Viral food reviewer Ramneek Singh is organizing a GoFundMe for Chutney, which was one of 25 businesses damaged by arson at the Mill Woods 34 Plaza in April.
"When that fire happened, it was a blow to our community," Singh told Taproot. "I think Chutney is the crown jewel of that community right now, because it makes the best food. On top of that, (owner Riaz Khan) is a beautiful man, and we don't have too many Pakistani restaurants in Edmonton, especially mom and pop restaurants."
Singh's campaign has raised $7,900 of its current $9,000 goal since April. In fact, the fundraiser has exceeded the original goal of just $2,000 because of the outpouring of support for Chutney, he said. Singh added that Khan plans to eventually reopen the existing Chutney location and open a second one, which will be more like a banquet hall, at Mill Woods Town Centre.
You may recall Singh from his ongoing butter chicken odyssey project, in which he planned to score 50 butter chicken offerings at restaurants in Edmonton and beyond in 2024. He has reviewed approximately 43 restaurants so far, and said that welcoming a child and buying a home during the odyssey has somewhat slowed his progress. Singh originally gave Chutney a 4.75/5 rating.
Singh is hoping to build more support for other South Asian restaurants in Edmonton, too, with a new event series called Butter Chicken Bash. It's a series of culinary collaborations with restaurants, and it begins with a sold-out soirée at Mezbaan Indian Bistro on Aug. 29. He said the next bash will likely happen in October at a venue to be determined, but for the first one, he and Mezbaan are launching a collaborative butter chicken recipe during a party with tunes curated by Singh. He said the dish will be generously spiced and the chicken will have the bone in it. It's a more authentic take on butter chicken than some in Edmonton that have been adapted for the white, Western palate, he said.
"Butter chicken is not supposed to be pieces of rubber and tomato soup," Singh said. "The chicken is supposed to be cooked in a clay oven, and I've really tried to emphasize bone-in butter chicken now, because bone-in butter chicken is supposed to be the real butter chicken. I've noticed that more restaurants are introducing it back to their menu."
As a food reviewer with a following, Singh underlined that his praise has to be earned. Restaurants sometimes offer him money or free products in exchange for positive restaurant reviews, he said, and he always declines. He pays for his own meals, allowing him to highlight the good and bad. In an Aug. 12 review of Kashmiri Delight, for example, Singh said he tried a "fart-flavoured lassi," but ultimately scored the restaurant 5.10/5 and called its bone-in butter chicken one of the best in Edmonton.
His stance on receiving free food in exchange for attention is part of what led to the Butter Chicken Bash. Singh said the owner reached out to him due to his fandom when the restaurant was struggling to make sales. "They were talking about getting bloggers to come out and giving them free food, and (I said), 'You shouldn't give away your art for free — that's not ethical,'" Singh said. "(Instead, we planned) an event where everybody pays, because the easiest way to benefit a restaurant is to pay for your meal."
Singh gets a healthy dose of attention for his passion for restaurants and ribald culinary commentary. Since Taproot's story in March 2024, he said, the most high-profile instances might be his appearance on the PBS food-and-travel show, Pat Jinich Explores PanAmericana, and a potential food show of his own that's still in the conceptual phase. Singh also showcased his cinephile tendencies in a Quentin Tarantino-inspired episode of the docu-series, Eating Edmonton, during which he examines the cuisine of southeast Edmonton with host Salvador Garcia.
As far as the arson at Chutney goes, a spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service told Taproot that no arrest has been made. The service has posted images of a suspect, though. The post describes him as a white male, six feet tall, who was driving a white Ford F-150 with a red maple leaf decal.