Lahore Tikka House

Curiously, still under construction after what seems like a century, this is the outdoor palace of Gerrard India Bazaar. Eating on this tented patio, festooned with coloured lights, is a an absolute must do on a warm Toronto night. Don't expect china or silverware at this place and be prepared to do a little leg work once you've been handed our check-the-box ticket of menu items. Pick what you like and make your way to the cash register terminal, where some busy employee will take your ticket and in return you'll receive a number to place on your table. When your order is up, several waiters will swoop upon your table with multiple dishes served sizzling in hot-cast iron skillets. On weekends, someone will come around with fire roasted chilies straight from the tandoori oven on a three foot skewer. Pluck them off carefully and eat them with caution.

A bustling concrete- floored ambiance, bordering on cafeteria style is the key here. Where else in the city will you eat on a picnic table, with paper plates and plastic cutlery? But what they may lack in table service, they make up for in flavour. Pakistani food is typically richer and more meat heavy than most Indian food and Lahore is known for keeping a thick layer of oil on most of their curry dishes that not only adds flavour, but carries the heat. The faint of heart may have issues.

I feel sorry for the sad little iceberg salad that precedes the symphony of flavour. It really is negligible--the colesalaw of Pakistani cuisine: There, but rarely eaten or enjoyed.

However the meat does not disappoint. The chicken Tikka from the Tadoor is smoky, moist and delicious. Kebabs of Lamb, Beef and Chicken are plump juicy, and more than aptly spiced. Lahore does a great job of food from the tandoor and if you're ever walked by the kitchen, you can see why. Giant flames leap forth and the heat from the oven is enough to scald your cheek at a distance. The Butter Chicken has a good level of spice and is riddled with charred chicken loveliness, tomato, cream and yes, butter. Speaking of butter, the Butter Naan is crisp with a soft, pillowy inside. Perfect for sopping up leftover sauce.

Sadly, the vegetarian dishes are lost beneath the excess oil. Saag Paneer is little more than heavily spiced spinach and a few cubes of the nicely cooked pressed cheese floating in a sea of grease. The channa masala is masked by a stack of oily fried onions. It's too much for vegetarian dishes to battle.

1365 Gerrard Street East ,Toronto,ON M4L 1Z3,Canada Ph: 416-406-1668

Price: $15 per person
Value: Good
Rating: * * * Delicious Pakistani Goodness
Perfect for: Ultra Casual Patio Dinner
Reservations: No
Take Out: Yes

N.B. Lahore Tikka House is not a licensed establishment. Alcohol is not served.

Vanipha Lanna, I Wanna, I Wanna!

Where else in the city can you sup upon an appetizer platter, two mains, dessert AND a bottle of cheap Niagara Gewurtztraminer for 2 for under $100 including tax and tip? I will tell you: nowhere but at Vanipha Lanna.

I'l preface this review by stating the you won't be impressed by the outside. It looks like the remnants of an old strip mall, and the neighbourhood (St. Clair West, just before Dufferin) can get a little dicey. But what's inside is worth the trip.

The decor is authentic, and busy, boasting a water fountain and several thousand plants. Being that so many Thai places are shifting to the North American friendly minimalist decor trend, I sincerely appreciate that VL keeps it real. And the food is seriously good.

The appetizer platter features the standby spring roll, but mixes things up with the likes of Gong Pun Oy, which is best described as a spiced shrimp cake coated in coconut and wrapped around a sugar cane stick.

For a main we try the Duck Stir Fry, which is a mildly spiced blend of shredded duck, baby cobs of corn and traditional standby Thai vegetables. The flavour balance is the perfect harmony of sweet, salty hot and sour.

Pad Thai is better than any I've eaten on the Bloor strip. The noodles are gently fried and devoid of gloopy cornstarch based sauces.

A dessert of Smooth Mango Rice pudding is like a sweet sticky cloud and the perfect end to a delicious meal.

Vanipha Lanna is the Thai that we've forgotten about with many of the baubled, watered down offerings that crop up in more gentrified areas

863 St. Clair Ave. W. (at Winona Dr.)
416-654-8068
Closed Sunday and Monday
http://www.vanipha.ca/

Value: Excellent
Price: $80 for Three courses (including 2 mains), dessert and a bottle of wine.
Jenny Likes It: ***Seconds, Please

Toronto's Best Taco

Hands down, after months of testing, I am pleased to announce that Tacos El Asador serves up the very best in Taco greatness! Although it's not really Mexican (the owners are from El Salvador), this place offers not only the delicious and more traditionally Mexican soft taco, but even more tantalizing are their CHRISPY (yep, you read it right...CHRISPY) tacos: freshly fried tortillas stuffed with your choice of meat filling nestled between lettuce, onion and a smattering of queso fresco. Load that taco up with their amazing taco sauce, fresh jalapenos, onions and cilantro!

Aside from how good the tacos are, the price is right. You can eat yourself silly here for $10 per person.

Also amazing are the pupusas. The cheese is a bit bland, but the other offerings such as the mixed bean n' cheese do a fabulous job of satisfying the lust for more latin goodness. Nachos depart from expectation with avocado and black bean mole.

The atmosphere is ram packed and smaller than some closets-- but convivial, complete with televisions broadcasting the latest in Latino pop videos, scantily clad ladies and infomercials for weight loss drugs.


690 Bloor St W
Toronto, ON M6G 1L2
(416) 538-9747
Take Out: Yes
Delivery: No
Reservations: No
CASH ONLY

Value: Excellent
Price: $10 for four assorted tacos and a pupusa ($15 with a beer).
Jenny Likes It: ****Utter Adoration