Lamb karahi and paneer are 'curated' for the customer at Ancila's Indian Cuisine
Ancila's Indian Cuisine is located at 6905 Millcreek Drive in Mississauga
"This is incredible, it is so good. It doesn't taste anything like restaurant cooking."
That was my wife's reaction to a bowl of spiced paneer, an eggplant dish, and some peppery lamb karahi that I picked up as takeout for us one night that made our apartment smell like an Indian spice factory.
It's from an Indian restaurant called Ancila's Indian Cuisine located in a Mississauga strip mall, owned and operated by Ancila Lobo.
Lobo is the only employee in the medium-sized restaurant; she greets you, takes your orders and cooks all the food.
As far as I am concerned, she serves some of the best home-style Indian food in the GTA. Oh, and there's no menu. That's how Lobo prefers it.
It is my secret wish that we had better dining options for Indian food in downtown Toronto. We have many wonderful takeout spots scattered across the city, but when it comes to a sit-down meal, there are few that I find noteworthy.
Unlike Thai restaurants (which we featured recently), for great Indian food you're heading to the suburbs: Mississauga, Brampton, Scarborough.
In many ways, Indian cooking is the very antithesis of fast food; dishes are a labour of love and take time. Restaurants get around this with two obvious shortcuts; using a lot of grease to mask flavours, and using similar mother sauces and stews to speed up the process.
I cringe when I see photos of a curry or meat dish with a pool of oil resting at the top, I can't help it, I'll express disdain as soon as I see a circle of grease hugging chunks of meat and vegetables. I'll find any reason to avoid going in for second bites. If I want Indian food, especially traditional Indian food, I'm getting in a car and driving west to Ancila's.
I learned that Lobo has a disdain for commercial restaurant practices, as well.
"When people come here, I want them to feel like they are in my house. I understand that its not possible, we're in a big restaurant. But this is my wish, and I will go to considerable lengths to try and make each experience a curated one," she said.
Lobo was born in Mumbai, considered by many to be one of the cultural hubs of India.
"The food and people are diverse in Mumbai. You have a cross section of all kinds of Indian food there. I try to bring that to this restaurant. We are not a northern restaurant. We are an Indian restaurant."
After moving to Canada, Lobo opened Ancila's, along with her former husband. About eight years ago when the marriage ended, Lobo decided to take the reins of the restaurant. That's when she decided to dramatically alter the way she ran the business.
"I got rid of all the cooks, and I decided to cook myself. I decided to do everything myself," she explained.
When you walk into Ancila's, things can seem a little strange at first. The medium-sized restaurant looks like it is equipped to seat 50 guests, but I have yet to see anyone else in there. This is because Lobo prefers to seat diners by specific seating times. Reservations are a must, and chances are you will be the only table in the restaurant for a short period.
"Seatings allow me to take care of each customer and cook for them."
Then there's the lack of menus. No matter how much you ask, Lobo will deny you any menus because of her cooking philosophy. Each dish is made from scratch to suit each diner's preference. She discusses with each diner how to tailor each dish for their meal.
She starts by inquiring how much spice you can take.
"On a scale of one to 10, tell me your spice tolerance," she asked me.
After a few examples and analogies, we settle that I am at a seven. I still don't think I'm a seven, maybe more like a six.
Next she asks you about your preferred proteins, whether you're a meat eater or a vegetarian. This is where Lobo's personality starts to shine as she expands on her culinary prowess, effusing about regional Indian dishes and cooking styles that I had never heard of before.
When it comes to vegetarian cooking, she is the master. Try the paneer taka tak.
"The journey of this dish started out as a mistake," Lobo said as she tossed chunks of cottage cheese on a sauce pan.
It's similar to a chili paneer where chunks of cheese are tossed together with a medley of spices and vegetables. Lobo's version is spicy (remember your tolerance levels) but with undertones of tang and acidity from tomatoes and onions.
The paneer, which lacks any flavour on its own, soaks up all the bits from the stew. I like to pour it over a bed of jasmine rice.
I was craving some eggplant so I asked Lobo to serve me her favourite dish. She roasted a whole eggplant in her tandoor oven and then mushed it together with an assortment of spices to create a spread that was wonderfully creamy and tangy at the same time. The heat was prevalent throughout, but balanced.
Even though Lobo's vegetarian dishes are a highlight for me, but her lamb karahi is a must-try. It's a thick curry with thick chunks of bone-in lamb which will fall apart under your spoon.
To me it is reminiscent of food you find near the railways in India, fiery plates or meat curries served piping hot. A dish so hot, but you can cool off with some raita, a condiment made with a yogurt, cucumber and mint.
Don't visit Ancila's without making a reservation first. Everything is made from scratch and therefore it takes longer than usual, but it is the closest to "auntie" style cooking I have come across in the GTA.
With no menus and an empty room, your interaction may seem a little uncomfortable at first, but trust me, the results are worth it.
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