Brothers and business partners Jay and Sanjeev Sethi opened 259 Host, the fourth Host restaurant in the Greater Toronto Area, earlier this month. But the pair decided to brand their new downtown locale—a multilevel restaurant on Wellington Street West—differently than their Indian restaurants in Yorkville, Richmond Hill, and Mississauga. Although the restaurant serves authentic Indian food, it does so in a more creative manner, Jay Sethi said.
The duo has “taken a step back in terms of the cooking techniques,” Sethi said, adding that his brother—the executive chef for all four restaurants—has returned to the basic traditions of Indian cooking. (For example, spices used in dishes such as the lamb medallion served in roganjosh curry, are all ground with a stone.) “We have also taken two steps ahead in terms of presentation,” Sethi said. Meals are presented in a modern fashion and the space does without the ornate statues commonly seen in Indian restaurants.
“When we started with this place we were clear we were going to do something very simple and rich,” Sethi said. The few artifacts that are on display are from Sethi’s private collection. The multilevel venue—designed by Robert Chaban & Associates, with finishing touches added by Design and More Inc.—is filled with maple and mahogany wood and a muted colour palette of taupe and green. Simple light fixtures hang from glass ceiling panels splattered with paint and accented with slats of maple wood, and a sheer printed screen offers views into the kitchen.
The menu includes appetizers like panir and Brie cheese croquettes in a savory crust of gram flour and lentil flakes and tangy chaat of rice cakes served with crispy spinach fritters, yoghurt and fresh date chutney. Main courses such as lobster tail coated with fresh red pepper paste, coconut, and baby spinach (cooked in a tandoor) are offered. Four-year-old aged basmati rice accompanies each dish. “The older the rice, the better it is,” Sethi said.
The entire space seats 80, with room for 40 on each of the two levels, and an outdoor patio can hold 20 in the warmer months. The upper level, which overlooks Wellington Street, has its own bar and can accommodate business meetings and private functions. The restaurant is open daily from noon to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
