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Snappy Answers: Cause You Gotta Eat
Snappy Answers runs every Saturday afternoon. Send your questions, be they tough or trivial, to [email protected].
Snappy Answers, as you may have noticed, is a couple days late this time around. Sorry. That’s what happens when you outsource to China. We’ll be back to the regular schedule next week.
Where in Toronto, preferably near University of Toronto, can I get my hands on large quantities of tasty, tasty naan bread? Going to Jodhpore Club’s lunch buffet every week takes more money than I have to give, so I’m hoping there’s a good Indian bakery somewhere downtown.
—Jeff
Forget anywhere near campus: if you’re going to eat “large quantities of tasty, tasty naan bread,” boy, you better walk. That stuff would give Atkins a heart attack. Burn off the we’re-scared-to-check-how-many calories by hiking (or biking) down to Rasoee Indian Kitchen (140 Spadina Avenue), where you get a lot of dough for a little ($1.75, to be exact). They also have multigrain naan, which, when eaten with creamy coriander chutney ($1.00), redefines delicious. (Plus, you can almost make-believe it’s healthy.)
Also, we know you’re end-of-year broke, but if you’re splurging on a sit-down dinner soon, you have to hit Indus Junction (811 Queen Street West). The last time we were there, our friends ate so much melt-in-your-mouth naan, they could barely squeeze in the lovely shared plates of tandoori lamb chops and sweet-and-sour aubergine.
Why is there absolutely no good Mexican food in Toronto?
—Someone Etc.
Umm, you meant to write, “Where can I find good Mexican food in Toronto,” right?
In that case, funny you should ask! We recently discovered Tacos El Asador (690 Bloor Street West, at Clinton), a tiny indoor-picnic joint that’s always queued up to the door. The eats are cheap but not greasy (and we mean cheap: a sumo wrestler could eat here for under ten, tip included) and speedy but not sloppy, making for unbeatable big-night-in takeout. Enchiladas are fresh and wholesome, nachos rich in mouthwatering guacamole and loads of toppings, and vegetarian options (like sweet tamales and spicy black bean soup) just as addictively yummy as the beef, chicken, pork and chorizo options. Go once, and you’ll be lining up on the weekly.
Which bars/restaurants around Toronto would you recommend that serve hookahs? Are there any reputable retailers of hookahs and shisha that don’t charge overwhelming markups?
—Stephan
We had no idea how to even begin answering this question, so we texted the first Jewish person in our address book. She says: “You can’t serve a hookah, you can use a hookah to smoke nagilla. FYI. And no, not unless places in Tel Aviv count, or my basement in Winnipeg.”
Commenters, feel free to share your hookah hookups.