A local restaurant is bringing snacks and a little tradition to the streets this summer.
The Punjabi Restaurant has expanded its offerings to include a food cart, which owner Daisy Bains says is a little taste of home for many international students in town.
“We have a culture back home in India where, in the evening time, we go out for an evening walk with the family, and we enjoy snacks by the side of the road,” said Bains. “We try to bring that culture here and we’re hoping to introduce it to our Western society as well.”
The cart’s opening coincided with the restaurant’s first anniversary in May.
The cart offers pani puri, a fried bread cup stuffed with finely diced potato, onion, peas, and chickpeas. It’s all-you-can-eat for $11.99 per person.
“So you know, eat as many as you can for the price,” she said. “They have been enjoying it a lot.”
The cart also serves chaat papri, dahi puri, and dahi bhalle, all popular street foods in India, for $7.99.
Bains said that having options for a mid-walk snack in Timmins makes people new to the city a little more at home and shares that experience with everyone else.
“The response from the community has been overwhelming,” said Bains.
The current Cedar Street location is not a permanent stop for the cart, and Bains says that once the construction on Algonquin is completed, they’ll be setting up next to the restaurant on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The restaurant is also offering a traditional Indian brunch with all-you-can-eat parathas for $12.99. Parathas, stuffed flatbreads, are a breakfast staple in India.
“There can be any flavour, potatoes or cauliflower, anything the client wants,” said Bains.
The food cart is scheduled to be out and about until October, but if the weather holds, Bains said they’ll continue as long as possible.
“In the wintertime, we plan to do it inside the restaurant as well,” she said. “We’re just going to carry on the tradition.”
