Finding Banjara is easy: follow your nose. Walking towards this west-end resto from Christie Pits, one cannot help but breathe in the heady blend of cinnamon, cloves, cumin and other spices filling the air. Banjara and its neighbour, Madras Masala, are doing a great job of seduction via aroma; this may be the reason why finding an empty seat can be a challenge — unless you’re going for lunch.  

The best bet is to order a thali (combo platter), which allows lunch-ers to sample multiple highlights on one messy plate. Combos are available in a number of iterations, including butter chicken, goat and lamb. We like the veggie combo ($11), because really, who does better vegetarian food than Indians? (Keep in mind that if you order spicy, it will pack plenty of heat.) 

After snacking on papadum to start, chomp on veggie pakora and then dig into the daal curry and aloo gobi along with your choice of veg dish selected from the menu. We went with malai kofta (cheese balls with carrot and cashew in a tomatoey cream sauce), because it’s hard to resist its charms. The platter comes with both basmati rice and naan, and with rice pudding included for dessert, this meal truly has it all.

Banjara Indian Cuisine, 796 Bloor St. W., 416-963-9360