Bowl of Karma
Where? Bowl of Karma (The Beaches, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Map Menu
When? Saturday August 27, 2022
Who? Badminton Crew
Food Style? Indian
Summerlicious is upon Toronto after being on hiatus during the pandemic. Similar in execution to Wellington on a Plate, restaurants offer a three course prix fixe menu for two weeks to celebrate the end of summer and go out with a bang. Here on a warm Sunday after badminton, we’re trying some Indian food on the east side of town. There’s a whopping 14 of us at the restaurant and we’re the only ones here, but despite that, one of the appetisers (Aloo tikki chaat) and one of the mains (tandoori wings) is unavailable, and already I’m not impressed - how do you run out of wings?! Ordering is chaotic but it gets done - whether it’s accurate remains to be seen.
I’m pairing with Alfie so we can divide and conquer the menu.
Appetiser #1
Samosa chaat: crushed samosas smothered with chholay (chickpeas) and topped with yogurt, mint chutney, tamarind chutney, onions, and cilantro
Several people have ordered this for their appetiser, so when one plate comes out with no red onion or cilantro, and it's visually very different, we know something's wrong. After a correction, we’re good to go. It actually tastes pretty good, there’s plenty of spice and flavour, and the crispness of the samosa pastry is still there. I’m quite impressed.
Appetiser #2
Vegetable samosa: traditional fried pastries filled with potatoes, green peas & cumin seeds, with tamarind chutney
The samosas are pretty decent as well, hot and fresh out of the fryer. It’s got that lovely balanced spice coming through, and the tamarind chutney helping to add some acidity to the mix. I’m sweating profusely because there’s no AC in the restaurant and the samosas are really hot.
Mains #1
Paneer tikka naan pizza: Bowl of Karma's pizza out of a clay oven, baked with fresh tandoori naan and choice of flavour and toppings
This one is odd. There’s no sauce base, so it’s basically just baked bread and cheese, and it’s very dry. The paneer doesn’t have a strong flavour, so it’s kind of lost in everything else. I would much rather prefer something soft and fluffy like a naan bread filled with cheese, like what I can get from mamak stalls in Malaysia.
Mains #2
Butter chicken bowl: butter chicken served on a base of basmati rice and topped with fresh salad toppings and signature sauces
It’s a bit too sweet for me, but it does have a bit of spice kick. It’s weird that the salad is mixed in that way. There’s not a lot of chicken in there but what’s there disintegrates in an awkward way, like pulled pork. It’s been over cooked.
Dessert
Gulab jamun: Indian doughnuts! Soft melt-in-your-mouth dumplings traditionally made of thickened milk and soaked in rose flavoured sugar syrup
I’ve had this before in New Zealand and it’s extremely sweet, almost to the point of sickness, so I know what to expect. What I got delivered on that exactly, and since there were only two balls of dough, it wasn’t unpleasant at all.
Not a bad way to end the meal, but quite disappointed with the mains. I’m super stuffed. I’ll be taking half the pizza home.
Posted by Jeremy at 4:46am on Sunday January 29, 2023 :: 0 comments :: 