Prior to this trip my experience of restaurants in Canada were limited mostly to fast food places after baseball e.g. Little Caesar’s, New York Fries, Harvey’s and Tim Horton’s or family friendly places like Red Lobster and East Side Mario’s. What can I say I was 15 when I left!
Bar recommendations? You’re joking. Apart from maybe a mineswept, room temperature mouthful of Labatt’s during one of my parent’s dinner party’s. Would still recommend…
But now I’m 40. Some would say I’m in my prime; peak form when it comes to eating and drinking. Some would say…
So I awaited the variety of eateries and drinkeries that had been lined up with GREAT anticipation. I was about to put together a highlight reel.
I only had a limited time in Toronto so the below represents where I actually went. If anybody has any particular questions about any of the establishments please reach out in the comments and I’d be more than happy to answer what I can.
Without further ado and in no particular order…
Union was my first lunch after arriving in the city and chef Teo Paul did not disappoint. French bistro-style dining with a few twists here and there backed up by some incredible wines.
The food was phenomenal. I knew I was having a pretty extensive dinner that evening so I tried to keep it relatively small with the steak tartare as a main accompanied by a glass of recommended orange.
Served with bread and butter pickles and two types of mustard it was the house made habanero sauce that took this to another level. Quite possibly the finest tartare I’ve ever had.
Prime Seafood Palace was the aforementioned extensive dinner.
I’d already met Prime’s Executive Chef, Coulson Armstrong earlier in the day while I was photographing the homie Matty Matheson’s clothing line; Rosa Rugosa. Coulson very kindly agreed to be one of the model’s for my time at Rosa which was apt as Rosa supplies all of the uniform’s at Prime.
Being a fan of Matty’s I had followed the build out and launch of Prime with some interest. The interiors, designed by Omar Gandhi Architects in collaboration with Mr. Matheson, were reason alone for me to want to visit. The rather inviting, almost cathedral-like space has been decked out in warm, light maple wood with brass accents dotted throughout.
On arrival I was swiftly handed a cold glass of white, introduced to the house sommelier who would be keeping me right and then quickly whisked off to the kitchen by chef himself who kindly introduced me to the entire crew at Prime. I thanked everyone profusely for allowing me to disturb and take a few snaps during what looked like a fairly busy service. They were too kind.
I returned to my table and eagerly awaited the first dish. It didn’t seem to matter that I had mentioned to Coulson not to go crazy on me as crazy we went!
It might seem stupid but you know a place is operating on the heavenly plains when the bread is outstanding. I struggled not to finish the tear-and-share that was brought out with 3 types of butter before the Sicilian Crudo and Scallops Rockefeller were placed in front of me.
And then, almost to taunt me, a healthy slab of Prime Bacon. That was unlike anything I’ve had before and a welcome reminder of how much I’ve missed Canada.
Then out came the main attraction; Prime Rib with Grilled Ramps, Green Asparagus and Palace Potatoes served with aioli and chili.
And then dessert…
My dining companion, Monica, said I HAD to try the Maple Tart which comes topped with a slab of cheese and then drizzled with Tamarack Farms maple syrup. I kindly explained that as amazing as that sounded, I was hoping to try the Key Lime Pie as that’s not something we really get in the UK. She solved the conundrum by suggesting I order both… Dammit Monica!
This was an extraordinary meal. Love to the entire team at Prime for hosting me so graciously. An unforgettable dining experience which I urge anyone visiting Toronto to book. 10/10
Now I’m fairly familiar with the ‘za game. We’ve got our own claim to fame here in Ireland with Flout! so I was really hoping that Badiali’s new location that had opened recently on Markham St would hit similarly and woo boy, did it.
I’ve had my fair share of Neapolitan style pizzas and don’t get me wrong, they ain’t bad but recently I’ve become more of a fan of the NY style slice; a thinner crispier bottom and a little more thought put into the quality of toppings and ingredients used and not over complicating things as I feel a lot of those new ‘artisanal’ joints can.
I’m a creature of habit so I went for a standard slice of pepperoni and a salami and hot pepper. The day was warm so I helped myself to a little Aperol spritz.
As I was leaving, Mike, who took me into the kitchen and showed me around, asked if I had tried the Grandma Pie, which I hadn’t so he insisted. It’s a tray baked pizza with mozzarella, fior di latte, Sicilian oregano, tomato sauce, pecorino and padano cheeses, olive oil and fresh basil. Chef’s kiss Mike, chef’s kiss.
We don’t really have many taqueria places like this in the UK. We’ve got Mexican restaurants sure, but nothing like Campechano which is serving out rapid, no fuss tacos and the like with big, punchy flavours.
An excellent stop for a quick bite OR gauc and salsa with home-made chips, 2 tacos and a beer for lunch, which is what I went for. Superb.
Another brief lunch spot. Manita, is a neighbourhood bistro with a great wine offering (they regularly host tastings upstairs).
This was lunch the day after my Prime feast so I kept it light with the turkey club sandwich and another glass of orange. I’m a little behind the times, sue me.
It was the perfect pick me up for the rest of the afternoon which was going to be spent trying to get a handle on the menswear scene in Toronto.
My host for the trip, Juan, took me here for a pre-dinner cocktail.
Being a huge fan of a dirty gin martini (the Bar Cart of which can be found here) I tried Bar Pompette’s Cornichon, (bottom left) which is their take on it but made with pickle brine and dill oil and garnished with a little pickle of it’s own. Super cute and delicious.
Juan went for the Paloma Quemada, (bottom right) which was made with burnt grapefruit, nettle, whey, lime, tequila and mezcal. Very refreshing.
The Writer’s Room Bar is the hotel bar of the hotel I was staying at during my time in the city.
A frequent haunt of Canadian writer’s, hence the name, I ordered a dirty gin martini and took it out onto the balcony which overlooks much of the Torontonian skyline.
Truly breathtaking and a welcome first drink upon arriving back home.
This res almost didn’t happen but luckily my man Juan pulled some magic outta hat and we managed to get a bar area with the best view of the open fire kitchen of Quetzal, who offer up vibrant Mexican cuisine.
This crew went to work. Awarded a Michelin star back in 2022 and having retained it since, I knew this was going to be something special.
I went for the Sikil Pak which was like (and I’m going to under describe the heck out of this) a little tortilla topped with pumpkin seed, roasted poblano, cotija, pickled cactus, and endive and for a main the Pork Secreto Al Pastor served with charred pineapple and caramelised onion salsa. This was basically cooked and sliced right in front of me.
Legendary.
NB A huge thank you to Juan at Destination Toronto for hooking me up with a lot of these fine establishments and also Monica over at Comida Communications. You guys rule.
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