3.5 stars inching towards 4 shiny ones
Add another indie cafe to TO's steamy scene, but a ways away from the downtown strip scene. Owners of the classy Indian Rice Factory have converted an adjacent barn into serene and sparse Chai Bar. With only standing space in the cafe itself, one can survey the delights of this cafe in a verdant back patio with a bubbling koi pond!
We ordered the Masala Chai ($4) and it was quite the production! Indian spices are ground in a mortar and pestle for each order, submerged in black tea and lightened with milk and sugar. Really close to the chai that people in India like. The tea was a nice blend, although fussy, of spices and difficult to ascertain what-was-what based on taste alone. The chai they are trying to emulate should have strong highlights of cardamom and cloves, which this chai lacks because they've thrown everything including the kitchen sink into the tea.The chai is served in a filtered cup so that the sludge doesn't enter the slipstream. Smart move!
The rusk cake ($1) aka Indian biscotti was a nice, crispy accompaniment though the Parle-G cookies (3 for $1) were disappointingly soggy.
The polish in both space and food is apparent and expected, since Indian Rice Factory has high standards. I am glad that Chai Bar is close to home, because the other items on the menu: affogato and Greg's ice-cream have traditionally been close to my heart and I want to try them out.