Take-out time

GUEST POST by ELISA ALBY, owner of LA MAMMA FILES
I'm not a food critic, I'm a mom.

A mom who agonizes over what to make for dinner. My husband can rely on that daily phone call where I query him on what to have for dinner. In other areas I am a planner. But somehow the complexities of planning a week's worth of meals --what with the shopping, thawing, measuring, timing-- simply confounds me. So it brings great relief when take-out Friday rolls around; or take-out Thursday, as is often the case at our house.  This only leaves the challenge of where to go for take-out.

Here are a few spots we've tried in and around the Junction.

1. Babul Kabob, 341 Jane Street, 416-760-8007.
A small nook on Jane( just south of Annette) run by an Afghan family, serving up kabobs, rice and salads. Some friends of mine with young kids of their own recommended it, so we tried it out. The kabobs were tasty, though not mind blowing. I did enjoy the Ghabeli Rice which is an afghan dish of rice cooked with sugar, cumin, carrot and raisins. It is sweet and a good choice for children. Reasonably priced, it is a good choice for take-out night.

2. Roti Time, 2542 St. Clair Ave. W. (at Runnymede Ave.), 416-901-8311.
When I discovered that there was a place for roti so close by, I was thrilled. Even more so when I learned that the place was originally connected to the owners of Ghandi on Queen West. After obsessing about it for weeks we finally went for it. If you've had roti then you know that it is a hearty meal. My husband went and came back with butter chicken for me and lamb vindaloo for himself, which were thoroughly enjoyed. I think next time I want to try some of the veggie options. The place is run by Supriya Vellore who learned how to make the roti form the original owners. If you are in a rush you may have to skip it because each curry is made to order and it can get busy in there.

3. Westwood Grill 519 Annette Street, 416-604-8822 or 416-604-8868
Chinese is always a family favourite and Westwood Grill goes above and beyond your typical Chinese resto with Dim Sum offerings and some Thai dishes. The thing I really appreciate is that they don't use MSG, which is important to me when feeding a toddler -- let alone myself. I also love the convenience of their online ordering system, makes it such a breeze for someone who is attached to her digital devices, and if you don't feel like picking up, they deliver.
Since I'm always on the lookout for more options, these are next on my list:

Indian Kiss
Outhouse

What are your faves?