Ruchi is a family-run Indian takeout and catering spot serving housemade dosas, samosas, and super cheap appam.

Tucked away in a slowly burgeoning plaza next to the Markham Convention Centre, this counter boasts a menu of incredibly affordable eats. 

You won't find anything more expensive than $12 here, with plenty of specials that cost under $5. That being said, you'll definitely leave full. 

The business was opened by Ram Ramapathy and head chef Elisha Babu Boina in 2019, who make dosas fresh in the kitchen, which is several times larger than the front area equipped with just a few window seats. 

There are over 30 types of dosa options here: you can get these buttery crepes filled with everything from cheese ($6.99) to chicken masala ($10.99).

Each order comes with a side of chutney and sambar sauce. 

Ruchi even makes their own dosa batter here. It's $4 for 900 mL container of it, in case you feel like making your own at home. 

Appetizers like veggie samosas are mindblowingly cheap. You can get 3 pieces for just a $1. Same goes for the masala and medu vadas (crispy, savoury fritters made from lentils), which you can two of for $1. 

But the standout menu item here for me are the appams: a kind of fluffy, porous pancake that's made with fermented rice batter. Three portable gas stoves in the kitchen are dedicated solely to making these soft yet crispy creations.

There are a handful of appam options, and while they're often eaten for breakfast in South India and Sri Lanka, you can realistically eat these anytime of the day. 

A plain one is $1, while milk appam with a delicious dollop of coconut milk added while cooking costs $1.25. 

The egg appam is $1.75, and makes a great breakfast crepe. Every order comes with a side of coconut sambal and onion sambal. 

Mutton kottu roti is one of my favourite dishes here. This traditioanl Sri Lankan dish mashes pieces of roti together with meats, veggies, and spices.

It's a textured dish that's incredibly filling for just $7.99. The raw chopped white onions add some amazing flavour, and it's served with your choice of aloo bhaji or channa masla. 

A regular-sized box of chicken biryani is a hulking portion served with boiled egg. With all that food, you won't be spending more than a single John A. MacDonald bill for your meal.