Listed in Restaurants
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The Fat Beet is an all day eatery at the base of a condo tower in Thornhill where Indian and Israeli cuisines meet on one menu. Expect to find thali combos ($19.80) and veggie samosas ($9.80) alongside pita sandwiches and an array of vibrant vegetable dishes.
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The interior is sleek and modern. Chevron floors, vinyl lettering in the windows advertising"street food," a wall of distressed wood panels and a chalkboard are among the few evocative details.
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Food arrives to the table as it's ready, and in this case the corn cakes ($9.80), which resemble mini muffins, are up first. These little cakes are fluffy, moist and studded with corn niblets, translucent onions and the subtle flavour of celery seeds.
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Next up is a red quinoa salad ($9.80) with watercress leaves and watermelon radishes in a lemon, mustard and sumac dressing.
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My favourite dish of the day is a plate of mung beans ($9.80), which features onions, curry leaves, pepper and mustard seed. The dish comes topped with roasted carrots, za'atar spiced pita croutons and dollops of thick and creamy sumac-dusted labneh.
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The main entrees at lunch hour are pico ($11.90), intended as a cross between tacos and pita wraps - they're fanciful creations that come with fillings ranging from chicken schnitzel dressed with pickles and harissa to lamb meatballs with warm yogurt, pine nuts and pomegranate.
I try the crispy shrimp, which comes with Sriracha-marinated prawns in a creamy dressing with arugula and slaw. The flavours don't strike me as particularly Israeli, but it is tasty nonetheless.
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The toasty pita is particularly good. It's seasoned with greek yogurt, garlic, lavender and ginger and is baked to order.
Sandwiches come accompanied by a choice of the aforementioned quinoa salad or a side of addictive Phoenician fries sprinkled with parsley and sumac and served with a whipped garlic dipping sauce.
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Love rice ($16.80) is another vegetarian option on the menu. This boldly flavoured briyani-like dish is laden with tangy pickled vegetables and finished with creamy tzatziki.
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From the list of heartier mains there's a peppery pan-fried halibut ($19.80) in sambar curry with potatoes. It's not especially spicy but the heat creeps up on me the more I eat.
I'll have to return to try out the brunch menu. Dishes like butter chicken shakshuka and sweet potato pancakes with yogurt and maple leave me intrigued.
Photos by Jesse Milns