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Nauka

Prawn curry with green chillies and coriander in a steel bowl on dark marble.

Nauka

Coastal Indian cooking on Mercer Lane, Toronto.

Tuesday to Sunday from 5:30 pm

The room

Forty-two seats, an open kitchen and a long bar at the front. We cook the food of India’s west coast, from Mangalore up to Goa.

The fish comes from two suppliers we have used since we opened. Spices are toasted and ground here every afternoon.

A dim dining room with small lamps on the tables and a chandelier at the back.

A table set for two with wine glasses and a single candle.

To start

Rava fried mussels18
Semolina crust, kokum salt, green chutney
Kane fry19
Ladyfish in red chilli paste, lime
Crab sukka24
Toasted coconut, black pepper, curry leaf
Beet and coconut thoran14
Mustard seed, green chilli
Pao with cafreal butter9
Soft rolls, green masala butter

From the coast

Prawn gassi34
Mangalorean coconut curry, tamarind, byadgi chilli
Goan fish curry36
Kingfish, kokum, coconut
Malabar pomfret42
Whole fish, red masala, cooked in banana leaf
Mustard cod35
Bengali style, nigella seed, green chilli
Chicken xacuti31
Roasted coconut, poppy seed, nutmeg
Raw mango and jackfruit curry27
Vegetarian, can be made vegan

Rice and bread

Appam, two8
Fermented rice and coconut
Neer dosa, three8
Matta rice7
Kerala red rice

Something sweet

Bebinca14
Layered coconut cake, nutmeg
Payasam12
Jaggery, cardamom, coconut milk

Kokum soda, filter coffee and a short list of wines at the bar. Tell us about allergies when you book.

Cooks working at the pass of a dim restaurant kitchen.

The kitchen

My grandmother cooked in Karwar. Most of this menu is hers, made on a bigger stove.

Nisha Shenoy, chef and owner

Nisha cooked in Mumbai and Toronto for ten years before opening Nauka. She is in the kitchen most nights.

A cook finishing a plate with a garnish.

Fish curry with rice, coconut and a whole fish on the table. — Goan fish curry

Prawn curry in a black pan, finished with mint. — Prawn gassi

Fish in a creamy curry with tomato and herbs. — Mustard cod

A long table set with plates, glasses and lit candles in a dark room.

Private dining

The back room seats up to 18 at one long table. We cook a set menu for the group and serve it family style.

Guests: 10 to 18
Set menu: From $95 a person
Notice: Two weeks or more

Ask about a date

Visit

16 Mercer Lane
Toronto, Ontario

Opening hours
Tuesday to Thursday	5:30 to 10:30 pm
Friday and Saturday	5:30 to 11:30 pm
Sunday	5 to 10 pm
Monday	Closed

We keep the bar for walk-ins.