Cleans Late For Aloo

I spent 2 hours on Friday and almost 4 hours on Saturday cleaning dirty blinds and windows. So I decided afterward that if I get my own place, I don't want blinds, sliding windows, paneled doors, wainscoting, door frames and any other home features that create bumpy surfaces and little crannies where dirt can accumulate.

Surprised that a whole morning had gone by with 1 pm approaching, I checked out South Indian Dosa Mahal in their new location. I only went to this Indian spot near Bloor and Lansdowne a handful of times a decade ago. I preferred being a regular at Banjara and Madras Masala near Christie Pits. But Mahal was beloved in the neighbourhood. When they attempted to re-open more than a year after a fire in the adjacent building, the landlord asked for months of back rent. The landlord was likely aiming for more gentrification money. There was protest in the area to save the restaurant.

Increasing real estate prices make many areas of Toronto less affordable: boutiques and restaurants have blended all neighbourhoods into a common look and feel. This area is also losing this war. But trendy combatants haven't won all the battles. Mahal's new spot at the intersection used to house Dolly's (funky filipino), Bloordale Pantry (retro 50s diner), and Whippoorwill. They all started strong but couldn't sustain the fickle crowd. Neighbours Through Being Cool and The Emerson have also vanished.

It was a tiny space crammed full of small tables and a bar top. Mahal has turned most it into the kitchen. Add to that the large food display counter and there wasn't space for more than 2 tables when things return to normal. Have they decided to do mostly take-out? They do have other choices because who would order dosas (indian crepes) to go?

So I opted for the vegan box ($7.99) and spicy masala fries ($4.99). When I unpacked my lunch at Dufferin Grove, it was 2 large servings. The box was biryani rice, bhaingan barta (eggplant curry), aloo dhal (lentil/potato), and a mock-meat tofu curry. It was fragrant and delicious though next time I'll pick plain rice. The entrée was rich enough already. The lightly coated fries were a guilty pleasure of crispy, oily, mildly hot starch. I don't know why this addictive take on french fries never went mainstream or even being available at other Indian diners. I've only seen it offered once elsewhere, a defunct spot in the food court at Square One in Mississauga. When I briefly lived in those suburbs in the late 90s, that was my go-to fast-food choice. There was food for 3 meals so I packed up the rest for later.