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Amaya Express
1168 Queen St E
Toronto, ON M4M 1L5
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
(416) 322-0020
Toronto, ON M4M 1L5
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
(416) 322-0020
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Amaya Express
12 reviews in English
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Review from Sarah O.
Toronto, ON
12/11/2010
I've been longing to have an east indian roti Sure, I live within walking distance of Little India but I have yet to find a place like Ghandi's or Mother India. I was delighted to see that Amaya's served a roti which sounded delicious: spinach, edamame, sweet potato and spicy mayo. I ordered samosas and pakoras which were pretty tasty. The roti though was a disappointment. I neglected to notice that it had said "roti wrap" so the "wrap" was just a tortilla wrap. Not a nice, chewy, light roti shell like they make at Ghandi's & Mother India. It felt like I was just eating an indian wrap sandwich.
The filling tasted pretty decent so I might give this place another chance but try their curries. I'm more inclined to just try the restaurants that I haven't been to yet in Little India because the prices are better there.
In the meantime, my craving for a Ghandi's/Mother India-style roti will go unsatiated boo hoo hooo! -
Review from Faye C.
11/12/2011
We ordered it, we ate it...we're probably not coming back.
With Maggie E on the dry butter chicken (I didn't even think it was possible to have dry butter chicken, but this place managed it). Packaged naan from PC would have been better than we were got here. We also had the beef Korma (I didn't know that Korma could be bland!)
They were quick though - what do I expect for food prepared within 10 minutes...something better that dried meat tossed in sauce.
My experience here actually reminded me that I should make the drive to Etobicoke to my fave Indian place. -
Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
10/17/2010
Maybe it was a bad night. We had dinner delivered, and found our dishes overcooked, overpriced(!) and flavour-challenged.
The DO claim to use free-range chicken.
We may give them a second chance, but no time soon. -
Review from Ricky Z.
Toronto, ON
7/15/2010
Nobody was more excited than me to see the neon elephant that marked the spot where the new Amaya Express was to be opened in Leslieville. I'd dutifully check the menu on their website to plan my dream meal, then waited for my first chance to order it up, big time. Last night was my chance. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it wasn't too good.
A few friends and I planned a little dinner party last night and felt if would be a perfect time to try out the new AE. We decided to order the dinner for four, knowing it would be lots of food, but we were looking forward to stuffing our faces with this food that everyone seemed to be raving about! The total came out to $95 with tax--very steep for Indian food in general and very steep for take out! But I'm more than willing to pay above average money for above average food.
My first tip off that the experience wasn't going to be above average was the actual restaurant. The website for Amaya Express is very upbeat, bright and playful, with happy music playing and a modern interface; the signage outside is great--that flaming orange elephant is a great logo. But when I walked inside, it was like I was walking into a 19th C. bordello. The lights were very dim and there was a red hue in the air. A little eccentric, I thought, but continued to pay and pick up the food.
Here's a breakdown of what we ordered and how I thought it tasted:
Saag Paneer--this was ok. Had a nice spinach flavour, but the cheese cubes were gigantic and had a dry texture. So the cheese to sauce ratio was off. I had to cut the pieces into four more pieces. This fixed the ratio, but the pieces were still dry and watery tasting--oxymoron, I know, but that's how i can describe it!
Matar Paneer--this dish was more flavourful than the saag paneer; however it still had the problem with the huge chunks of dry cheese. Why did I have to choose two paneer dishes??? Oh well.
Butter Chicken--the butter chicken was definitely the best part of the meal. The sauce was flavourful and there was plenty of chicken in the mix. Not the best I've ever had--and definitely not worth the price--but worthy of a reorder.
Chicken Korma--I usually LOVE korma; however, this one was very disappointing. I don't know how to describe the flavour, because there was none. It was like tasting air. There was NO FLAVOUR! ha ha. I'm almost glad it was so bad, because the next time I have a good chicken korma it will taste that much better in comparison.
Masala Lime Lamb--other than the butter chicken, this was the only other dish to elicit a couple compliments at the table. Very nicely cooked lamb, good sauce.
Beef Vindaloo--I'd rank this in between the korma and the masala lamb for appeal. While it had flavour and heat, it was missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. It just didn't have a depth of flavour I would crave and keep me coming back for more.
The naan was very thick and spongy, which I don't think is a good thing. When I'd pair it with the sauces, the flavour of the bread would over power the sauce. Get that! How can the flavour of bread over power the spice juggernaut that is Indian food??? Disappointing.
I'm done with the satisfaction of eating copious amounts of Indian food at buffets and ignoring my puke reflex just because it was cheap. I really want excellent tasting Indian food at a fair price (reasoning that price should dictate quality). I am sad to say my hopes were dashed last night. So dramatic, hey??? I am now on a mission to find the best Indian food in Toronto. And I want everyone to set the record straight on this issue--no more rewards for mediocrity. -
Review from Real B.
Toronto, ON
7/9/2011
OMG so disappointed! Had takeout and everything was so so so oily! Hardly edible. Was there an accident in the kitchen? Yuck! ;(
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Review from Maggie E.
