Agra Fine Indian Cuisine recently opened a new restaurant at King and Peter where the old Grindhouse Burger Bar used to sit. I hadn’t indulged in an Indian feast in ages so when three girlfriends I’ve been friends with since high school but have barely seen over the past three years contacted me to meet up for a dinner reunion I thought Agra would be the ideal location.
I am so proud of the three woman who joined me at the table. They are smart, resilient, passionate and a hell of a lot of fun to spend time with. Sarah recently moved to Toronto after doing her masters at the London School of Economics. She will be moving to NYC next Fall to study herself silly at law school. Erin also did her masters at LSE and has spent her last few years living in Cape Town South Africa working on AIDS research. She just returned from a placement in Holland and will be finishing her PhD in Cape Town this year. Ferris is a fiery red head who over the past few years has lived in Vancouver, Whistler, Hawaii, London and now Toronto. All three women share a passion for travel, good food and memorable conversation.
We started off our meal snacking on papadam and sipping on three of the restaurants Indian beers: Kingfisher, Cheetah and Cobra. I always enjoy Indian food with beer, the spice and sour/sweet combinations provide an exemplary harmony throughout the meal.
Sarah is a vegetarian at the moment (although I’m trying desperately to persuade her to indulge in my pork belly cravings) so made sure to order a a few of the restaurants vegetarian friendly signature dishes. We started off with two plates of finger food. A hot sizzling plate soon arrived featuring massive tandoori prawns. The table soon filled with our entrees all of which were presented in beautiful little iron pots lit with a tea light underneath.
We slowly nibbled on naan while sopping up sweet curry and I popped garbanzo in my mouth whilst sipping on a cold Cobra. Agra now provides an intimate space adorned with chandeliers to Toronto’s Entertainment District. A perfect spot to catch up with old friends while adventuring through Inda.
We sampled (* notes my favorites)
Appetizer Assortment *
samosa, onion bhajia, pakoras, spring roll, reshmi kabob
Jumbo Prawn Tandoori
cooked in tandoori oven, marinated with spices and yogurt
Beef Balti Karachi Gosht
fresh ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green pepper, onion and spices
Butter Chicken
boneless chicken breast, creamy tomato sauce
Chicken Tikka Masala *
bbq boneless chicken breast tikka
Chana Masala *
garbanzo, tomatoes, onions, spices
Paneer Makhni *
homemade cottage cheese, creamy butter sauce
Garlic Kulcha *
naan stuffed with fresh garlic, coriander and mango powder
Kashmiri Pulao *
long grain basmati cooked with fruits and nuts
