culture
Spice City Toronto: Indian Roti on Dupont
A Dupont Street takeout joint makes Indian roti that is bound to satisfy.
A roti, from Roti Cuisine of India. Photo by Sarah Efron.
A quaint semi-detached house at Dupont and Spadina is home to Roti Cuisine of India (308 Dupont Street), a restaurant that specializes in Indian-style roti that rivals the legendary Gandhi Indian Cuisine.
Owner Vijayan Venkitaraman, a former cruise ship chef from Chennai in South India, opened up the restaurant with his brother two years ago. The original plan was to open a conventional Indian restaurant, but Venkitaraman felt a simpler, more casual concept would work better in the small space. Inspired by Gandhi Indian Cuisine, he decided to wrap classic Indian curries inside a Caribbean-style roti shell.
Spice lovers will be satisfied, as these rotis pack a serious punch. While the butter chicken roti ($10.99) lacks the tomato content of the standard dish, it doesn’t disappoint. The boneless white meat chunks and tender potatoes make a tasty and filling meal.
The lamb curry roti ($8.99) has small, lean cubes of lamb mixed with potato, nestled into a slightly crispy shell. The curry is cooked for six or seven hours to maximize tenderness, while the roti is toasted on a flat grill.
Read the rest at Spice City Toronto.
Spice City Toronto explores Toronto’s great hole-in-the-wall restaurants and strip-mall joints serving food from all corners of the world.
