BarBQ Tonite – 5165 Dixie Rd #5, Mississauga, ON L4W 4G1
Country: Pakistan
Must-try Dish: Chicken Tikka Boti
Dinner Guest: Young Matt

“I don’t normally eat to eat but if there was more food, I would keep eating.” – Young Matt

It’s a promising sign when the diners are scraping the bottoms of the takeout containers to get every last bit of food, and that’s exactly what was happening last night as we finished the four dishes from our long-awaited meal from BarBQ Tonite. 

With the COVID-19 virus circulating in Toronto and around the world, a lockdown has been imposed across Canada and all restaurants have been shut down until further notice. However, eateries that can provide takeout are still able to run, and therefore, Mandrea Bike is upping its takeaway game. 

There’s a particular restaurant that has been at the highest peak of our radar for several months now – it’s called BarBQ Tonite, with both its locations based in Mississauga. Every Pakistani and Indian person in the Toronto area that we’ve encountered has given this place five stars, and we had to check it out for ourselves. 

Even without having the full restaurant experience, BarBQ Tonite exceeded our expectations. Since we couldn’t lean on the server for recommendations, we relied on our main man Darth-Sid for a list of the must-have dishes on their online menu, and not surprisingly, the food was mind-blowing.  

There was some debate about the top dish, and we settled on the Chicken Tikka Boti because it was all of our first bites, and we loved it straight away. Some would say that it was the perfect first glance for what was to come for the remainder of the meal. This dish was bursting with flavour despite not having any sauce. It was seasoned in a classic style from this part of the world: lemon, ginger, garlic, cumin, and a variety of other spices. The small pieces of chicken were moist, either on their own or with some raita (a yogurt and mint sauce).  

The three other dishes varied in flavour: the Nihari Curry, the Bihari Kabab, and the Lamb Biryani, all accompanied by naan, minced ginger, and raita. The Nihari Curry was sweetened by Garam Masala and was saucy. It was a beef dish that was slow-cooked, so the pieces of meat were tender. Of all the four dishes, this one has the most unique taste and was rated a close second behind the chicken. 

Sticking to something new, we loved the flavour of the kabab. Although there was a slight sweetness coming from the raw papaya that the beef is marinated in, it differs immensely from the Nihari. It’s also cooked in onions, ginger and mustard oil, and is recommended to add raita, cilantro and crispy onions on top. 

Can you go wrong with Lamb Biryani? I think not. The fall-off-the-bone-meat is something that comes straight from paradise. This is first and foremost a rice dish, that’s seasoned and cooked with bits of lamb. Be careful of the bones! 

Mandrea Bike wants to support the restaurants around Toronto that make Eat The World TO possible, and we strongly encourage that you do too. All the international restaurants that bring Toronto’s beautiful culinary mosaic to life are crucial to our city, and we need to give them some love during this difficult time. Many offer takeout and delivery services, and it’s our hope that they can keep opening our minds and filling our bellies when their doors can open again. Please stay safe and eat well friends. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)