Category: Reviews

Casual lunches in Saskatoon

Where to get a piece of Saskatoon for lunch

For the past few years, travel and food guides have proclaimed Saskatoon as an up and coming culinary destination. Well, the truth is that the city still lacks a distinct culinary identity (I guess the same can be said about all Canadian cities outside Quebec). There are less than 20 noteworthy restaurants. There are no signature dishes that the city can lay claim on.

For sure, Saskatoon is a culinary oasis in the vast prairie. It’s not destination-worthy yet, but it’s certainly a pleasant surprise on a cross- Canadian trip.

Saskatoon
Saskatoon

Stopping for lunch? Then the pickings are even slimmer because most of the distinctive restaurants only have dinner service, like Ayden Kitchen, Hearth, Odla, Primal, and The Granary.

As a food tourist, I’ve tried to find lunch places for a uniquely Saskatoonian flavour. So, no Italian, Korean, and Jamaican restaurants. No generic pub food. There’s a strong Ukrainian presence in the prairies but I’m not including those restaurants either because the cuisine isn’t limited to Saskatoon. Here’s what I came up with.

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Maeli Market

Gorgeous Taiwanese goods and foods

Maeli Market is a Taiwanese lifestyle supermarket that also happens to make fantastic hot foods. It’s the only of its kind in Toronto, but the concept has been in East Asia for decades: a chic designer store with curated goods and an attached cafe. The shopping experience is a highlight in itself, akin to browsing an art gallery. Maeli Market is unusual in that its wares are packaged foods instead of stationery, apparel, or household items, but the attention to detail is the same.

Design shops sometimes run into the folly of emphasizing style over substance. Happily, there is no such issue here. Their rice dishes, in particular, are a successful elevation of peasant foods.

Exterior of Maeli Market
Maeli Market

The groceries

All their products are made in Taiwan or are Taiwanese favourites. Half of them can be found cheaper at other Chinese supermarkets. What you should come here for are unique imports like pineapple cakes (鳳梨酥), muah chee (麻糍; glutinous rice balls with filling), pickles, and teas.

Taiwanese biscuits at Maeli Market
Taiwanese confections and biscuits

All their wares are precisely arranged like a sculpture. They might even be colour-coordinated.

Grocery display at Maeli Market
Grocery display

Their chilled and frozen sections have a fair selection. It’s rather pricey though since they are specialty imports.

Chilled section at Maeli Market
Chilled section
Frozen goods at Maeli Market
Frozen goods

They don’t have the full gamut of Taiwanese instant noodles. No manhan feast (滿漢大餐), a renowned brand with real chunks of beef. Nor TTL chicken noodles with rice wine (花雕雞麵). Probably food import restrictions.

Instant noodles at Maeli Market
Instant noodles

Still, they pack a surprisingly large variety of products in a small space and make it seem spacious. There is even a small section for housewares.

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Pirosmani Restaurant

This restaurant closed on 09 October 2023. Thanks for the memories!

Adequate restaurant with larger Georgian menu than most

The handful of Georgian restaurants in Toronto are mostly clustered on the northern edge of North York and bordering regions of Vaughan. Pirosmani joined their ranks during the pandemic and seems to be surviving OK despite their secluded location in a business park.

Exterior of Pirosmani
Pirosmani

Pirosmani differentiates itself from its competitors with a larger menu and above-average execution. If Suliko is full or if you want to discover more Georgian dishes, Pirosmani is not a bad choice.

The tourist’s guide to Georgian food

Georgian cuisine is a well-kept secret outside of CIS countries (i.e. former Soviet Union). It features fruits and nuts like pomegranates and walnuts in main courses. Its flavour profiles and preparation styles are unique in Asia and Europe. For better or worse, every great cuisine has a few stereotypical dishes that foreigners gravitate towards. India has its butter chicken, Japan has sushi, and Mexico has tacos. If I had to pick one dish for Georgia, it would be khinkali. But I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll give you 3 tourist favourites.

Khinkali kalakuri at Khinkali House, Tbilisi
Khinkali kalakuri from Khinkali House, Tbilisi
  1. Khinkali (ხინკალი)
    This is the ugly fat cousin of Chinese xiao long bao. They are popular in Georgian bars and there are also dedicated restaurants for them. Khinkali is a baseball-sized dumpling filled with ground meat. Crucially, it has about a teaspoon of broth in it, like xiao long bong. However, the skin is much thicker and the eating protocol is different.
    • Khinkali are pleated with a knob at the top. Pick up the dumpling by the knob with your fingers.
    • Nibble off the bottom to slurp the soup.
    • Do not eat the top knob. Although it’s edible and it seems like a waste of food, it’s against custom.
  2. Kharcho (ხარჩო)
    An oily soup with rice, stewed beef, cherry plums, onions, tomatoes, and the secret ingredient: khmeli-suneli (ხმელი სუნელი). Family recipes differ for khmeli-suneli, but it usually includes bay leaves and coriander. Mildly spicy and built for cold weather. Georgia has many great soups but I don’t know why this gets particular attention.
  3. Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური)
    Flatbread with cheese topping. There are dozens of variations but the most famous one is Adjarian khachapuri. It’s shaped liked a boat. Immediately after baking, a raw egg is cracked on top and the residual heat from the melted cheese cooks the egg. This is a dish best eaten on the spot, so that one can mix the egg and cheese into a goo.

