La Sani Grille Ajax - Decent Place with Great Indo-Pakistani Food

La Sani Grille Ajax is an Indo-Pakistani restaurant, with a branch in east Toronto. In Ajax, it occupies the spot that used to be the Pasta Tutti Giorni, which was one of my favourites, particularly for their escargot dishes.

La Sani Grille is also spacious, and some changes have been made to the interior and to the service style. It is a semi-fast food joint, with the dishes available displayed on a board on the left side. A monitor plays some of their dishes and how they are made in a loop while one is able to see part of the kitchen.

I have been there twice so far.

The first time, I ordered Beef Nihari and Seekh Kebab. Nihari came with naan, and the Kebab had the option of rice or naan, and I went for naan, an unusual practise for me.

Both came with salad, which was cut green salad leaves, with tomato, cucumber and onions.

There was no warm drink (no alcohol either) that could be had before and during a meal (they have chai, but that is an after-meal drink), so ordered just a bottle of water.

Nihari

Nihari

It came in an elegant, copper bowl that is usual for Indian/Pakistani restaurants. A thick sauce with large beef chunks. It was deep and richly flavoured, and spicy too, though I wish it had more of a bite but I guess they wanted down the spiciness to take into account that most customers prefer it mild.

I also wish the beef cubes were slightly more cooked.

Seekh Kebab

Seekh Kebab

It is another traditional Pakistani/Indian dish, grilled in a Tandoori oven and served with mint sauce or chutney.

The meat was fresh, and done well that it was not raw but not too dry to kill the juices. All in all, it was very succulent.

The second time, I ordered Lamb Chops and Lentil Curry.

Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops

Rack of lamb marinated in their own sauce and cooked in a clay tandoor. It came with basmati rice which seemed to have to have been cooked in a browny broth. The chops were well cooked, though slightly dry. The rice was perfect – well cooked and only slightly salted.

Dhal (Lentil) Curry

Dhal Curry

It was masoor dhal (split red lentils), cooked with turmeric and ginger. It was a thick curry, with the lentils cooked to become almost a thick soup. I think it was not fried with spices such as red chillies, mustard seeds and cumin, as it is customary in parts of India and Sri Lanka.

Kheer (rice pudding)

Kheer

It was served in a plastic bowl, which was odd, given that the other dishes were served in stylish, copper dishes, but I guess they had prepared this more for take-out.

It was fresh, not overly sweetened, and the fresh pistachio slices added a nice touch of crunchiness to it.

Chai

Chai

Thick, with lots of milk and hot, as a traditional Indian/Pakistani-style chai is. Very good.

Final Comments

All in all, this is a decent place, spartanly decorated but good for families. The dishes were fresh and very tasty. Unfortunately, no alcohol is served and the lack of hot beverages (other than chai) for meals is a downer for me. I would prefer at least a green tea to go with my meals.

What I found odd was that this is located in a strip mall where another, smaller restaurant serves Afghani food, which is in some ways same as Pakistani food.