 11:30am to 10pm; Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm to 10pm. Debit and cash only. 


  • Share your own thoughts on Roti Cuisine of India in the comments field below.

  • Follow Spice City Toronto on Twitter and like it on Facebook.

  • Email restaurant tips or corrections to SpiceCityTO @ gmail.com 


  • See the best ethnic restaurants in the GTA mapped onto a map of Toronto and onto a map of the world by country of origin.




  • View Larger Map

    6 comments:

    1. Sounds good! I hope they're less salty than Gandhi's version.

      ReplyDelete
    2. looking forward to trying it soon!

      ReplyDelete
    3. Been here three times over the last year, twice for take-out and once dining in. All three experiences great. Tasty and hot. Staff are friendly. A great addition to a neighbourhood striving to develop an identity.

      ReplyDelete
    4. While I'll missed the Dragon Inn that used to occupy the space, I'm a fan of the rotis here, as well as the free cup of rice pudding with every take-out order. The Shrimp cashew roti is my favorite.

      ReplyDelete
    5. I told you about this place too! I just couldn't remember the name. Anyway, glad you checked it out. I love it.

      ReplyDelete
    6. Good call Adam! Keep the tips coming.

      ReplyDelete