Meat Samosas - NO VEG PLEASE!

[kwong]

I've been looking for tasty, cheap MEAT samosas in or around the GTA.

I am NOT AT ALL interested in Samosa King/Embassy. Please do not suggest them. There are enough threads about them, so please suggest anything else but them. They only have one type of meat samosa, which is extremely potatoey. Since I can't really eat potatoes (I can, but in very limited amounts), I am looking for samosas that are very meaty.

I would prefer if they were not very greasy either. Example: Motimahal is way too greasy.

Please help me find places for great meat samosas. Thanks in advance!

[Kagemusha]

Kwality Sweets in Brampton. Big, meaty, non-greasy samosas.

[kwong]

Are they mostly meat? Or is there a lot of non-meat filling inside?

Also, what is the price per samosa? I live in Scarborough, so it'll be tricky for me to get to Brampton... but if I'm ever there, I'll give Kwality Sweets a try.

[led2]

In Richmond Hill, at the NE corner of Yonge and Elgin Mills, there is Shalimar which makes a pretty good meat samosa.

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Shalimar
10737 Yonge St, Richmond Hill, ON L4C9M9, CA

[DishyDiva]

Hi kwong,

I'm like you in that I don't like samosas which consist of 90% potatoes. The veggie ones I prefer are made of spinach and paneer and little else. B & J Supermarket in Little India (Gerrard and Coxwell) use to make nice spinach and paneer samosas which were very light. Sadly, when I bought them last month, the price went up to 65 cents each (from 50 cents) and they wer full of potatoes!

As for meat samosas, I think the Sultan of Samosas (already mentioned by other esteemed posters here) aren't bad.

Also, have you tried Ethiopian meat SAMBUSAS? They're also triagular, fried dough/pastry filled with either meat or veggies. I prefer them because the dough is lighter/thinner and crispier than Indian-style samosas. The pastry is more like that used in springrolls but tastes less greasy.

Having said this, I don't know where you can get the best sambusas in the city. I recently bought some "homemade" sambusas from Arsema's Variety (an Ethiopian grocery store at Gerrard East and Logan) and they weren't too bad -- not great -- but not bad either. These spicy sambusas were amply stuffed with lean ground beef and yummy spices.

[kwong]

I haven't tried a sambusa, but I'd be willing to try one. I like light and thin pastry (unless it's flaky... I don't like flaky), but I don't like crispy.

I like very soft, yet solid pastry. The pastry from Simba Grill is pretty much spot on.

If not for the location and the hours of Simba Grill, I wouldn't need to find another place.

If I end up trying sambusas out, I'll write back. Thanks for the suggestion!

[kwong]

I also recently tried the meat samosas at Silver Spoon on Sheppard, just east of McCowan.

I found the beef samosas to be passable. They were reasonable, but far from great. I can't identify if it was the ingredients or the seasoning or the pastry that I didn't like, but it was nowhere near as good as Simba Grill.

The chicken samosas were simply terrible. They weren't as bad as Rabba's but they were pretty close. They didn't taste like chicken at all and I found the meat to be too dry.

So far, my finds are:
Simba Grill = awesome
Lahore Tikka House is on my list of places to try.

Are there any other suggestions?

[foodyDudey]

Sultan of Samosas has good meat samosas, have you tried them?

[kwong]

I have tried them, and someone else has already mentioned them on this board. In fact, I think I even requested that Sultan be on the "please do not mention" list. (I wish I could edit my original post to say this too.)

I've tried them before and I find the pastry and the size were major deterrents. I would not go to Sultan again unless I had to. Thanks for the suggestion though!

[foodyDudey]

OK I see you mentioned that you've ben to SOS previously. I didn't see that post last night. They do have two other larger sizes available, but if you don't like their pastry (which is authentic by the way) it's a moot point.

[kwong]

To be fair, I haven't been to SoS in over a year. I might give them one more shot if I'm anywhere near the area.

I kind of wish they were north of Lawrence though. Anyways, thanks for replying!

[kwong]

I went to Sultan of Samosas the other day to "retry" them. They do not have any other sizes... just the one size (which is small). I asked the employees and they said there was only one size.

As far as taste goes, I find them nowhere close to as good as Simba Grill.

[childofthestorm]

At a recent, mostly disappointing, meal at Lahore Tikka House, the meat samosas were the standout. I was the only whitey at a table of 15 brown people (my wife and her family), and we ordered more...twice. Not sure if they make them on-site or get them from somewhere else though.

[kwong]

How much are the meat samosas at Lahore Tikka House? Also, do they do takeout?

[childofthestorm]

I'm not sure, I'm not allowed to pay when I eat Indian or Pakistani with that gang. But for sure it would be easy to blow in and get a bunch of samosas to go, I doubt they have any hard-and-fast rules.

