Lahore Tikka House: 1365 Gerrard St.

After some good reviews from friends, finally got around to trying the Lahore Tikka House at 1365 Gerrard St.

It looks like they have bought the place next door and are renovating it into a nice new restaurant. In the meantime don't be put off by the plastic chairs and tables and the cheap wood panelling (actually gives the place a homey feel).


To the food...there were 4 of us and we were all hungry so we decided to share a bunch of dishes

Chicken Tikka Breast: a large breast cut into 5 pieces served in a small cast iron pan on a mound of onions. Chicken is cooked in the tandoor oven so is super smokey. Outstanding.

Butter Chicken: Very similar to the Tikka chicken but with a little more spice and served in a creamy sauce. Also very good.

Vegetable Biryani: A heaping plate of rice, big enough for 4 with lots for leftovers. tender basmati rice with spices, onions, chunks of green peppers and whole dried chilis (watch out for these unless you have a cast iron stomach).

Aloo Gobi: A nice mix of Potatoes and cauliflowers in a fragrant sauce also served in mini cast iron pan.

Chana Masala: Tender chick peas cooked in the same sauce as the Aloo gobi. Goes well with the freshly made naan from the tandoor oven.

Palak Paneer: warm spinach mixed with cheese. Nice contrast to the other menu items ordered.

Mango Lhasi: Freshly made drink of mango, yogurt and ice...good for quelling the spices in the food.

Almond Kulfi: Pakistani version of an ice cream bar. Made with milk and ground almonds. Cooling way to finsish off a meal.

Damage: For 4 people the bill came to $100 with tip. A bit more expensive than similar restaurants, but we had enough left overs for another meal for two (which we took home and will enjoy again tonight).

This is a great family restaurant. Service is quick and super attentive. Although Pakistani food can be super spicy, we found that the heat was not overly excessive. Can't wait to try the place when they move into their new digs.

Jumbo Empanadas: 245 Augusta Ave

Empanadas are the South American equivalent of Hot Dogs...sold on every corner, cheap and pretty tasty.

Jumbo Empanadas(245 Augusta Ave, halfway between Dundas and College)has been around for years and serves good food at a good price ($6 empanadas). The decor ain't much -tiled floors, metal chairs, seating for 12, but people come here for the huge empanadas not the ambience.

Back to the food - The empanadas are egg washed pastry delights stuffed with cheese, beef or chicken. I go with the chicken, which is shredded and mixed with onion, black olives, hard bolied egg and served hot from the oven with some mild salsa on the side

My dining partner went with the beef which was also shredded, but seemed to lack the extras contained in the chicken version.

Menu also has some salads (Chilean salad with avocadoes, tomatoes, lettuce for $4.50) and something called corn pie which looked like a casserole with a polenta-like topping I'll try it next time).

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Prague Restaurant: 450 Scarboro Golf Club Road

Was in the mood for some comfort food so headed over to the Prague Restaurant in Scarborough.

Overlooking the Scarborugh Golf and Country club, this place feels like you've just stepped into a foreign country. Run by a nice Czech couple, the restaurant is located on the extensive grounds of a Czech-Canadian Seniors condo complex (so you know the food is authentic Czech grub).

Has a nice big patio that overlooks the golf course - a great place to sip a Pilsner Urquell, but as we were there for a family dinner we opted for the dining room.

Inside is all natural wood and huge windows which overlook the country setting.

Foodwise, went with the Bohemian platter for two which features roast duck, ham, sauerkraut and red cabbage, roast pork, schnitzel and dumpling for $28 (could easily feed 4). Hot and tasty. Washed it all down with some czech beer and a bottle of Reisling. Service was outstanding too.

Prague is a bit off the beaten track but well worth the drive

http://www.praguerestaurant.com/