I hitched a ride with my soul by the side of the road
just as the sky turned black
I took a walk with my fame down Memory Lane
I never did find my way back
You know that I gotta say time's slipping away
and what will it hold for me?
What am I gonna do while I'm looking at you?
You're standing ignoring me
Another Tuesday, another Taste. Before we get into this one, I have to mention that this is in fact the 25th episode of the TT (not counting all the bonus editions). Honestly I had something pretty special planned for this milestone, much like the pepperoni pizza showdown of episode 20 or the Subway Sidekick mini-sandwiches of episode 10. I hadn't begun writing it but was in the process of trying things and deciding the criteria, and was pretty confident even with a very busy weekend with a free Monday I could make enough progress to have it ready by today.
Oh... that cursed weekend. I'll be concise (since I've been complaining about it frequently) but basically I came down with a real bad stomach bug/food poisoning on Friday that zapped my ability to sleep, eat or generally move while standing. Whatever it was, it robbed me of my first scheduled shift behind a bar in almost two years (and opening night looked rocking), then a hardball doubleheader, then another work shift. But hey, who wants to make money, see concerts or play your favourite sport with a bunch of your friends when you can writhe in horrible discomfort for endless hours on your couch instead?
As I write this I still haven't properly slept since Thursday... so yeah that weekend just a bit of a letdown. Like saying the Titanic merely nodded to the iceberg. However... I've recovered enough just in time to actually leave the house and go try something for this review. Consolation prize? Meh... after that weekend pecked infinitely by shithawks this better be worth it...
This is my second time trying a roti (the first being Butter Chicken Roti for episode 9). Likewise on that occasion I wasn't in the best condition, although that was exclusively mental instead of mostly physical. Regardless I still feel guilty phoning in that review like I did... so this time I promise you'll get my usual, um... uh... hrmmm... my usual! Besides, can't resist feeding my nostalgia monster (I call 'em "Pokey").
My Roti Place is a roti (duh) chain currently with eight locations throughout Toronto, with another coming soon to the Stockyards and two more set to open in Vaughan and Oakville. The story page on the website doesn't tell you really anything ("We don't want to brag too much about us!" Damnit you're making my job harder!) but reading the bios of the three founders at least provides some insight. Karthik Kumar (not to be confused with an actor of the same name, from the same city Chennai) is the founding chef, having worked as an executive chef in all sorts of Indian hotels and later New York City restaurants. I would imagine the overall menu concept is largely his design. Dhiraj Tiwari seems to be the hospitality guy, having significant experience managing restaurants throughout Europe and New York. As the single one of the three seemingly living in Toronto, he strikes me as the head cheese of the daily operations of the brand. The third guy is the least interesting (at least for my purposes here), Vivek Deora, who is a CEO and investor of multiple hospitality groups. He's the money guy, don't think there's much else I need to interpret there for ya, dear reader.
Some nostalgia and then we'll get into the review, I swear (I know we're running long already). The outpost of My Roti Place I visited is on Queen East near Verral Avenue (it's between Logan and Carlaw) was a bacon restaurant named Rashers beforehand... a particular bacon restaurant I used to work at! It was June 2018 (you know, a decade ago), my two bar gigs at the time weren't giving me enough hours and dear friend of the show Amanda Ryan was Rashers' kitchen manager.
At first it was fun: I'd never worked BOH kitchen before (beyond my multiple failed dishwasher trials) and one thing I miss about starting new at a restaurant is slowly learning the menu. When you're cooking the stuff, you gotta learn a bit faster obviously. It's such a small space (just a counter with three chairs near the window, wide open kitchen and lots of takeout)... such a genuine cozy feel to it. You'd double at cooking while working the register, which is where 99.8 percent of my experience is. While I was really comfortable there (apparently got a good Yelp review, hilarious), I just can't cook for a restaurant. I was pretty, pretty... pretty bad. At home? I love it... take your time, try out crazy stuff, there isn't a ticking clock or constant Uber orders coming in. Professionally? Not even close to being wired that way with food (booze is a different story, heh).
This is why it was such a time warp to walk into the same place three years later, now all decked out in My Roti reds and yellows... yet keeping still the exact setup with the counter, fridges, register in the same spot... wild. I've worked a lot of places and in that weakened, sleep deprived state I'm glad I could appreciate those little things in the moment.
The place was fairly busy this night. While I don't think I waited extra long the fella whom I ordered from felt the need to apologize, and once I opened my bag I found a tiny little Gulab Jamun alongside my order. Since this was my first time at My Roti Place I'd like to convince myself that this was a kind gesture on behalf of this "delay" I didn't notice. It was getting dark, so I zipped over to the Kew Park bleachers to snap this photo under the baseball lights (thankfully without getting drilled by a foul ball, that'd be another notch to these past few days).
I got lamb because... it's delicious? This lamb option's biggest strength is the tenderness: the texture is nicely cooked, most bits lingering just along enough in your mouth on the chunkier bites to hold a fatty juiciness, yet the meat never becomes dreadfully chewy once the curry sauce with that bite has faded. I ate the last half of this roti cold a few hours later (appetite still recovering, eh) and while keeping something in a sauce will help, it can't prevent dryness, especially in meats. Likewise on that point, the only thing stiff was the cold roti itself, though only minimally in places. The consistently of the lamb and curry filling together was still nearly like it was ten minutes after my order was ready. To pull that off, in my books, suggests a precisely cooked product.
