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| - This is an unusual place to find "real" Indian food in Toronto.
It's several blocks from Little India, perched on the edge of the theme village of Pleasantville. It's run by staff who come from Sylhet, the region of Bangladesh that has provided the UK with staff for Indian restaurants there; after a stay there, many come to seek their destiny in Toronto.
But if you want quality ingredients cooked fresh for each order, this is one place to come. The staff have surrendered to the reality that Little India is dominated by cheap buffets, which does to Indian cuisine what McDonalds did to French steak and frites. They've sought their niche and dignity preparing take-outs for Pleasantville.
As I argue in my book, Food for City Building, this is one of the things food does for a city -- it provides the first rungs on the career ladder that immigrants can climb. Coming from another culture, speaking another language are an asset here, not a barrier, and two teens delivering the take-outs will likely pay their way through college with their earnings.
Because of this valuable social mission, I argue that restaurants and the food industry generally have to be treated differently by staff in economic development departments and food tourists generally.
My faves there are Tandori fish and Baigon Bhurtha.
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