Gist:  Husband and wife team Bisho and Manju Sherpa have a ton of experience in Indian restaurants. 

They spent 10 years at Darbar India Restaurant in Brancton, Conneticut where the Nepalese couple found their true passion for Indian food.

Following that, both worked at Aroma Fine Indian at King and John for seven years – Manju as head chef andBisho as manager.

Close friend and chef, Bhupindra Bhandari of Bombay Kitchen in Guelph came to Toronto to train Manju in some north Indian specialties.

Grub: Both lunch and dinner menus features northern Indian dishes only, but you’ll still find classics such as Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala, with modern selections including Salmon Tikka.

All food is made from scratch in house. All meat and veg are brought in whole and fresh, cut onsite. Even the spinach (used for Saag dishes) is fresh, not frozen. Real tomatoes, not tomato paste, is used in their sauces.  Oil use is kept to a minimum - when it is used, it’s olive oil, not the usual choice of vegetable oil.

Take out and delivery is also available.

Libations: A small selection of wines and beers are available, along with non-alcoholic options of mango lassi and a variety of soft drinks.

Deets: Initially, the couple went for a fine dining feel with tablecloths and flowers. But the neighbourhood wants something more casual, so they followed suit, keeping the décor minimal.

The sleek restaurant seats 30 and features red and black chairs and a small bar near the back.

Off the Menu:

Chef’s Appetizer Platter ($8.99) Assortment of onion bhaji, vegetable pakora, chicken pakora and veg samosa with housemade mint-coriander and tamarind sauces. Note: the samosas are top-notch. Made from scratch, the light, crispy pastry reveals fluffy potatoes and tender peas.

Butter Chicken ($13.99) Large cubes of chicken are served in a silky, creamy sauce.

Chicken Tikka Masala ($13.99) Tender BBQ cubes of chicken are cooked in an enticing blend of tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and Indian spices.

Tandoori Platter ($21.99) An assortment of lamb seekh kebab, chicken tikka, chicken malai tikka, salmon tikka, and tandoori prawn, served on a bed of fresh vegetables. Not only is this a phenomenal deal, you get to try a little bit of everything.

The best Saag Paneer ($7.95) is due to the fresh spinach that’s lightly cooked, with fresh cubes of cottage cheese marinated in yogurt.

If you thought you didn’t like eggplant, that’s because you haven’t tried this Eggplant Bharta ($10.99) with roasted eggplant cooked with tomato, ginger and green peas.

Peas Pulao ($3.99) Basmati rice cooked with saffron and green peas.

Even on date night, go for the Garlic Naan ($3.99). Colds and vampires will be kept at bay, and you can still get close after dinner with a mint or gum in hand.

How Cool is This?!  They offer a pre-fix dinner for two for $60 (with a bottle of Malbec) or $65 (with a bottle of Prosecco)

At the Stove: Manju Sherpa

FOH:  Bisho Sherpa

Head Honchos: Bisho & Manju Sherpa

Visiting Hours: Sun-Thurs11:30am – 3pm, 5pm-10pm

                      Fri & Sat     11:30am – 3pm, 5pm-11pm

Map It:  108 Ossington Ave. (near Dundas)

Phone It In:  (647) 490-2707

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