| rev:text
| - The Indian Rice Factory has been around for 40 years, has a great reputation... but is off the beaten track and often forgotten. After years of walking by, my (much) better half and I finally stopped in on a whim the other night.
First things first: this is not your typical cheap curry joint. Prices are 50-80% higher than at the likes of Banjara and Nataraj. But the menu is WAY different. There are no items such as "Jalfrezi - chicken, beef or lamb" -- indicating that random protein is simply dipped in a big vat of sauce. Instead there is an interesting selection of vegetarian, fish and meat dishes, including such things as whole fish and braised elk. (OK, they do offer vindaloo with choice of three proteins, but I'll forgive them for the time being.) There's a small but excellent selection of beers, including local microbreweries, and a short list of Ontario wines, which clearly have been carefully selected.
So far so good. But how's the food? Pakoras are nicely crispy and non-greasy - yum! Braised elk is delicious - lean meat, interesting spicing. But the real star is the channa masala - the best I've ever had, with ginger adding a really nice zing. Naan is outstanding - next time I may skip the rice and just order more naan. By the end of this we're pleasantly stuffed, and waddle slowly home.
Looking forward to my next meal there.
|