Annalakshmi – 277 Wellington St W Unit 100b, Toronto, ON M5V 3E4
Country: India 
Must-try dish: Chapathi with Channa Masala
Dinner guests (virtually): Curly Guy, Dani P, Miss Amanda, Pornstar Sam, The 4th, Young Matt  
The high: Having all the dishes explained to us during the meal. 
The low: The Chana Masala is too small. 

This Brampton and Mississauga fixture has recently opened up in downtown Toronto, so Mandrea Bike hosted their first virtual dinner party to have more friends join in on the fun. There were four groups of two and each twosome ordered the exact same dishes to eat and discuss them together over zoom. 

Eat the World TO’s new friend Pornstar Sam is well versed in South Indian cuisine so he took us on a ride through the dishes – how to eat them, when to eat them and where to find them in India. Seeing as the other seven diners hadn’t been to India, let alone the South, it was exciting to eat each dish and have a bit of first-hand context included. 

Here’s what was on the menu for the night: 

Idly & Vada Combo
This was where the adventure began – breaking pieces off the Idly, which is a savoury fluffy small cake made up of rice and lentils, alongside the Vada, a deep-fried fritter made of lentils that are shaped like a donut. This combo comes with two chutneys – one made with a blend of grated coconut, water, salt, green chilis and spices, and another more spicy one with red chilis. 

On top of that, you can also use the Sambhar for dipping, which takes on more of a liquid substance and was affectionately referred to as the “soupy thing” throughout the meal. It’s a lentil soup with onions, eggplant, tomato and spices, and a South Indian restaurant is often judged on how good their Sambhar is. 

Taste of 7 Utthappams
Instead of the typical massive pancake with one flavour, Annalakshmi offers seven tiny ones all with various flavours such as cheese, onion, potato, chili, and tomato. These went down well and were even praised as being the top dish for a couple of people. Once again, you break small pieces off to dip into the chutneys. 

Mysore Masala Dosa
Picture a crispy crepe packed with Indian spiced mashed potatoes, and you’ll have an idea of how this dish looks, and probably also how it tastes. For anyone who loves potatoes, the Mysore Masala Dosa is right up your alley. You would typically use your hands to take pieces off to dip them in one of the coconut chutneys or the “soupy thing” before putting it in your mouth. 

Chapathi with Channa Masala
This was both the evening’s most anticipated dish and ultimately the gang’s favourite dish, which is why the small portion of the chickpea curry was disappointing. However, it tasted fantastic! 

Chana Masala is made up of chickpeas in a tomato sauce cooked with spices from India, it can be served with a flatbread like a chapati or nann, as well as over rice. If you’re in the mood for a helping, Mandrea Bike has its own recipe for Chana Masala and Nann Flatbread. 

Rava Kesari
This dessert was a perfect blend of savoury and sweet, and unlike anything we had ever tasted. The base is cream of wheat with saffron, raisins, nuts, among other things. The texture is firm initially but soft as it hits your mouth. It’s for sure something to try, even for those that usually skip the sweets after a meal! 

It goes without saying that this was a heavy carb-filled meal, and although it was tasty, it was time to get horizontal shortly after finishing the Rava Kesari. 

As the lockdown in Toronto persists, getting take away to support the city’s incredible restaurants is crucial in helping them get over this (hopefully) last hump before we can start dining together inside of restaurants again. 

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)