Dining out with Margot Thomas

TWO Indian born Canadians  are fast becoming the talk of the dining-out fraternity  as lovers of Indian  dining  flock to Avatar, their newly opened restaurant on Via Argentina which proudly advertises  Indian "cuisine.

Avtar Kala is a Sikh who ran a successful restaurant in Pickering Ontario that won “best restaurant" awards while volunteering his time to assist and advise new immigrants  Before coming to Panama  he was planning to buy a hotel in Costa Rica, but was told to give Panama a look over before closing the deal. Hotels are currently facing hard times in Panama, but he quickly identified the need for a high end Indian restaurant with affordable prices. He called Sanjay Seghal, the catering manager at Toronto’s prestigious Chelsea Inn who had advised him on his earlier foray as a restaurateur. Within days Sanjay was Panama bound and Canada’s loss is Panama’s gain.

AVATAR  scores high on four key customer appreciation scales: the quality and variety of the food, ambience, service and price.

The menu:  The first thing that caught my husband’s eye among the 15 starters was Mulligatawny  soup, something he has not seen since arriving in Panama, so he plumped for that, to follow  our mandatory sharing of an order of  samosa’s.With the knowledge that when the British Raj left India, they left behind cricket, and took with them a taste for curry. he likes to think he’s an expert on the spicy concoction and was quick to tell me that mulligatawny is an Anglo-Indian soup with the name  originating from Tamil mullaga/milagu and thanni which roughly translates as "pepper-water". I sampled his soup,and  gave it an A plus while concentrating on Dahi Vada (lentil dumplings in a creamy whipped yoghurt, served with Avatar’s unique chutney

We were already approaching the “full” mark, but couldn’t resist trying  Baigan Bharta a delicious roasted   egg plant dish  with two  of the four kinds of  roti  (Indian bread) One order split between  us was  sufficient to top up the tank, and leave some for take-home.

Full or not, we  shared a dessert. Kulfi  an Indian ice cream with nuts ad mango far removed from what you might expect in an ice ream outlet was a  flavorsome finale to a memorable Indian dining experience..No surprise to discover that Avtar had also won ice cream awards in Pickering.

There are two special rice dishes  pulao and bum pukht Biryani. Both of which offer multiple mix choices, and,of course. Basami rice.

Non carnivores will benefit from a separate listing of a dozen vegetarian dishes, and there are others under starters and Tandoori Khazana.

Ambiance, service, price: The ambience is upscale modern, complete with a pianist who plays at a level that allows you to converse, even at a table close the grand piano. When you arrive you will be greeted by Avtar, and he and Sanjay will be sure to pop by while you dine to seek your comments Their friendliness is reflected in the wait staff.  The prices won’t empty your wallet and you certainly won’t go home hungry. A final suggestion; try to visit as a foursome or more, so you can sample more dishes without having to adjust  your waistline.
There is ample parking at the side of the restaurant