Udupi Palace in Toronto's Gerrard India Bazaar

Keeping with the theme of municipal pockets of ethnicity from last month's post, we visited an authentic South Indian restaurant this month in Toronto.

As you go East on Gerrard Street past the Don River, you will drive through East Chinatown between Broadview Avenue and Carlaw Avenue. As you go further East, you will find Toronto's Gerrard India Bazaar between Greenwood Avenue and Coxwell Avenue.

Udupi Palace is located at 1460 Gerrard Street East. It serves authentic South Indian vegetarian cuisine, specializing in Vegan and Jain cuisine.

Interestingly, a tiffin service has recently started operating out of the Udupi Palace during its off-hours. Tiffinday delivers fresh lunch meals every day within the Greater Toronto Area based on the remarkable dabbawalla model of effficiency.

My MBA classmates and I developed the same business model involving a tiffin delivery service in the GTA in 2008... there goes any first-mover advantage!

Tiffinday was recently recognized by the Globe and Mail's "Ten best small business stories of the week" for the 1st week of 2011.

Back to our meal...

The menu


We started the lunch with Chaats, which are described as sweet savoury snacks from the streets of India.

Pani Poori - Crisp round hollow pastries stuffed with potatoes and gram, with spiced cumin water and tamarind sauce on side



Samosa Chaat- Samosa mashed and topped with chana masala, onions, tomatoes, sweet yogurt, mint chutney, tamarind sauce, coriander and crispy noodles


Chana Batura- Chick peas cooked in a delicious curry served with two Baturas (deep-fried dough)



Paneer Tikka- Paneer cubes marinated and cooked in Tandoor (only available on weekends)


Udupi Special- Choice of Dosa or Uthapam served with Idli and Medhu Vada

Medhu Vada (Fried Lentil Doughnuts) and Iddly (Steamed Rice and Lentil Patties) served with sambhar and chutney


Mysore Masala Dosa- Spicy chutney smeared inside Masala Dosa



Desserts clockwise: Mango Ice-cream, Carrot Halwa and Kulfi





Dessert from down the street... Meetha Paan (betel leaves filled with fennel seeds, dried fruit and candy) served to cleanse the palate, freshen the breath, and aid in digestion. Enjoy only in moderation given the uncertainty in areca nut and slaked lime paste content.



Very interesting... an acquired taste.