Hand-layered biryani
Hyderabadi dhum. Sealed. Slow. Not assembly-line.
Our story
34 years. Same family. Same kitchen.
நிலாச்சோறு · 1992 முதல்
1992
Shepard Avenue
In 1992, Mississauga did not have many places that could feed a Sri Lankan Tamil family the food they had grown up with. The Celliah family changed that. They opened Nela Soru — Moon Rice — on Shepard Avenue and began doing what kitchens in Jaffna and Chennai had done for generations: layer the biryani by hand, chop the kothu on the griddle, roll the mutton rolls between the evening rushes, pour the rasam hot.
For the diaspora
For 34 years, Nela Soru has been the taste of home for the South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil community across Peel Region. Grandmothers ordered the veg meal box every Sunday. Weddings were catered for 200, 400, 600. Temple feasts. Baby showers. Office lunches. The spice level that did not apologize. The portion size that fed two. The respect for tradition that only a family kitchen can keep.
2026
Confederation Parkway
Today, the flagship lives at 3050 Confederation Parkway — a short walk from Square One, a short drive from Cooksville, a short stop on the way home from the office towers. It is called NEW Mooon Rice because it is the new chapter of the same story. The kitchen is the same. Amma is the same. The moon is the same. So is the rice.
நிலாச்சோறு
Why 'Mooon' with three O's
The triple-O spelling preserves the three-syllable Tamil rhythm of Ni-la-soh, and visually evokes a full moon in the wordmark. The name is never translated out. Tamil customers see நிலாச்சோறு. Everyone else sees Moon Rice. Both are right.
The timeline
Every decade of the kitchen
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1992
1992 — Nela Soru opens on Shepard Avenue
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2000s
2000s — Catering pipeline scales to weddings, temple feasts, corporate lunches
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2010s
2010s — Multi-channel delivery added (Uber Eats, DoorDash, SkipTheDishes, Fantuan)
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2020s
2020s — Flagship migrates west to 3050 Confederation Parkway / Square One catchment
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2026
2026 — Canopy rebuild: the brand narrative, finally, on the first screen
Non-negotiables
What we do not change
Real spice levels
We do not dull the food for the delivery app. If you want mild, we will make mild. If you want Chennai-hand, we have that too.
Amma's thali
The meal box is not a bowl. It is white rice, flavored rice, four veg curries, two chapathis, rasam, papad, and a sweet. One box, the whole table at home.
Catering with respect
Weddings, temples, office lunches — we have been doing this for three decades. We quote in 24 hours, deliver hot, and leave the setup tidy.