Riyasat Oakville serves real ethnic north Indian food

July 4, 2020

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Riyasat Oakville is a welcome addition to the city’s diversity, says Mayor Rob Burton

By our reporter

OAKVILLE: Stepping into the newly opened Indian restaurant Riyasat in Oakville is like going back to the golden era of the great 19th-century Punjab kingdom of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Riyasat Oakville actually means kingdom and everything inside this restaurant – the decor, the painting and the food – reminds you of the golden era when everything in life was great .

“Welcome to our city. You are a big addition to our diversity,’’ said Mayor Rob Burton at the grand opening of the restaurant in September 18.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton with Riyasat staff.

Mayor Burton with traditional Punjabi singer.

The mayor, who spent a lot of time mingling with the gathering, posing for pictures and then enjoying the sumptuous dinner, praised the ethnic food at Riyasat.

“I am very impressed as this food is very tasty. I enjoyed it very much,’’ said the mayor.

The mayor is not the only high-profile visitor praising the cuisine at Riyasat Oakville located at 263 Lakeshore Road East in the heart of this leafy city.

“Their food stands out from the rest of Indian restaurants in Oakville. I love its unique ethnic taste,’’ says Hamilton real estate developer Ray Khanna.

For its ethnic food, Riyasat is indeed fast becoming the go-to-restaurant as more and more people come to know about this quality restaurant in their city.

“Our name is spreading by word of mouth and Riyasat is here to make a difference in eating out. The very aroma of our truly ethnic dishes sends your taste buds racing. Our food leaves an indescribable taste in your mouth,’’ says owner Mukesh Sharma.

Indeed, Riyasat is a restaurant with a difference because its experienced chefs are masters in giving a magic touch to its ethnic dishes. How do they do?

Firstly, they avoid colours and cook in mustard oil. “For ages, Punjabis have been using mustard oil for cooking because it enhances flavour and has health benefits as it consists of Omega 3 and 6,’’ says Sharma.

Secondly, they use only whole spices for the sake of true ethnic taste. “The reason we use whole spices is that as they roast they release volatile aromas. Whole spices are the best to give a vibrant flavour to our dishes.’’

And thirdly, they cook slowly in low heat. “Slow cooking makes the food tastier and maximizes its heath benefits,’’ says Sharma.

So what are their best non-veg dishes?

“Riyasat chicken curry – served with garlic naan or basmati rice laced with cardamom, cloves and cinnamon – is our signature dish. This best-selling dish comprises chicken breasts spiced with ground nutmeg, cardamom, onion, garlic and ginger and cooked slowly in mustard oil. People prefer it because we can serve it according to their taste – mild, medium or very hot. We use no cream or milk in it,’’ says Riyasat manager Simran Kaur.

Why chicken breasts, not chicken legs?

“Because the chicken breast has less calories and it is easy to cook,’’ she says.

Lamb (bhuna ghost) is their another top-choice offering for non-veg clients.

“Our clients like it very much because it is cooked very differently. We first fry all the spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cumin seeds, nutmeg, etc) in mustard oil, then mix them with chopped onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes and finally add boneless lamb. We cook it slowly in low heat,’’ says chief chef Mukul Kaushal.

Another mouth-watering non-veg dish at Riyasat Oakville is fish tikka masala.

Rounding off the list of their top non-veg dishes is shrimp. “Cooked slowly in coconut oil and served with chopped green onion, its heavenly taste is everyone’s choice,’’ says the chief chef.

How about their best veg dishes?

Topping this list is Baingan Mirch Salan (spicy whole baby eggplants). In fact, most of their veg clients visit Riyasat only for this dish.

“We are the only South Asian restaurant to offer this dish. It is so unique in taste as we mix baby eggplants with fresh Jalapeno Poppers and cook them slowly in mustard oil,’’ says Kaushal.

Also, never miss ordering Dal-e-Riyasat when you visit Riyasat Oakville next as it is their signature home-made mixture dish of black gram whole and kidney beans.

“We don’t fry spices in mustard oil first as is done traditionally. What we do is cook the mixture slowly in low flame and then add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg,’’ says Sharma.

Making their veg and non-veg dishes even tastier are their garlic naan and herb-laden Basmati rice.

“Over eighty percent of our clients are whites and our garlic naan has become their obsession. In fact, many use it as an appetizer,’’ laughs the Riyasat Oakville owner.

On offer at their bar are choicest whiskeys, rums, wines, beers, vodka and cocktails. “You order anything, and we have it,’’ says Kaur.

As for their desserts, we recommend moong dal halwa served with pista kulfi.

With a seating capacity for 80 customers (plus 20 on the patio), Riyasat is fast becoming the favourite ethnic food restaurant for many in Oakville.

Explaining why he chose the name Riyasat for his restaurant and Oakville as its location, Sharma says, “We want to make eating out a royal experience. The word Riyasat refers to the empire of the last Sikh royal Maharaja Ranjit Singh. With the paintings of the Maharaja and his family, chic furniture and ethnic food, we have created a royal experience for our customers. We imported custom-made furniture India for his restaurant.’’

He says he searched for a place across Canada for one year before choosing Oakville. “I thought it is the city for me to open my dream restaurant where I can serve ethnic food in a royal ambience.’’