Mona’s Roti Trinidadian Food (Scarborough, ON)

The last time we were in Toronto, we didn’t have a car. As such, we stuck to more transit-friendly attractions, like Casa Loma and Ripley’s Aquarium. We also indulged in the tasting menu at DaiLo Restaurant. But, one big item from my to-do list that we never got to fulfill was to try some of the city’s best Caribbean food. I’d heard things and we don’t have as much of that kind of cuisine in Metro Vancouver. At least, not that I’ve noticed.

Well, we were back in Toronto this past weekend, this time for a wedding. And, this time we had a car and we were staying out in suburbia. Apparently, Scarborough is a better spot for Trinidadian food than Toronto proper. After seeking out some recommendations on Facebook, we landed at Mona’s Roti on Sheppard Avenue East, not far from the Toronto Zoo.

As much as I might enjoy the upscale dining experience every now and then, there is a huge appeal to honest, humble food served in a no nonsense kind of manner. This is “working class” fare, just like how I grew up in greasy diners and wonton noodle shops. Mona’s Roti has the same kind of vibe: a community institution that just does its thing and the people keep coming back.

Located in the decidedly nondescript Sheppard Mall, Mona’s Roti is a takeout-only kind of affair. They appear to be undergoing some renovations, possibly setting up some actual dining space. But, at least for the time being, it’s a grab-and-go place. There’s a counter where you see several of the curries on warmers, and you can plainly see into the back where they make the eponymous roti skins by hand.

Ordering from the main part of the menu consists of a few simple steps. These are all laid out in a small sign on the counter.

1. Decide between a roti wrap or a rice dish.
2. Choose between dhalpuri (flatbread with ground split peas) or paratha (plain flatbread) for the roti, and between plain rice or rice and peas if you’re doing a rice dish.
3. Pick a meat. Options include stew beef, boneless chicken, fried cod, curry duck, stewed oxtail and more.
4. Both roti wraps and rice dishes come with curry potato by default, but you can substitute for another vegetable at no cost if you’d like.

In addition to the main menu, you can also order additional roti skins, extra meat, tamarind sauce, Trinidadian doubles, plantain chips and more.

After waiting about 10 or 15 minutes for our food — it was very busy on Saturday afternoon — we packed up our lunch and headed to Toronto Zoo. (The video should be coming later this week. Stay tuned.) Luckily for us, there happened to be an abandoned folding table and chairs near the entrance. It ain’t fancy, but it certainly worked!

From the outside, the roti wrap doesn’t look like anything particularly special. It could easily be mistaken for a burrito or any other kind of wrap, really. The size is even not that far off from what you might from a Chipotle burrito, though it doesn’t feel quite as “packed.”

I went with the goat curry and curry potato in a dhalpuri for my roti wrap. I was almost expecting the goat curry to have bones in it, as I’ve never had a boneless goat curry. Instead, the goat is cut up into tiny cubes, so bones were not a concern at all. I imagine that if I got the rice dish version that the curry might contain morsels with bones.

If you’re the kind of person who really enjoys spicy food, you may be surprised at the lack of heat in the Trinidadian curry here. The flavors are rich and complex, and surely many spices are involved, but it’s not spicy. The dhalpuri is very soft and the ground split peas add an almost powdery texture. If you’d rather avoid that, stick with the paratha.

The photo at the top of this post is also a roti wrap, but with jerk chicken.

Roti wraps and rice dishes are the same price; the price is dictated by the meat you choose. A veggie roti is only $8.41, for instance, whereas the jerk chicken is $10.62 and the curry goat is $11.95. Everything else falls somewhere in between. Looking at this, though, the rice dish seems like a better value.

What you see here is the same jerk chicken, but with rice and peas. We also swapped out the curry potato for some spinach. There’s nothing particularly special about the spinach. The generous portion of rice and peas is very satisfying, like an excellent version of Uncle Ben’s. The jerk chicken was tasty, although nowhere near as spicy as we’ve had before. I’m not super familiar with Trinidadian food, so it might just be a regional difference compared to, say, Jamaican jerk chicken.

I really like digging into more varied and diverse ethnic cuisine. Vancouver has a lot of great Asian food that’s getting increasingly specific and regional. And, we’ve got a handful of places with decent Latin American food too. That said, I’m really glad we had a chance to enjoy some Trinidadian food in Toronto. I plan on seeking out more of it here in Vancouver too. Any recommendations?

Mona’s Roti is located at 4810 Sheppard Avenue East, Unit 209, in Scarborough, Ontario. They’re open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the Mona’s Roti website for more information, including the full menu.