89Aravind

A 10 minute drive and a world away from the curry houses of Little India. Aravind Kozhikott’s pedigree is showing on the menu: He was Marc Thuet’s barman, in which gig he clearly absorbed a sizeable portion of Thuet’s food convictions. Aravind serves the food of Kerala in South India. Kerala’s geographic situation on the ocean explains the menu’s focus on seafood. No meat! And Aravind’s C.V. explains the provenance of the ingredients: Much of the food is local, hence Ontario lake fish and local veg. Aravind’s father Raj has come out of retirement to do the cooking, and his touch is light and deft. His dosas (fermented rice flour crepes) are filled with delightful savouries like classic masala (potato and onion) or squash and lentils. Light coconut sauce brings out the sweetness of mussels. Lake Huron pickerel is nicely cooked and beautifully sauced in ginger spiked creamy coconut. East meets west in sweet deep-flavoured Dungeness crab biryani.