Feed your Indian Craving (Chaska)!

Having moved down to the waterfront in Toronto left us with very limited options for lunching so we happened to stumble on this very quaint and humble restaurant by accident.  It seemed more like a take out spot but wafting the aromas of Indian spices,  we ventured inside to reveal a cute spot with a few freshly made options that had us salivating when we walked in.

Greeting us, the lovely proprietress Sulani warmly guided us through her dishes for the day - explaining that she mainly focused on Northern (popular) Indian cuisine serving butter chicken with generous chunks of tender white meat, paluk paneer (peas and Indian cottage chese),  daal (lentils) and a saag paneer (spinach and Indian cottage cheese) Everyday Sulani and her husband Sandip change their menu to serve fresh home made options. You can check out their menu on their website before you venture over. A favourite of my colleague is their paratha stuffed with cheese and onion which is like a flat version of a samosa - so delish and you can buy them frozen for you to make at home.  They also have an amazing selection of desserts from Wanda's and smooth mango lassi's.  They are quite proud because they built this restaurant from ground up including all the benches for their limited seating area and a space for Indian groceries to be sold.

Sulani warmly invited the group of us back to sample her very favourite fish curry dish from Goa where she grinds up poppyseeds and uses no oil, nor dairy over brown rice (which doesn't cost extra) and coconut brocoli.  It was punchy and a rare alternative to the heavier dishes and was quite nice.

The small lunch where you can mix and match your dishes costs a reasonable $5.99 and can get you through your day with a full belly.  The large is $7.99 and may make you fall asleep at your desk because it's quite a lot of food.   All the different dishes from the creamy butter chicken and the daals, and paneer spiced with some heat, feel like they've been made with love. 
I definitely look forward to feeding my Indian Chaska now and again!
*** 1/2 Stars
Chaska
125 Lower Jarvis (Right across from St. Lawerence Market)