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A taste of India in downtown Timmins (4 photos)

Holy Cow now fully operational and is broadening the city's palate

For Terry McGaghran, it has been over a year of hard work trying to get the city's newest eatery opened.

"We were looking around for awhile, but we kind of had our hearts set on this place. We thought the location was really good, we wanted to take advantage of the lunch crowd. I'm a Timmins boy too, born and raised, and I just wanted to inject some life into the Downtown. This place had been empty for a really long time," he said.

Holy Cow Indian Cuisine is now open in a highly visible location at the corner of Third Avenue and Cedar Street, in the middle of Downtown Timmins.

McGaghran, who says he has worked in restaurants but is primarily from a marketing background, saw a good opportunity to spice up the local food spectrum.

"We wanted to do something different. We thought there was definitely a void that needed to be filled in town. I know there was an Indian restaurant years ago, and we did a lot of research into that, and there's quite a few reasons why it didn't succeed."

He is referring to Le Taj Tandoori which was located in the Pine Plaza building. Although it closed several years ago, the signage is still visible on Second Avenue. McGaghran says high rent for the large space in the building was likely a major factor, and one he wanted to avoid with his new venture.

"We wanted to keep it contained and just focus on the food, and not have a giant space," he said, adding his establishment is the only one of its kind in Northeastern Ontario.

Holy Cow is definitely not what you would call a formal dining establishment. The most recent occupant of the space was a Pizza Pizza franchise, and the layout will be familiar to anyone who frequented it in the past. A simple counter for ordering and pickup. An open kitchen where patrons can watch fresh naan bread being slapped into the tandoor oven regularly. Simple tables and chairs occupy the eat-in area.

Acquiring the tandoor oven was a battle in itself, and one that contributed to the long process of opening up shop. When he first contacted a supplier, they didn't even know what it was. After several phone calls, a manufacturer was found in New Jersey, an order was placed, and the long wait for delivery began.

A tandoor oven is essentially a high heat clay well. Traditionally they are heated with wood, but the oven at Holy Cow is fueled by natural gas, as there are obvious restrictions when working in an urban environment. The naan (an extremely tender flatbread) is cooked in the tandoor, along with many other dishes, such as tandoori chicken, which is roasted on metal skewers.

"That was really important to us. We wanted to go authentic, because we know there is a large enough population of East Indians in town, and they'd be the most critical," says McGaghran with a laugh.

"Not only that, but there's a lot of people who travel, they get around. Whether its down south in Toronto, or abroad, a lot of people have been to India and have eaten the food. So we wanted to find a good balance too because if you go to India, its extremely spicy stuff. Even when we were doing our menu development we had to get the chef to tone it down just a little bit. But at the same time not disappoint people who are expecting the authentic spice and heat levels."

Indian cuisine is also world renowned for its heavy emphasis on vegetarian dishes, so the menu has something for everyone.

"We have chicken, we have fish, we have beef, we have a lot of vegetarian items, for vegans and vegetarians alike."

The name of the restaurant is definitely a talking point.

"We wanted to go with a really light-hearted brand. It was a brainstorming session that we went through, and I just jotted down everything that came to mind, with word association. Obviously in India they revere the cow as being holy, so we took a playful spin on that. We wanted it to be approachable, not too intimidating, because there are still some people up here who are unfamiliar with the cuisine. It has worked well. Actually a lot of people are mistaking us for a franchise because of the branding. Our graphic designer did a really good job with that, and we're getting compliments on it all the time," said McGaghran, who adds that he gets contacted through the company's social media platforms by apparent fans of the branding from as far away as California and even Germany.

Mango LassiAnother tempting item on the menu is the Mango Lassi - a traditional Indian style smoothie made with yogurt and fresh mango. Andrew Autio for TimminsToday

Timmins will be buzzing this summer was numerous major outdoor concerts and events starting this weekend, and it was important for McGaghran and his team to be fully operational in time to take advantage of the influx of visitors to the city. He is happy to be a part of the city's expanding culinary palate.

"People are a lot more open minded now. Its not just about burgers, pizzas, and french fries."

Holy Cow began their 'soft launch' on May 16, and have been operating on limited hours until now. The restaurant will be open at 11am until 8pm Monday through Saturday. McGaghran says delivery operations should be in place sometime next week.

Early feedback has been very positive for the most part according to McGaghran. His advice for people who are curious, but may not have any experience with Indian cuisine, is to try perhaps the most well known dish in North America, Butter Chicken. It is tender pieces of chicken simmered in a creamy tomato curry sauce, and is one of the most mildly spiced dishes on the menu. 

Vegetarians might look to try the Chole, which is a chickpea curry, and those who like it hot can step up to the Beef Vindaloo. Familar Indian delights such as Samosas, Pakoras, and two kinds of Basmati rice are also available. Everything on the menu is made from scratch.

"Actually the chef needs two days to prepare. So he comes in on Sundays. Because there's a lot of preparation in Indian cuisine, a lot of marinating. That's what really makes it unique too. A lot of pungent, powerful flavours. There's something for everyone," said McGaghran.