Lifestyle / Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist

Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist

Lifestyle Sep 18, 2020

by Mrinalini Sundar

Naan & Chai quickly became a foodie fan favourite, with their out-of-the-box interpretations of classical Pakistani cuisine, not too mention their trademark stuffed naans. With take away service as well as socially-distanced dine-in. I decided to dive right in into some Naan & Chai goodness.

When Naan and Chai opened their doors on Queen Street West in January, it featured in my must-visit restaurants of 2020. But before I could decide on a date and head there, the Coronavirus pandemic hit us. It has literally taken me a few months to finally taste their chai and the amazing stuffed naan they have to offer. At this point I must admit, the food lives up to all the hype this restaurant generated when it opened.

The restaurant is inspired by the “wisdom of simple living, is inherently paired and universally accepted.” In simpler terms, the idea behind the restaurant transports you all the way back to Pakistan, the land of freshly baked naan and chai. It was this nostalgia that has been recreated to suit the current taste buds of the people of Toronto. Doesn’t the aroma of fresh naan topped with butter and paired with a spicy curry evoke memories of your family and friends? It sure did for me!

Toronto's Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist — **Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist: Naan And Chai.** Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

The cafe is all-things-elegant, artsy and a perfect blend of modern and traditional decor. Our favourite spot however is Rumi’s popular quote — “what you seek is seeking you.” There is also a huge window that gives you a little BTS view of the kitchen. Well, that is where the magic happens.

Talking about the food, Naan and Chai specialize in 30 different types of artisan stuffed naan and 20 different types of teas.

Before you hit the naan train, try their appetizers. Okra fries is my personal favourite because it reminds me of the restaurants in South Asia that always this on their menu. As the name suggests, this one is nothing but crispy and crunchy okra coated with paprika and masala. To add to the temptation, at Naan and Chai, they serve the dish with mango salsa. The guy who said “live life with a little spice” should get an award! My other favourite is their Paneer 65 – which is cottage cheese with tandoori spice and yogurt. If you don’t want the frills, go with masala chips – street style potato chips with chaat masala. We bet you can’t have just one!

As for other options, they have Lahori flambeed chicken which is smokey stir-fried chicken morsels cooked in spicy mustard and curry leaf sauce. Vegan options include Brussels Sprouts which is wok-tossed Brussels sprouts cooked in sesame oil, spices, and sesame seeds.

For my naan order, I started with one of their best sellers – tandoori chicken naan which is stuffed with succulent chicken breasts and smothered with a secret sauce. I also highly recommend their butter chicken naan for all those #BC lovers! The curry is not too spicy and filled with aromatic spices. Take one bite and it is hard to stop yourself!

If you are feeling experimentative, then try their roast beef melt naan – as whacky as the name sounds, this one contains beef flank, mozzarella, poblano BBQ sauce! Yum! We particularly liked the perfect blend of spicy and cheese – making this one neither too hot nor too subtle.

Toronto's Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist. Their okra fries. Photo Credit: www.instagram.com/naanandchaitoronto — **Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist: Tandoori Chicken Naan.** Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

We did a little east meets west with their Tex-Mex naan which features ground beef, cheese, chunky Mexican salsa in between naan. This tempting dish is served with guacamole and sour cream. Since I am a mushroom lover, I opted for their mushroom, truffle, and parm naan. Imagine succulent mushroom duxelles and mozzarella, drizzled with truffle oil and parmigiana. If you are like me who doesn’t mind anything as long as mushrooms are in it, then this is perfect. The naan and mushroom combo gets a thumbs up from us.

My companion on the other handpicked something offbeat. This was called the Hawaiian naan which essentially is buttermilk roasted chicken, pineapple, banana peppers, and cheese. Whoever said pineapples don’t go well with curry. We loved how this one was tangy, spicy, sweet, and cheesy all at once.

After you demolished all the spicy naan options, it is time for some sweet treats. But here comes the tough part. They have so many options in this category it is hard to pick one. We, however, went with their popular dish – Nutella naan which is pretty self-explanatory (Nutella lovers get it?). They do have several other varieties such as Kitkat and ahoy, mascarpone and fig, cream cheese and berries, gooey brownies, apple crumble, and halwa!

My counterpart went with their actual desserts and chose the traditional Pakistani dish, Gulab Jamun which is homemade fresh cottage cheese, steeped in rose fragrant sugar syrup, and flavored with saffron. If that hasn’t got you drooling, we don’t know what will?

We had to make space for chai after all that we had devoured. But there’s always room for chai!

Toronto's Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist: Nutella Naan with Karak Chai. Photo Credit: www.instagram.com — **Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist: They have over 20 different teas**. Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

Their chai bar is divided into several categories such as Black, Oolong, Green, White, and their signatures. We wanted to finish the meal with a piping hot cup of Kashmiri tea. Pay a quick visit to India with this one. The chai is a blend of green loose-leaf tea slow-cooked in milk, and lightly sweetened. However, the highlight is the crushed pistachios and cardamom garnished on the chai! We just have one word for this one: rejuvenating! As they say, there’s nothing a cup of chai cannot solve!

Naan and Chai is a little piece of South Asia amidst Downtown Toronto with their spicy and sweet treats.

Main Image Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

Mrinalini Sundar

Author

Mrinalini Sundar (new_girl_in_to) has worked with various Indian national, international publications including Times Of India and is currently based out of Toronto. She's constantly in search of high adventure, exotic food, and new experiences. She is the happiest amidst mountains, with no wi-fi.

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Toronto’s Naan & Chai Gives Pakistani Cuisine A Delectable Twist

by Mrinalini Sundar

Mrinalini Sundar

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