So I came to this rather strip-mall looking restaurant on the encouragement of the Globe and Mail article that sang its praises. Indeed, I was not disappointed, whatsoever.
The FOOD: The channa masala, the staple Pakistani/Indian dish that is often so boring was absolutely excellently executed here. Great depth of flavour with a lovely amount of heat. If you don't like things at least "white people medium" to "white people spicy" you should probably just look elsewhere...if you like spice, you'll be satisfied here.
We also had the beef nihari which was incredibly tender and flavourful. I got hints of cardamom and citrus as well as heat. Really quite well done. I was shocked how much I liked the food given that it's displayed junior high cafeteria style and heated by a microwave--somehow it still works. The combos are all served with fresh naan.
The DRINKS: Soft drinks and a rather sad mango lassi. The lassi is a pass I'm afraid...made too far in advance and chalky tasting. No alcohol to be found here.
The SERVICE: For a super casual place like this, I was surprised how friendly the service was. We were warmly welcomed by a friendly staff member who insisted on letting us sit down while he brought things out to us one at a time.
OVERALL, I would say it's definitely worth the walk down what is perhaps the dodgiest section of Sherbourne for this excellent Pakistani food. The combos with tax tend to clock in around $10-ish.
BTW: If you like cricket, it's on the TV here.