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Casa Imperial

Respectable dim sum in a pretty mansion

Toronto has bountiful dim sum at all price points. Quality is comparable or better than Hong Kong. At the high-end, there are over a dozen restaurants that will compete for your dollar. By high-end, I mean luxury ingredients like lobster, truffles, foie gras, etc. Surprisingly, prices are not that stratospheric. The average plate at these restaurants range from $5.65 to $11.30 (after tax). In the past, it was common to have “early bird” discounts for diners that show up before 9am. It’s rare to see that these days but you can still get discounts (usually) by paying with cash.

Exterior of Casa Imperial
Casa Imperial

Casa Imperial has the best setting amongst its competitors. It’s in a mid-19th-century heritage house, originally the Hood-Gough House. Think chandeliers, oil paintings, and fine china. It’s faux-glam but consumers love it for its perceived elegance. For pandemic dining, seating has moved outdoors and so has the dining finery. Even the tents are a step above the average restaurant. Sturdy and matched for an establishment of this calibre.

Tableware at Casa Imperial
Tableware

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Sazón Latino

Double play of Dominican and Salvadoran cuisine

There are less than five Dominican (the republic, not Dominica) restaurants I know of in Toronto. Sazón Latino has the best atmosphere for a sit-down meal. It even has Salvadoran food for variety too.

Exterior of Sazon Latino
Sazon Latino

Mofongo to go

Don’t tell Puerto Rico, but the Dominican Republic (DR) also has good mofongos. It’s a simple but labourious dish to make. Plantains are deep-fried, then mashed into a paste with lard. It’s served with an assertive and tangy garlic sauce. A good mofongo should be smooth like mashed potatoes and the sauce should cut through the fattiness.

Mofongo at Adrian Tropical, Santo Domingo
Mofongo from Adrian Tropical, Santo Domingo

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Samara Kitchen

An authentic slice of Indonesia in Mississauga

Why are so many good food places located in desolate industrial areas? Probably low rents. And less incentive to invest in interiors. Samara Kitchen is a classic example of tasty eateries in obscure locations. They can be confident that customers will detour to this sprawling industrial district behind Pearson airport. After all, there aren’t many Indonesian restaurants in the region. The hefty portions, large menu, and authenticity make this the top Indonesian food destination in the region.

Exterior of Samara Kitchen
Samara Kitchen

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Fattoush Levantine Diner

Small but excellent selection of Lebanese snacks

Yet another entry into the crowded Lebanese space, Fattoush is targeted towards the breakfast and light lunch crowd. Fattoush is also the name of a Middle-Eastern dish, which this restaurant also offers. Note to restaurateurs: pick an unambiguous name that stands out when searching online.

Exterior of Fattoush
Fattoush Levantine Diner

Name aside, the food is great. Almost everything is made fresh in-store, including the breads.

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Oddseoul

Flavour bombs in a Canadian-Korean gastropub

Oddesoul is a Canadian-Korean gastropub. It’s probably the only one in its category in Toronto. Sure, there are loads of Korean gastropubs in the city but none of them push the fusion envelope that far. Far from fusion confusion, nearly every dish is excellent.

Exterior of Oddseoul
Oddseoul

Oddseoul is one of the earliest kids on the Ossington block. The strip of Ossington Avenue between Dundas and Queen Street has grown into a culinary mecca in the past decade. Oddseoul definitely helped build that reputation. Despite its success, Oddseoul is oddly low-key. There is no signboard and I’ve walked by it accidentally on more than one occasion. The only clue is the inconspicuous letters on its mailbox. For the longest time, its online presence was just a stagnant Instagram page. The COVID-19 pandemic finally forced them to create a DoorDash account for takeout orders.

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Yasu Sushi Bar

The omakase for contemporary nigiri sushi

You don’t have to fly to Tokyo or New York City for a good sushi omakase (お任せ; blind tasting menu). Over the last 10 years, Toronto has gained several high-end sushi restaurants with their own niches. They are also better value here, other than Sushi Masaki Saito which starts at $600 per person—the most expensive meal in Toronto.

Yasu’s strength is non-orthodox nigiri sushi. By non-orthodox, I mean the willingness to venture beyond traditional Japanese produce and flavours. That’s the trend of top-end restaurants around the world. Delivering the classics isn’t enough—chefs have to impress seasoned foodies with dishes they have never had before. Of the 16 courses I had at Yasu, only half were traditional. Everything else had some modern spin on it.

Exterior of Yasu Sushi Bar
Yasu Sushi Bar

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