Review: Pukka brings modern Indian cuisine to St. Clair West’s restaurant row
Pukka ★½ 778 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-342-1906
The latest addition to St. Clair West’s burgeoning restaurant row blends polished bistro decor (exposed brick, industrial track lights, banquette seating) with modern Indian cooking. The chefs—Scaramouche veteran Cornel D’Silva and Amaya alumni Kirti Singh and Dinesh Butola—look to Goa for some of their more inspired dishes, including a creamy scallop-shrimp curry and pork vindaloo braised in a puckery blend of garlic, ginger, chilies and red wine vinegar.
Chicken dishes, like the too-sweet butter chicken and the too-sour tikka, could use some fine-tuning. Luckily, Pukka nails the details: the list of sweet, light wines is well suited to heat and spice, and fluffy naan is baked to order in the kitchen’s tandoor.
