…but not to open another outlet of its expanding Indian-food empire. Rather, owner Hemant Bhagwani will use the site to launch the multi-ethnic, family-friendly Bazaar: Global Food Bar.
The Amaya empire continues to expand with the takeover of the Lai Toh Heen space at 692 Mt. Pleasant Rd., but it won’t be just another Amaya outpost. Instead, it’s going to be the multi-ethnic, kid-friendly Bazaar: Global Food Bar.
Says owner Hemant Bhagwani, “I’ve traveled quite a bit recently and learned about VPN’s Neapolitan pizza course, went to London to look at Middle Eastern food and I wanted to bring that to Toronto in a bazaar format where it’s more like a fun atmosphere. I’ll have a psychic at the restaurant, for example, and upstairs there will be chalkboard walls and children can have birthday parties there instead of going to Chuck E. Cheese or The Rainforest Café.”
Expect a mash-up of Italian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Mexican cuisine on the menu (it will be sit-down service) along with burgers topped with kimchi. And, since this is an Amaya enterprise, Bhagwani says he wants to add a butter-chicken pizza.
“Mount Pleasant is a wonderful neighbourhood to be in,” Bhagwani says. ”Torontonians are more into ethnic food now, so I thought, ‘Why not bring that in?’
“It’s not a high-end restaurant. Everyone tried to do a high-end restaurant where it’s $60 or $70 a person, but I just want a fun place where people can bring their kids and have real, non-fast food.”
The space will also have a retail element where people can buy things like t-shirts, art and jewelry. Construction starts next week and the restaurant is slated to open Dec. 15.
