Eating in Toronto was a pleasant surprise. Frankly, I visited Toronto with the hope of finding good food (it’s a large city after all) but nothing more Toronto For New Year’s – HER//Excursions (herexcursions.com). I stand corrected. The following snapshot of the gastronomic excellence of the city does not do it justice.
George
George GEORGE Restaurant – Home (georgeonqueen.com) was actually my second choice for a tasting menu restaurant. Unlike my first choice, I lucked out on a solo reservation made just a week prior to the visit. In order to secure the reservation, I had to choose my meal preference as well as provide a credit card. This was a first for me and was slightly miffed I realized it was actually very smart. Paying up front negated loss of revenue from last minute cancellations – something I had no intention of doing.
My reservation was for 5:45PM, but I arrived 15 minutes prior to it. I was immediately seated. The restaurant is gorgeous. Painted, aged, exposed brick, contrast with the wooden floors, which are softened by easy, comfortable seating highlighted by soft lighting. It is relaxed but elegant with very attentive staff. Ordering was easy. The restaurant tasting menu comes as 5, 7 or 10 course dinner. The entire table has to order it. Pairing wines are offered at an extra cost. I chose the 7-course meal and skipped the pairings, opting for a divine cocktail instead.
I delved into the bread, a crispy flat bread, an absolutely airy light sour dough with a perfect crust and a herby, perfectly oily focaccia. The amuse bouche followed shortly. A melding of bitterness, creamy mayo with a chip and a tangerine slice worked. The Ahi tuna on a soy-based sauce with beets, and a creamy herby sauce that was sweet, salty and earthy was a veritable explosion of flavors. The white fish carpaccio with a thinly sliced tower of cauliflower that followed was outstanding.
Now, I’m not typically a fan of cold lobster. However, the lobster with saffron puree and a tomato dashi had a hint of sweet, herby with a slightly anise tang that won me over. The surprisingly edible skewer’s crunchiness (okay so I almost threw it to the side before I decided to bite it) rounded off the dish perfectly. I’ve had foie gras before, but it apparently required the squab perched atop to elevate it. The Thai curry and potato pairing was sheer genius. Then there was the perfectly pink lamb. Creamy ratatouille – an inspired twist – and potato pierogi were perfect accompaniments. I sampled a lovely sweet and creamy Ashley goat cheese that anchored a crostini and apple and pear sauces. Lastly, a lemon tart topped by a toasted meringue and sesame cracker all on and champagne jelly officially converted me to a meringue lover.
Just in case it was not clear, George is worthy of its reputation, and worth the hefty bill for any foodie. It is one of the best meals I’ve ever enjoyed.
Cluny Bistro and Boulangerie
My sister (who met me in Toronto for a weekend, sisterly hangout) and I decided to dine in the Distillery District. Cluny’s Cluny Bistro & Boulangerie | Hours & Location online menu made it the obvious choice. The restaurant was busy – often a sign of good food. Despite it being a cold, wet evening before New Year’s Eve, the table wait was only about 15 minutes.
I chose the kale and a roasted winter squash salad sprinkled with pomegranate, almonds, lentils, aged sheep’s cheese and burnt honey, and a wild and tame mushroom tartine. Let’s just say that the “small plates” menu designation is a fallacy. I also ordered bread (purchased separately). My sister chose the steak frites. Dinner was phenomenal. The flavors were umami, the steak a perfect medium rare, and a salad that made me love a leafy vegetable I tend to avoid, kale. We could barely totter up and away from the table afterwards. I only managed to eat half my tartine, while my sister only managed to devour just her steak. We tag-teamed (and still lost) on the salad.
This restaurant is a must-visit. You should have plenty of opportunities since they serve lunch and brunch in addition to dinner. If you’re in too big of a hurry, make sure to grab a pastry from the boulangerie (bakery) located right next door. Even though we were stuffed, my sister and I picked up some beautifully made petit fours. She chose a Passion Fruit meringue tart, I went with the Raspberry pistachio financier and a mango coconut cake. Even though I ate mine the following day, they were still perfect, and my sister loved her choice.
Evviva
My only breakfast foray was to Evviva Lower Simcoe Location | Evviva, a restaurant located half a block from my hotel. It was quite busy but not full when I arrived, so that I immediately got a nice small booth right by the window. The menu requires scanning a QRS code. There was an ordering delay while I looked for a server to obtain the wifi password. The restaurant is open until 4pm and serves breakfast all day as well as brunch and lunch. What makes it standout, however, is that it offers an extensive vegan menu.
I went with the Greek Omelet. While I’ve had a Greek omelets before, this particular one was different. It is a 3-egg omelet with Mediterranean veggies, a special tomato sauce and olives. It comes with breakfast potatoes, a house salad and a choice of toast – I chose multigrain. I loved the omelet. The potatoes were perfectly crispy without any excess oil so yes, I gobbled them up. The house salad was a rather disappointing arugula dressed with a suggestion of mostly oil. Next time, I’ll make sure to ask for the vegan house salad which is what I thought it would be. The toast was done perfectly from obviously good bread. The meal was reasonably priced at under CA$20 pre-tax.
Lawrence Market Eats
I was so full the day I took the food tour I knew I would not want a large meal for dinner. However, given how carbohydrate-rich the tour was, I found myself craving protein and vegetables. The hotel offered a light meal with snacks and salads, smoked meats and cheese, so I planned on utilizing the club hors d’oeuvres to provide the vegetables, while I bought meat I had spied while walking around the market.
SK Meats St. Lawrence Market : Home (stlawrencemarket.com), a butcher selling certified organic meat, was my first choice. They sell select cuts of cooked meat by the pound. I availed myself to a slice of roasted bacon and a maple brown sugar covered ham. Directly opposite them is another butcher. They also had ham, but I wanted the big beef rib bones they were hawking. Suffice to say, both butcheries were stellar. The ham was very slightly sweet and salty, the bacon, deliciously nonfatty, the beef rib tender goodness. They get my vote.
Kensington Market/China Town
I thought it was prudent that I added a special mention of Kensington Market Kensington Market – Home (kensington-market.ca) and China Town. The two were my stop on the hop on hop off tour. Truthfully, I would have loved to spend more time eating in this neighborhood, but time was not on my side. However, I recommend it to fellow foodies. I found authentic Chinese food; from dim sum and crispy duck to sublimely delicious pastries. On the other hand, the various little eateries at the Kensington market include coffee shops, Caribbean, Mexican, Japanese, and Italian cuisine just for a start.
My aimless wandering took me to the very tiny, and aptly named Little Pebbles Cafe New Page — LITTLE PEBBLES (little-pebbles.com) . I doubled back and walked into the Japanese coffee shop after catching a glimpse of the pastries. I bought the Black Sesame Chiffon Sponge. It was wisper light, as was the Chantily cream. It tasted amazing despite it being eaten the following day.
I visited The Kensington Vegan Bakery Kensington Natural Bakery | Vegan Gluten-Free as well. My choices were a mini cinnamon bun and a ‘Christmas in a cup’ Cupcake that turned out to be ginger. I was not a fan of the cinnamon bun. I put that down to the fact that I tend to warmup my cinnamon buns just a tad, and I was unable to do so with this one. The cupcake however was a delight, although I admit did not care much for the frosting. Still, I think the bakery is worth a gander for vegan and gluten-free travelers.
In conclusion, Toronto is an absolute must-visit city for foodies of every budget and stripe. You are sure to find some transcendent food in possibly the most laid-back, most multicultural city I have ever visited.