Toronto, ON
7/20/2011
Dry, chalky Butter Chicken. Very yummy sauce. Next time I would just get the butter chicken sauce and make my own chicken. Bland Aloo Gohbi (I didn't know there was such a thing). Way too expensive for the quality. Don't waste your money; go explore Little India if you're craving some spice.
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Review from Nolin L.
Toronto, ON
So the much anticipated Amaya Express opened its doors earlier this week.
We ordered take-out tonight for dinner, and were keen to see how the much talked about Amaya cuisine compared to some of our other Indian delivery options around here. We had never had Amaya's food before.
We ordered the Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken, Vegetable Samosas, Jasmine Rice, and 2 plain naans.
The total was around $42 including tax, and we picked up so not sure about any delivery charges that would apply.
The Chicken Tikka, in my opinion, was sparse for $12. It was 5 pieces of chicken and a small cucumber salad garnish. The flavours and seasonings were very good...spicy, but not overpowering.
The Butter Chicken was a better portion size, and also had very good flavours and seasonings. The sauce was addictive, and we were glad we had enough rice and naan to justify eating it all.
The Samosas were pretty good, and standard, as were the rice and naans.
When I picked up our order, the staff were having trouble figuring out how to use their new machine to process my debit card so I ended up paying with Visa. They also sent me out the door with someone else's order, and seemed to be having a bit of opening week jitters working out how to keep orders and tickets straight.
Our usual Indian delivery joint until now has been Real Taste of India. Overall, I found the flavours and spices of Amaya's food were a little more balanced and tasty than Real Taste of India, but for $40-45 at Real Taste of India we get an additional main dish, and the overall portion sizes are bigger. We can easily get two full meals for two people out of a Real Taste of India order...and that wasn't the case with our food from Amaya tonight. -
Review from Sylvia S.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2011
Tasty food but the prices have gone up and the portions have gone down since my last visit. We ordered the butter chicken, chana masala, rice and naan to go and it wasn't enough food to satisfy 2 people. The butter chicken was flavourful but hardly any chicken floating around in all that sauce. There also was a big thick dark hair (not mine) in my meal which was quite nasty. I ended up raiding my fridge for food scrapes after we finished off our amaya order.
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Review from Josh N.
Toronto, ON
8/5/2010
Gonna give this 4 stars since it was my first visit, but if I get another repeat experience it's going to 5.
Only ordered veggie - but MAN - delicious stuff. Resonably priced at $40 all in for 2 people take out, WITH left overs in the fridge.
Can't wait to order again. -
Review from Sandra B.
Toronto, ON
5/31/2010
There are a gauntlet of seedy bars on Queen East that you take your chances passing late at night.
But with the growing popularity of Leslieville, thankfully for us late night wanderers, those bars are rapidly disappearing.
The neighbourhood's been abuzz since the former Teddy's closed its doors and rumours of Amaya opening an express location surfaced.
Lucky for us, Amaya Express just opened two days ago. Not having heard any reviews and eagerly awaiting their opening I thought I'd take the plunge.
I've had Amaya from their other locations, and it is by far the best take-out/delivery Indian food I've had, so the bar has been set pretty high. I called my order in and was told it would be ready in 30 minutes. I was a bit early for my pick-up, but my order was ready within the 30 minutes.
They've done a nice, tidy renovation of the space. And while there are a few tables, the ambiance is not fantastic for dining - I'm sure they're focusing on take-out and delivery.
I ordered my Indian favourites - Chana Masala, Saag Paneer, vegetable pakoras, rice and naan. The total bill was $36.00. The mains are around $10 each, so its not super cheap, but it is reasonable.
The portions are fantastic for the price. I thought I'd get maybe two dinners out of my order, but it will be more like three. And since I love the food, I'll be okay eating it for a few days.
The Chana Masala was lovely. Chickpeas nicely cooked. The sauce fragrant and mildly spicy. The Saag Paneer was perfect. Buttery spinach, not too rich. Good amount of paneer and the texture was good. Neither dish was too oily and while they were both nicely balanced with spices, neither was super spicy-hot, which is great.
The pakoras were full of veggies, not greasy and very fluffy and yummy.
My only disappointment was the naan. It was just okay. Nothing special about it.
But I'll definitely be back. Its a wonderful addition to Leslieville. -
Review from Emily M.
Toronto, ON
2/14/2011
The food was a bit pricey for what we got. Additionally, the delivery guy stole our credit card info which turned into a big headache.
The owner did eventually send us a small gift card as an apology, but we won't be giving them more of our business. -
Review from Yasmyn L.
Toronto, ON
8/8/2011
they really need to get their act together there! their receipt printing machine was NOT working for a month, which is no good when you need to submit your receipt to work for everyone's order... plus their kitchen looks to be a hawtttt mess!!! the two guys were in there sweating and bumping into one another with pans... our lunch took over an hour when i specifically asked for the food to be done by noon with an hour notice... noone was happy about this.
