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It was a drippy Sunday afternoon but as I had cleaned the apartment in the morning, I didn't want to slave over the stove to make lunch. I headed to Little India and stepped inside MotiMahal. Apparently this venerable restaurant has been opened since 1976. It was a good sign that a steady stream of South Asian customers came during my time there. It was a no-frills place: you order at the cash register and pick your options from the already prepared dishes. Once they finish baking your choice of flatbread, they call out your number for pick-up. There was also a plethora of Indian snacks and desserts.

I choose a 3-selection veggie thali (only $11!) and opted for bhindi (okra), aloo (potatoes), and saag paneer (spinach with cottage cheese). It was a big, filling platter that came out. The naan bread wasn't as good as the equally no-frills Lahore Grill but I noticed that other people had chosen other breads. Since they make big batches of food for the never-ending crowd, this wasn't subtle flavour. In other words, everything was aggressively seasoned: salt, oil, and spices. But for a cheap eats, I have no complaints.

To work off that lunch, I walked around the neighbourhood mostly heading North. Since train-tracks separated South Riverdale from The Danforth, you could only cross on major streets like Jones, Greenwood or the pedestrian bridge at Pape. But at the end of Woodfield Rd, there was a semi-hidden tunnel covered with lively graffiti. It ran underneath the tracks and came out at Monarch Park. From there, you can walk easily to The Danforth.

When I circled back to Woodfield, there was yet another hidden path that ran parallel to the tracks all the way to Coxwell. As far as I could tell, this was a pedestrian walkway since every connection to a street (Hiawatha, Ashdale) involved stairs. Yet there was a single house with a garage and a parked car nestled on this lane. If I ever come this way again, I'll have to keep an eye out as to how this vehicle can get in and out of this area.

09/05/2022: I'm revisiting various restaurants before I leave the sublet. After a steak dinner ($14.50) at New Family diner, I took the pedestrian path from the end just north of the Coxwell Avenue Playground. The house was right next to Craven Rd, the only street that led directly into the path. The other interesting thing about Craven is that for its entire length from Queen St. to Danforth, it only has houses on one side. The other side is a fence that separates it from the backyards of Ashdale Ave.