Jaadu
1415 Yonge Street
416-944-8885
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and juice (no desserts available): $46

Toronto has a large and vibrant Indian community which is easily reflected by the amount of Indian restaurants and little hole-in-the-walls which dot the downtown landscape. A recent and welcome addition to this landscape is Jaadu. It’s only three months old but it’s already challenging the older Indian eatery in the region, Rangoli (1392 Yonge Street).

Rangoli has a more open and bright atmosphere with lively colours on the wall. A friend once described dinner there as “feeling like you’ve been invited to dinner at a good friend’s house.” At first glance, Jaadu looks dark, clean and modern. First impressions suggest it’s a higher end Indian restaurant. After walking through the door, those impressions are confirmed. It’s grey, and, some would say, quite bland. There’s a fully stocked bar on the southern wall, which instantly reveals that it’s not like other Indian restaurants. This is not just another hole-in-the-wall. My partner notes, “this used to be a Chinese restaurant, right? You can tell the paint job was quick.” She’s right and something like that can say a lot about the nature of the establishment. Having said that, I go into a restaurant to eat, not judge the paint on the walls.

On our first visit there was no host to be found so in we went, disregarding the “Please wait to be seated” sign. We’re rebels like that. A couple of steps in and we see no one at the bar either. If it weren’t for two tables full of customers, we would’ve thought that the place was yet to open. After a few seconds someone emerged from the back to seat us.

To start, we chose the Fried Calamari ($7), not exactly traditional Indian cuisine, but there was a lack of traditional Indian appetizers on the menu. We would have liked to have seen Tiki or Puri instead. The Calamari arrived, stacked and served on a bed of salad. We were afraid to touch it. The batter contained coconut and was a welcome taste for me though not for my partner who found that it took away from the calamari flavour. She found it too sweet. It came with three different dipping sauces: tamarind, mint, and mango. It was enjoyably crunchy but, at 6 pieces, not worth the $7 price tag. The Naan bread, which was free, was way better. It’s hard to mess up Naan, and every time we’ve gone, it’s been excellent, soft and fluffy and always served fresh, and definitely better than Rangoli’s.

My first dish was Chicken Zalfrasi ($12), which is chicken cooked with onion, garlic, ginger and cumin served with rice. With the variety of spices, it’s easy to see, taste and smell why a friend calls Indian food “perfumed food.” The sauce was quite aromatic and spicy, but that didn’t detract from its taste. There was still the hint the onion and ginger on the soft, not-too-chewy cubed chicken which was easily cut with a fork. The rice was nothing out of the ordinary, but with the dish it was welcome.

My partner opted for the Veal Vindaloo ($14) which was very, very spicy. She loved it and so did I. I much preferred it to my meal. The meat was done well, and the sauce had just the right amount of spice yet still tasty (Vindaloo is traditionally one of the spiciest Indian dishes). To balance the extreme heat was a small bowl of yogurt. We didn’t touch it at all. We ordered the dish again in a later visit.

Of course, no review of an Indian restaurant is ever complete without Butter Chicken ($12). It’s one of my favourite dishes and I’ve ordered it at Indian eatery I have ever visited. I’m sad to say that Jaadu doesn’t do it well. The chicken was rubbery and took away from the tomato and milk base sauce. It tasted like the chicken was either overcooked or was just bad chicken to begin with.

Overall, Jaadu was a good experience but compared to other restaurants around the area it is expensive, feels more serious and almost business-centric, attracting more suits than students. The staff we met while dining were friendly and enthusiastic, from the host to the wait staff and especially the bartender. Having said that, it’s not a place to frequent often. It’s more of a “once a month” restaurant, suitable for birthdays and other celebrations.