The Famous Indian Cuisine moved across the street and slightly west; now known as "New Famous," it is located at 1410 Gerrard St. E., still in Toronto's Little India district. We went for weekday dinner. The interior is a little more sparse and modern. There were a couple of other diners. Unfortunately none of the buffet trays were labelled, so one may end up asking the waiter what everything is.
Chicken tikka masala was excellent and very flavorful. Mishy said the butter chicken was nicely spiced with a little bit of heat to it. Chicken Tandoori was very good to excellent and we both loved it, although it was slightly dry, but not enough to matter. When a fresh batch was put out it was among the best. Naan bread was fresh, fragrant and very good.
Aloo gobi was good and full of flavor. Mali kufta potato cheese balls were delicious and unique. Yellow dal was tasty and well-seasoned. Chicken curry was quite good and also well-seasoned. We both liked the butter chicken, the sauce was very good. Mango chutney was good. Iceberg lettuce and onions were good with provided raita, which was well seasoned.
Unfortunately, the saag paneer was off and had an odd flavour as it had spent too much time in the pan. It appeared grayish and the taste was terrible. Happily, everything else was good.
For dessert, gulub jamon honey balls were good although a little stale but we both had seconds anyway. Strawberries and cream ice cream is an excellent flavor which is very creamy, mango ice cream had a nice flavor, as well as butterscotch ripple. Weekday dinner is $14.99, $12.99 lunch. With the unfortunate exception of the saag paneer, everything was good or better so it was a good value and was a (mostly) enjoyable dinner.
Rating: 7.5-8/10
Original review:
For dessert there are gulub jamon (sweet browned milk balls
fried in ghee clarified butter found at most Indian restaurants) and ice cream.
Both were excellent; the ice cream was quite fresh. Note that there is a sign
on the ice cream freezer that one scoop is allowed with any more being one
dollar per scoop, but having seen these at other Indian AYCEs I had asked the
owner on a previous visit and he explained that this is due to families allowing
their children whose eyes are larger than their stomachs to inevitably overload
themselves with ice cream that went to waste. If you ask about this you should
be able to get more than one without paying extra (providing you actually eat
it!)
The only real, saddening downside to the whole meal is that
there were only two other customers at The Famous. Considering the $11.95 price
of the Regency just down the street and similar increases at most other AYCEs,
the staggeringly good $9.95 lunch and $11.95 dinner price of The Famous is
almost too good to be true considering how excellent the food is. This place
really deserves more business and it would be a crying shame to see it
disappear. In the hope that it really can be famous enough to thrive I must factor
in its fantastic value for its quality and accord it my highest recommendation.
Chicken tikka masala was excellent and very flavorful. Mishy said the butter chicken was nicely spiced with a little bit of heat to it. Chicken Tandoori was very good to excellent and we both loved it, although it was slightly dry, but not enough to matter. When a fresh batch was put out it was among the best. Naan bread was fresh, fragrant and very good.
Aloo gobi was good and full of flavor. Mali kufta potato cheese balls were delicious and unique. Yellow dal was tasty and well-seasoned. Chicken curry was quite good and also well-seasoned. We both liked the butter chicken, the sauce was very good. Mango chutney was good. Iceberg lettuce and onions were good with provided raita, which was well seasoned.Unfortunately, the saag paneer was off and had an odd flavour as it had spent too much time in the pan. It appeared grayish and the taste was terrible. Happily, everything else was good.
For dessert, gulub jamon honey balls were good although a little stale but we both had seconds anyway. Strawberries and cream ice cream is an excellent flavor which is very creamy, mango ice cream had a nice flavor, as well as butterscotch ripple. Weekday dinner is $14.99, $12.99 lunch. With the unfortunate exception of the saag paneer, everything was good or better so it was a good value and was a (mostly) enjoyable dinner.Rating: 7.5-8/10
Original review:
The Famous Indian Cuisine is located at 1437 Gerrard St. E.,
just west of Coxwell Ave. in eastern downtown Toronto's Little India district.
It's been a go-to for Mishy and I for quite a while, and for some reason I
thought it had already been written up or I would have long ago. It's a cozy
place and we like the decor. The owner is also friendly and constantly checking
the food and tables to make sure everything is as it should be. Pop is $1.50
for a can.
The chicken tandoori is fantastic, wonderfully smoky and
there is always some available (I notice other places tend to run out of it...
it can't be kept for too long as it dries out.) It's one of my primary reasons
for returning to The Famous. Basmati rice had good texture and aroma, and
becomes quite a dish unto itself with the sauce from the curried chicken. The
curried chicken itself is wonderful, tender and also perfectly spiced without
being too hot; another dish worth coming here for.
Naan bread was also excellent, neither too moist nor dry,
toasted to bring out the most flavour and very fresh. Also very fresh was the
veg. pakora, which was among the moistest and thus most flavourful I have ever
had; this dish like chicken tandoori dries out quickly and loses much of its
flavour, and most other AYCEs present it in this state. Butter chicken is
usually not my favourite but was so good being savoury and not too sweet that I
had seconds. Matar paneer (aka "peas and cheese") was very good and spicy.
A couple of dishes were only slightly imperfect: Chana
masala's chick peas were a bit uncooked/al dente on my last visit but they have
not been before; the sauce is excellent with flavourful spicing without being
too hot. Aloo gobi was good but just starting to go from too much time in the
steam tray. These were very minor.
For dessert there are gulub jamon (sweet browned milk balls
fried in ghee clarified butter found at most Indian restaurants) and ice cream.
Both were excellent; the ice cream was quite fresh. Note that there is a sign
on the ice cream freezer that one scoop is allowed with any more being one
dollar per scoop, but having seen these at other Indian AYCEs I had asked the
owner on a previous visit and he explained that this is due to families allowing
their children whose eyes are larger than their stomachs to inevitably overload
themselves with ice cream that went to waste. If you ask about this you should
be able to get more than one without paying extra (providing you actually eat
it!)
The only real, saddening downside to the whole meal is that
there were only two other customers at The Famous. Considering the $11.95 price
of the Regency just down the street and similar increases at most other AYCEs,
the staggeringly good $9.95 lunch and $11.95 dinner price of The Famous is
almost too good to be true considering how excellent the food is. This place
really deserves more business and it would be a crying shame to see it
disappear. In the hope that it really can be famous enough to thrive I must factor
in its fantastic value for its quality and accord it my highest recommendation.
Rating: 10/10.
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