Eye Weekly GO AHEAD -- MAKE MY DAAL by KATHLEEN SLOAN Walking into almost any of the Indian restaurants on Gerrard E.'s Little India affords the same aromatic, sensorial pleasure. That wave of deep-spice aroma originating from magical mixtures of cumin, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, fennel, fenugreek, saffron, turmeric and ginger entices and sets your mouth to watering even before you look at a menu.Walk into the warmth of Shan-E-Hind Bar-Be-Que Hut and your senses will be assailed with a coupling of those spices and the alchemy of the charcoal grill and the tandoori oven, the original clay-baker.Seated at a dimly lit table, sipping a spiced tea, with the pretty, tinkling music of India pouring forth, it's easy to feel a little transported, a little elevated and dang lucky to live in a city that affords us so much in the way of authentically prepared ethnic foods.Shan-E-Hind means Pride Of India, and owner Sudesh Behl should be proud of the food served here, and of the exemplary service. The cuisine of India is one of the world's greatest and most complex, divined after centuries of culinary collaboration. And even though most Westerners will still think "hot curry" when you mention Indian cuisine, not every spiced preparation is curry, not every one is hot, and curry is not simply one dish.Depending on the spices, herbs and roots used, their amounts and their combinations, a finished dish can be mild-mannered and subtle or bold and boffo-hot. It can be meat-heavy or meat-free (most Indian menus include a number of vegetarian items). It can be jazzed with complicated spicing, ground nuts and cream or be as sweet and simple as a marinated and grilled chicken.The good news is at Shan-E-Hind you can choose from a wealth of indigenous dishes from one end of India to the other. Have menu will travel.Don't even think of coming here and not having the reshmi kabab (.95), or chicken tikka, chunks of boneless chicken that have been flavorfully marinated and then charcoal-grilled. How good is it? It's so good I'm eating it leftover-cold as I write this and am enjoying it just as much as I did last night.Similarly, the shrimp tikka (.95) arrives with the same orange- and-charcoal hue, arranged around a mound of fragrant basmati rice. They could have been grilled a minute less, but they retain flavor and crunch.But oh, my. The mutton madras (.95), is by far the most outstanding curry dish here. It is deep and rich and serious, hot with chilies and soothing with creamy coconut. The lamb, some of it still on the bone, has been cooked long and slow. This is very good cooking, prepared by someone who knows the importance of balance in Indian spicing.Even though they really remind me of prairie oysters, I love the velvety, ultra-sweet dessert with the name that sounds like a Bob Marley tune, gulab jamun (.25). Sticky, soft and doughy little cream-cheese spheres, in a warm rosewater-scented syrup. Close your eyes and think of the Taj Mahal.
Now Toronto In Chinatown or Little India, eating outside is tasty and inexpensive. Outdoor Food & Drink**BAR-BE QUE HUT Tandoori chicken in the heart of Little India. 1455 Gerrard East, 416-466-0411 $$ L/D *O*
Washington Flyer Magazine .Bar-be-que Hut, a long-established eatery, is known for its tandoori dishes and traditional live music on weekends. Nearly 100 items crowd the Hut's menu, with barbecue chicken, beef, shrimp and lamb among my favorites. This North Indian stamping ground also offers an array of breads with—get this—10 varieties, including puri, chapati, parathi and naan.