Curry Loading

On Saturday, while I was waiting for a shop to open at 1 pm, I wandered along Bloor St. looking for a place to have lunch. After I made my way to Bathurst, I doubled back and finally sat at the venerable Banjara for some Indian food. Its owner has done well since his start on Balmuto. Not only has the restaurant expanded with an enclosed patio a few years back, but having their own parking lot means they can add more outdoor tables. He is also the owner of the Madras Masala next-door. For the summer, they have also placed a sugar-cane juice vendor on the sidewalk to tempt passer-bys.

I used to eat here almost every Sunday. But for the sake of my arteries, I reduced these visits to every 3-4 months. Along came the pandemic and I haven't stopped by in two years. The veggie thali ($11.95) was as cheap as ever though the mango lassi ($4.50) has gone up in price. But when I could only finish 40% of my lunch, I realized that my geezer stomach has shrunk (and the thali was never small to begin with either). The downside was that the quality has continued to slide. My new South Asian house-mates were dismissive of Banjara a few months back, and they were right.

On the other hand, South Asian restaurants are still popping up everywhere. Other Asian restaurants, including the once ubiquitous Chinese take-out, have almost disappeared entirely from most Toronto neighbourhoods. But Indian/Pakistani businesses are making a go of it: Namaste in Little Korea, soon-to-open Mumbaikar in Bloorcourt (at the old Idle bar), Thindi Cafe (Maggie's years ago) near Kensington Market, Mumbai Tadka (ex-queer spot Hen House) in Brockton, Samrat and Taza Kabab (once Burgertory) in Little Italy, and Mannat at Ossington and College. Even if they usually fail.