A South Indian Restaurant in Toronto

Rashmi and Kappu invited us to a wonderful dinner at Saravanaa Bhavan, a vegetarian restaurant in a suburb of Toronto. We started with several kinds of Vadas, which are lentil-flour donuts. The photo shows plain Vadas with a yogurt and a lentil dipping sauce. We also had them soaked in various sauces.

In the photo of the Vadas, you can also see the special metal drinking glass for south Indians. Hindus in that area do not put their lips on the glass, so these vessels have a curved rim to allow you to pour water into your mouth without touching your lips. We also drank mango lassis, which (happily for me) came in an ordinary glass with a straw.

As a second course, we had a sampler platter, a Dosa (rice and lentil flour crisp crepe), and some Ghee Pongal, a spiced rice dish that has a texture similar to mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious, and for me, the level of spice was perfect -- nothing that I would consider too hot.