[Pincus]

I've gotten take out there no problem.

[vorpal]

They definitely do takeout! I just checked my takeout menu from them and samosas (meat or veg) are listed at $0.99 apiece.

I've never had their samosas before, but I find most of what I have tried there to be mediocre. I know a lot of people really like this place, but I just don't see the thrill.

If you go by, do grab one of their utterly delicious and refreshing mango "shakes" (almost like a lassi, but slightly different).

Here's a link to their website - which has their menu but doesn't seem to list prices - if you want more info. They have pictures of their samosas on there, in case that's helpful:

http://www.lahoretikkahouse.com

[childofthestorm]

I agree that most of their food is mediocre, for sure. Like I said, the samosas were our favourite thing...which isn't a really great sign when you're having several courses! Said it before and I'll say it again, go to 786 across the street for a really good Pakistani meal.

[Helina]

Sultan of Samosas on O'Connor Drive at Sunrise (between St. Clair and Vic Park). They have about ten or twelve varieties including beef and chicken. They're smaller than most but really good. I usually also buy a nice spicy pakora to munch on the way home.

[kwong]

Oh shoot, I probably should have mentioned that I've already been to Sultan many times and wanted to try something else. Thank you for the suggestion though!

xtal, where is Rabba?

pate, Simba Grill is definitely on my to try list. I might even try them tonight if they do takeout. =)

[pâté chinois]

they do takeout at Simba Grill. Just be patient when you go there, all the food is made to order, so it may take a while to get it, but that's a good thing, isn't it? The rest of their food is also quite good. Enjoy and report back!

[TorontoJo]

Agreed, the beef samosas at Simba Grill are really addictive and yes, they are all meat, no potatoes. If you can time your visit while Fresh From the Farm is open, you can order your food, then walk across the street and browse FFTF for lots of organic and free trade groceries. The meats and sausages from local Mennonite farmers are wonderful.

[kwong]

Okay, so I did end up going to Simba Grill last night.

I ordered:
Beef Samosas
Butter Chicken
Ugali with Beef Curry
Spinach Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala
and a bunch of rice and naan

Total after tax came to just under $60.
I shared it with a couple friends and we came to the conclusion that the samosas were great, but the rest was kind of average.

In the future, I'm going to just get samosas, though it's best to go on a Wednesday before 6:00. The samosas are 3 for $2 then. Regular price is 4 for $3.50.

Too bad I don't live or work close to SG. I'm in Scarborough and I work in North York. It takes me between 30-60 mins to get to SG from either place.

Still looking for more places, so keep the suggestions coming! Thanks!

[TorontoJo]

You can also order the samosas by the dozen. They are cheaper that way -- can't recall the exact price, but I think it was $8 or $9.

[tampopo]

I agree, Simba Grill's appetizers are much better than their main dishes or grilled meats. I particularly like the Simba Veg Platter with samosas, deep fried cassava and daal bhajia. They're fantastic eaten with the variety of sauces they serve in the restaurant......but not sure if they give you all the sauces for take out. The fried cassava's definitely addictive and so much better than french fries!!

[JamieK]

Yum, great samosas! Info about their specials (and rest of menu) on their website -- http://www.simbagrill.ca/

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Simba Grill
375 Donlands Ave, Toronto, ON M4J3S2, CA

[mainja]

Rabba is a sort of grocery store chain. http://www.rabba.com/ they're all over the place in Toronto. I've enjoyed the chicken samosas I've gotten there, but I can't imagine going out of my way to get them, and you have to take them home and reheat them...

[kwong]

Tonight, I tried the samosas from Rabba at Yonge and Sheppard. Oh dear lord, the meat samosas were awful.

1) They barely had any meat in them! There was more potato in these ones than in the "chicken" samosas from Samosa King/Embassy, which has way way way too much potato in it.
2) The skin was way too thick! Almost half a centimetre in fact. My first bite was all skin and potato.
3) The samosas were not spiced well at all. There was a lot of curry powder, but not much else.
4) They were a dollar each!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't mind paying a dollar for a wonderful samosa, but considering you can get 4 great samosas at Simba Grill for $3.50... let's just say I would never knowingly and willingly pay a dollar for dough and potato. =(

All in all, I was very disappointed and I'll never go to Rabba again. Oh well, you can't really expect to hit a home run at every at bat. =) I appreciate the suggestion anyways.

Summary: Simba Grill = good, Rabba = bad, please keep the suggestions coming! Thanks!

[pâté chinois]

Simba Grill on Donlands, south of O'Connor, might have what you want (I remember finding them too meaty for my taste, as I love the potatoes in a samosa).

[xtal]

Rabba? I know they have them in the deli section, but I'm not sure if they're made in-house.