Gourmet Indian food takes time to prepare. Going out for a meal is practically an evening’s entertainment. Eating at a lunch buffet is fast, but the immense volume of food prepared can compromise the quality. Calgary’s newest addition to the Asian cuisine scene found a middle ground. Tiffin’s Indian and East African influenced menu is far from fast food. Though served from a quick service counter, it is not cooked well in advance then reheated, nor is it thrown together in a hurry. Every day, the food is specially prepared from fresh ingredients purchased by owner Aly Ramji on his morning shopping run. The daily special curries and masalas vary depending on what captures Ramji’s fancy at the market. Now, gourmet Indian food is not just for special occasions. Affordability and convenience make quality Indian something Calgarians can enjoy every week, if not every day, even for those with busy schedules.

Indians use stacking lunch bowls called Tiffins, hence the name of the restaurant that has adopted them as an option for their take-out service. Meals stay hot inside thermal containers, but more importantly there is none of the waste of regular to-go plastic containers.  Regular patrons are encouraged to buy a regular-sized tiffin for $20 or a large one for $25.  In return, they get 10% off combo meals. Ramji notes that tiffin delivery is a traditional service industry in Mumbai (aka Bombay) where thousands of delivery men take the lunch boxes from households to offices and back again. In bringing the concept to Calgary, Tiffin hit upon an economical and environmentally-friendly approach to take-out.

Why do the mini-donut machines at the Stampede midway always attract a crowd? Strangely, people enjoy watching machines make food. Knowing this powerful secret, Tiffin boasts its own roti machine that churns out a much healthier product with equal efficiency. Watching a whole-grain dough ball turned into a piping-hot flat bread in just over a minute truly is a wonder of science. Tiffin's roti machine makes so much quality bread that they sell it by the bag.   Contrary to the perceptions of most Canadians, rotis or chapatis are the staple bread in India, not the naan that is served at most Indian restaurants. Roti is lighter and prepared with whole wheat flour. Hence it is more nutritious.