Their "Classic Curry" sauce... again it was my first time there so I wanted to experience a simpler combination, electing a "classic" sauce over options probably more appealing to my taste (like a nutty korma or creamy spinach sauce). My biggest regret is going for a "medium" spice level with it... like I said I like to go with the basics on first reviewing a place, plus my stomach isn't 100 percent yet either... but this curry sauce at least at "hot" would add much needed flair and punch. It's serviceable as is, with agreeable earthiness, bits of sweet seeds and is overall fine if you prefer playing it safe with your spice. I personally prefer it a notch above this, some heat but don't burn my lips off (that's for hanging out with friends and torturing each other, Hot Ones style).
How about the roti itself? (As still an admitted noob to this dish)... the light bread is like layers of thin blankets softly drooping to conceal the filling within, each little layer itself (especially on top) incredibly soft and soaked with the juices of what's beneath. The taste has a hint of flour, an oven baked quality, somewhat chewy in the non-sauce coated parts, and the layers are mostly thin as paper. I like it, and what impressed me most with it is how no sections were ever overly soggy.
Lastly, my little (bonus?) dessert. I honestly did not know what the hell this was when I found it in a little takeout ramekin with my order, so like a master sleuth... a modern day Sherlock Holmes himself I... looked it up on Google. Hey, at least I used My Roti Place's menu as a cross-reference point instead of searching "Desserts from India" randomly for half an hour.
A Gulab Jamun, to us Canadians painfully unaware of cuisines that exist beyond the oceans and aren't pizza (me)... basically is a little Timbit sitting in a little pool of sugar syrup. In reality, there's a lot more to the dish and lets not give Tim Horton's any ideas how to ruin more stuff. Here is a simple comparison from my taste perspective: a Timbit is like a fluffy cake in the interior, sometimes unpleasantly dry and usually needs saving by its shell (powered sugar, glaze or crunchy texture) or just being cooked through with chocolate (the best Timbit). A Gulab Jamun, at least this one, is cooked more with milk and is noticeably way more moist on the outside and inside, the pool of syrup certainly helping the outside part. This syrup is rather light in its sweetness, reminding more of an infused flower with honey mix you might find in a cocktail mix at a fancy bar. Might have to save it for that very purpose.
Overall... damn it must be the sleep-depravity because this has to be the longest TT article I've ever written on a single place. Places! Here's My Roti Place: pretty good! Glad I escaped my house to go try them. I'd go again but would definitely elect for a more interesting and spicier option in regards to the sauce. Otherwise, yeah quality stuff.
Burnt Ends -- I actually finished and posted my look at The Smiths mid last week... just haven't advertised it because, beyond informing various commitments I'm horribly sick and won't be there, this is the first real thing I've done at all since Thursday. My good buddy Mitchell gives a terrific introduction for the article too (he's like the headliner intro after my opening intro... two intros for the price of one!). If you're a fan of The Smiths give it a read and throw some feedback.
Hey I've done a lot of other bands too! Like The Beatles, Black Sabbath (first 10 albums), Beck and Pink Floyd. Content galore for hungry eyeballs.
After all that... finally the moment. The Radiohead moment.
Insanely Making Up Words -- I thought for sure, considering my sleep the past 3+ days has been half a dozen ten minute interrupted naps, that I'd be completely off the rails by now and making little literary sense. Instead I'm just rambling. That's reflesherly qoud to glow.
Craftbrew OG -- It'd simply be a shame to not mention the excellent Granite Brewery up at Eglinton and Mount Pleasant is approaching 30 years of operation. They were doing this kind of stuff well before Mill Street (like before when Mill Street was new-ish, really good and still independent) and Granite's beer is excellent. I lived on Avenue Road and Eglinton for a while, not a far bike ride (though a hilly one) and grabbed some of their growlers on multiple occasions. Great spot, check them out if you're ever in the area.
Mesh Man -- This guy is just a hero. I get that he's collaborating with companies now to help him seek out the right rims in need around the GTA, but this seems like one of those mutually beneficial deals between big corporation (good publicity) and regular dude just wanting folks to play more bball in their communities. I've reached an age in my life where I just can't shoot on a rim without mesh anymore... you miss the sound, the certainty of a swish... it's technically the same but like using metal baseball bats (except not at all like that). Hope he reaches his lofty goal.
Tuesday Tune -- One of my first favourite bands as a kid, I owned this CD and played it constantly. Now I consider them okay, occasionally very good... except this album which still rules. Lead singer has a cool first name too.
Okay that is definitely it for me... wow. Truly a miracle this happened at all, and really I came up with so much. I'm gonna go to sleep now so yada yada yada I mentioned the bisque win a free krusty burger ribwich gimme a grilled Charlie with rum ham gonna jump the cheeseburger my dad ate my freaking pepperoni again bet it all on black garlic burger hey bachelor chow don't spill that mustardddddzzzz...... zzzzzzzzz..... zzzzzz.... zzzz...
No comments:
Post a Comment