Amaya - The Indian Room

My friends and I had dinner at Amaya - The Indian Room on Bayview, south of Eglinton on Saturday. One of them had a Groupon voucher for the place.

It's not too far from where I live. I was going to walk, but one of my friends picked me up on her way down.

Even in the dead of winter it's a busy restaurant. Especially on a Saturday. We tried to make reservations for 7:00, but were pushed back to 8:30. We actually didn't get seated until closer to 9:00.

It's fairly nice looking inside. The north wall is covered with unfinished planks of dark wood. It gives it a rustic look which contrast the modern fixtures.

We ordered Laal Maas - spicy, spring lamb curry with tomato and onions, $17; Organic Chicken in British-style tikka masala, $19; Chicken Biryani a mixed rice dish made with spices, rice and chicken; and Saag Paneer - spinach, mustard and shishito peppers with paneer, $12; with a basket of Naan, $9. The food was delicious.

Don Valley Brickworks

It was the "Grand Opening" of the Don Valley Brickworks this past weekend (September 25th-26th, 2010). Though, in actuality, it was really more of a re-opening.

It was first built in 1889 by John Taylor and his brothers, William and George (according to Wikipedia). They had first purchased the site in the 1830s where they established a paper mill. While digging post holes to make a fence, William came across some good quality clay. Thus began their brick making business.

Many years passed and eventually all the usable shale and clay had been quarried. After a few legal battles the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority laid claim to the land in 1986. In 1992 the first phase of park development on the site began.

The site is now open year round. There is a welcome centre, evergreen gardens and ponds surrounded by walking paths for the public to use. The old kilns for baking bricks are still there. As well there is event space for rent and soon there will be office space available.

It's a grat place to spend a couple hours wandering around any time of the year.