The best things we ate last month in Toronto
The best things we ate last month in Toronto were a mix of sweet and savoury, with one person even opting for a cocktail as the tastiest thing she ingested in March.
Here are the best things we ate last month in Toronto.
Spiced cauliflower tacos
When social videographer and editor Anton Wong checked out the newly opened NBA Courtside Restaurant, the cauliflower tacos stood out to him out of everything he ate.
"It's often been a gamble with vegan eats on whether it's actually going to taste good," says Wong. "Maybe it was the seasoning in the cauliflower or the jalapeno-avocado puree, but either way, it was quite enjoyable."
Not only did the restaurant score with these tacos, but he also says that as a sports fan the atmosphere full of memorabilia made for fun surroundings to eat them in.
Hungarian beef goulash
Intern Luiz Strina was reminded of home cooking when he tasted this dish at Sweet Gallery, which we all know is high praise.
The Hungarian beef goulash at Sweet Gallery. Photo by Fareen Karim.
"Other than their amazing desserts, Sweet Gallery offers an amazing Hungarian beef goulash, basically a soup with beef and potatoes as main ingredients," says Strina.
"Not only took me back home to a similar recipe that my mom used to do but also it was the perfect consistency for a soup in my opinion, not too watery and not too creamy."
Pina Quemada
Social video reporter Tiana Jayatunga bent the rules a little this month by choosing a cocktail as the best thing she tasted, but she had a good reason. Three words: pineapple-infused mezcal.
It's incorporated into a cocktail that blew her away at speakeasy-style Bar Biltmore, perched just above Osteria Rialto.
"They open fire char the pineapple downstairs, bring it up to the bar and infuse it into their mezcal to create this drink," says Jayatunga.
"When I tried it, it was fresh and bright but had this amazing smoky flavour. Drinking this literally feels like when you leave a really great campfire but can still smell the wood and fire on your coat. It was really cool to have a drink that sparks that level of nostalgia."
She also shouted out another infusion, their popcorn-infused bourbon made with popcorn from the theatre that's connected in the same building, which she thinks pairs great with their popcorn butter and sourdough.
Strawberry tiramisu
This month, director of multiplatform content Kris Pangilinan tried a twist on tiramisu at the legendary Italian restaurant Sotto Sotto.
Tiramisu gets a strawberry update at Sotto Sotto. Photo by Kris Pangilinan.
"When I took my first bite, my mouth didn't even close and yet my eyes already rolled to the back of my head in true euphoria," says Pangilinan.
"I love strawberry shortcake and tiramisu, but combined, this was the ultimate way to end a beautiful evening. The mascarpone cheese was super fluffy and the light hint of coffee in the lady fingers added a layer to the fresh strawberries that was just irresistible."
Pork neck
This dish from Mineral brought head of video Aaron Navarro back to the Filipino hot tables he grew up on.
Pork neck at Mineral. Photo by Aaron Navarro.
"Their ability to reimagine what Filipino food tastes and looks like shouldn't go unnoticed in Toronto's ever-evolving food scene," says Navarro. "Charred to perfection, the smokiness and fattiness from the pork paired perfectly with the freshness from the lettuce cups and calamansi aioli."
Oyster with Amalfi lemon foam
Oysters are a classic at many great restaurants, but food and travel editor Renee Suen thought the lemon foam at Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890 took this one to the next level. It was a canape served at an event she emceed that featured a tasting menu curated by executive chef Daniele Corona.
The oyster and champagne pairing at Don Alfonso 1890 was especially memorable for Renee Suen. Photo by Renee Suen.
"Simple, clean and delightfully effervescent, the smooth and silky bivalve was refreshed by the wafting kiss of lemon-laced espuma," says Suen. "Paired with a Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature from Laurent-Perrier, this carried me away to the Amalfi coast... despite already enjoying the views of Toronto's Harbourfront."
Jambalaya
Social video host Briana-Lynn Brieiro thought the combination of all the seafood she loved plus andouille sausage, chicken and rice packed into this one dish made it worth the 30-minute wait at New Orleans Seafood and Steakhouse.
"The flavours are insane," says Brieiro. "I was eating this for the next two days after visiting and by the end, I was sad that it was all gone. This dish serves two but you'll like it so much that you'll want it all to yourself!"
Roast and ballotine of Chantecler chicken
French restaurant Chantecler, which closed due to a fire years ago, is roaring back to life in the new neighbourhood of Bloorcourt.
Not only is this a signature dish, and a heritage breed of chicken that the restaurant is named after, but it's also one of the very best things on a star-studded menu.
Consisting of a pan-roast breast and stuffed leg with mushroom duxelles and jus, the stuffed leg made my eyes roll back with layers of schmaltzy umami flavour, especially with a generous swipe of the jus.
I also love how they kept their tradition of leaving the chicken foot intact, providing a crunchy snack to go with the remainder of your cocktail when the rest of the flesh is gone.
Fareen Karim at NBA Courtside Restaurant
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