Amaya owner branches out with Bazaar Global Food Bar

After building a veritable empire out of the Amaya Indian food chain, Hemant Bhagwani has been a busy man as of late. But that hasn’t stopped him from branching out a little bit with his recently-opened Bazaar Global Food Bar on Mt. Pleasant Avenue, situated in the space formerly occupied by Lai Toh Heen.

“I wanted to do something different than Amaya,” says Bhagwani, who came to Canada from India 11 years ago. The owner and chef worked in the food industries of Switzerland, Australia and Dubai before finally settling in Toronto.

“When I came here there were no ethnic restaurants, now they’re everywhere” he says. “What I wanted to do was take all those different foods and put them under one roof and make it fun.”

Accessibility and fun seem to be the running themes for Bazaar. Beginning Saturday, it will host an in-house psychic, and every Thursday a Henna artist will be on hand as well. “There’s even a wall upstairs where kids can draw,” he says.

Though Bazaar boasts a worldly menu — featuring such items as Cajun fish and chips ($11), 16 spice chicken ($15) and “not so Neapolitan” pizza ($12-$15) — the drinks list is quite local, with most of its wine coming from the Niagara region.

The Bazaar also supports the Being Human Foundation, a charity aimed at helping underprivileged youth in India. On a recent trip to India, Bhahwani even picked up a few items that are now being sold at Bazaar, with all the proceeds going to Being Human.

“We also have a few items on the menu that will benefit them,” he says

Maybe give the Being Human burger ($10) a try?

Bazaar Global Food Bar, 692 Mt. Pleasant Ave., 647-748-9100

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