Yesterday, while doing errands in tony   Rosedale, I looked around for a quick and   nutritious place to have lunch. I'd seen   Veda before, and decided to check it    out. Veda's food is targeted at Indian-food lovers who also follow a healthy lifestyle. Their website describes their food preparation as involving little oil, only the best natural ingredients and spices.

For my combo plate, I chose basmati rice flavoured with spinach, butter chicken and palak paneer (cottage cheese cooked with spinach). The meal came with a small naan as well. I found the meal to be flavourful and light. The butter chicken is not the creamy indulgence of countless Indian restaurants across the city, but a largely oil-free yogurt-based concoction made with lean chicken breast meat. Likewise, the palak paneer was seemingly oil-less and full of dark, iron-rich greens.

The portion was abundant and I could barely finish half of my meal. With a bottle of water, the total price was around $10. While the meal was perfect for a light on-the-go lunch, the meal lacked the flavour-punch of homemade Indian food. The restaurant caters to a Westernized consumer and has customized its menu to suit such palates.

The restaurant décor is charming with saffron coloured walls and framed pictures of rich spices. The walls have written descriptions of Indian spices and their many health benefits, which provides interesting reading for a guest eating lunch. Veda also offers stylishly packaged spices and tea, which, while attractive to look at, are overpriced. You're better off heading to the local Indian grocery story to buy your ingredients.

Overall, Veda is a pleasant and satisfying venue for lunch. While the food is somewhat lacking in its masala punch, I left the restaurant feeling pleasantly satisfied and refreshed - Veda offers an Indian alternative to the standard soup or sandwich lunch.

Veda
874 Yonge (2 blocks north of Yonge and Bloor)
www.vedatakeout.com