It has taken 22 years but Rocky Kalra was finally able to open Tirupati Restaurant last year, building on a model he created in the northern India city of Dehradun two decades ago, now run by his sister.
“All of my life I’ve done the restaurant business and I don’t know anything else,” Kalra says with pride.
The family-run restaurant is among a growing offering of Indian food in Aurora, joined by the new Saffron Authentic Cuisine and the more established Vintage Spice.
Tirupati, on Yonge Street, provides a variety of vegetarian offerings, including both the aromatic flavours from the north of India and the spicy, tangy tastes of the south.
Kalra points to bun tikki, an Indian-style burger featuring a spiced potato patty served in a soft bun with chutneys and fresh veggies as an example of the restaurant’s popular Indian street food offerings, which he describes as a fusion of traditional Indian food with newer approaches that has become very popular. He also suggests the paani poori, with its burst of tangy and spicy water-filled puris.
Then there’s chaat papdi, crispy fried flour crackers with chickpeas potatoes and spices, tangy and spicy sauce and cooling yogurt, as well as paani poori filled with flavoured water, tamarind chutney, spices, potato mash and chickpeas.
The curry dishes tend to be popular, as well.
While Tirupati is a takeout restaurant, there are a couple of tables where patrons can enjoy their meals.
Sahil Arora declares that his Vintage Spice on Yonge Street was the first restaurant to bring all the Indian flavours to Aurora.
“We take pride in our name, which is Vintage Spice, by blending all of our spices in house,” he says, “which gives our menu a unique and aromatic flavour.”
Arora, who worked as a chef in India, came to Canada in 2006 and studied hotel management at George Brown College before working at several Toronto-area restaurants.
Vintage attracts customers from area communities and is particularly popular for those seeking vegetarian options.
In addition to the perennially popular butter chicken, Arora says the sweet and sour cauliflower bites is one of the most popular dishes at Vintage Spice and the smoked eggplant has a following.
The restaurant also offers combo lunch platters for $15.99. Dinner is a la cart, which includes a wide selection like lamb, beef, chicken and seafood options in addition to the vegetarian dishes.
But Arora is also happy to go off menu to give customers what they want, either off site or at the restaurant.
“I’m a chef, the food should not be compromised,” he says, adding that his goal is to give people what they want.
Parth Patel is happy with the launch of Saffron Authentic Cuisine less than four months ago.
Located on Wellington Street East, Saffron traces its roots to Ahmedabad, in western India, and is part of the Sanklp business brand. Saffron’s offerings are vast, focusing on dishes from the north of India, which includes several vegetarian options.
Butter chicken is, of course, the favourite in Aurora. But Patel says the popular dish at Saffron is more of a tribute to its origins.
“Our butter chicken is authentic, so it’s not so creamy and sweet,” he says, “it is more favourful and spicy.”
Tandoori chicken, biryani and chicken tikka are also on top of the list of popular items.
But Patel says service and atmosphere is an important aspect of the dining experience at Saffron as well, with its experienced staff who all have backgrounds in the hospitality business. He attributes this combination to healthy repeat business with customers regularly returning.
Patel came to Canada nearly five years ago after doing his master’s degree in the United States, running businesses with partners in Edmonton and Gananoque, in addition to Aurora. But Patel says his heart lies in hospitality.
Over at Tirupati, Kalra is delighted with his first year as the business continues to build.
“I’m very happy,” he says. “My family is working with me, my daughter works with me, my wife works with me. It’s been very good.”
