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On Wednesday, some Americans from a distant family branch visited our common ancestor. Since my mom knew a bit about their side, she was keen on meeting them. As for myself, I was having dinner with an old friend. We both moved to Toronto around the same time and had fun eating out and watching classic movies back when Paradise Theatre was a repertory cinema. I haven't seen much of them after they moved back to Ottawa a few decades ago. The last time we met in person was at a wedding in 2015.
Thali wasn't too impressive on the outside as it was on the ground floor of a commercial building at Laurier and O'Connor. But it was nicer inside with that Scandinavian look. Since my last visit to a fine-dining Indian restaurant was hit-and-miss, I suggested that we stick to mostly appetizers: Pappadum Basket ($6), Kerala Crab Cakes ($17), and Shrimp Coconut Ularthu ($17). We chose only 1 main: a Vegetarian Thali platter ($30).
Overall, it was a good meal with some subtle flavour. Certainly the best that I've had here in Ottawa. But I was disappointed with the main. There was nothing wrong with it; in fact, the paratha was excellent and I usually prefer naan. But instead of 3 or 4 dishes in a typical thali platter, it was 9 small bowls. There simply wasn't enough there to make much of an impression.
The appetizers fared better. Both the crab cakes and the shrimp were tasty. The pappadum should be crunchier and better spiced though. This was my main critique of all the dishes. Thali has dialed down the spice: both flavour and heat. Perhaps to better appeal to the Ottawa palate? Also, I have to get used the prices here as comparable dishes in Toronto would be cheaper.
My friend wanted to know why I was back in Ottawa. Well, it was for family reasons as well as problems with my new landlord in Toronto. As for them, they were swamped with family and work. All those after-school activities added up in time and money, leaving not much leisure time for shows and concerts. And with a picky eater at home, restaurants were a hard-sell too. They admonished me for not meeting up though I've been here since 2021. We promised to connect again, but I have some doubt given their busy schedule. The days when we could walk down the street to watch a movie in our PJs were in the distant past.
