Express Yourself

Amaya is a high-end Indian restaurant in North Toronto. The owner has been opening smaller Amaya Express versions throughout the city. Tuesday night, I checked out the new one on the Ossington strip before a show.

Given its trendy neighbours, the restaurant has gone with wood floors, dark wood tables, and a giant retro mural showing a street vendor selling Indian food. Given the name, I was expecting a more no-frills takeout place, although they were doing a brisk trade in pick-ups. I ordered the saag paneer ($10.95) with basmati ($3.25). A second surprise, the dishes came out on the same upscale dining ware as its namesake.

The spinach has been pureed to a soup-like texture. The cubes of cottage cheese were likewise soft. When added with the rice, I practically didn't even have to chew. The Amaya philosophy is to do more delicate cooking to not overpower dishes with spices. But I found the taste profile of this dish too bland, and would have liked more fragrant, typical Indian flavours.

This little restaurant is a good addition to the neighbourhood, which although saturated with restaurants, have too many Continental offerings except for two Vietnamese hold-overs. A little variety is welcome to this stretch.