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Dzo Viet Eatery

Hip, modern Vietnamese with some hits and misses

The latest entry in the modern Vietnamese scene, Dzo Viet Eatery opened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s in the same category as other trendy Vietnamese restaurants like Pinky’s Ca Phe and Vit Beo, but is more ambitious in its dining space and menu.

Dzo has a well-ventilated space. I visited during the warmer months when it was opened for indoor dining. It was the first week of their grand opening, so take this review with a grain of salt.

Patio at Dzo — Patio and dining space at Dzo

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Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen

Trendy Jamaican hangout with style and substance

Toronto has no shortage of good Jamaican restaurants. What it lacks is high-end and upper mid-range restaurants. Most Jamaican establishments are cheap takeout joints or family restaurants. Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen is a refreshing, fledgling step towards a different market: the hipster crowd of the King West neighbourhood. They put a modern spin on Jamaican foods and create some of the most flavoursome Jamaican dishes in the city.

Exterior of Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen — Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen

Takeout bag from Chubby's Jamaican Kitchen — Takeout bag of goodies

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Super Bakers

Super flaky and wholesome empanadas

Every former Spanish colony has their version of empanada, which consists of some flat dough folded over some filling. Filipino empanadas are pedestrian. They are easy to find all over the Philippines but it is difficult to find a memorable one.

Super Bakers stands out for its unique dough. Empanadas are traditionally made with a pie dough. The ingenious twist from Super Bakers is to use hopia dough. This results in a short and flaky crust. It’s best enjoyed fresh from their bakery, even though they supply to other businesses in the city.

Chinese-Filipino heritage of hopia

Hopia (好饼, literally good biscuit) has its origins in Fujian province in southern China. It was brought over to the Philippines by Fujianese migrants over a century ago. This sort of pastry is common in Southern China but isn’t called hopia. In fact, it doesn’t have a standard name. The name “hopia” probably derives from a category of confections, hipia (喜饼, literally wedding biscuit), of which hopia is one of them.

Whether in China or Philippines or Southeast Asia, the form is instantly recognizable: a palm-sized disc with sweet fillings inside. The dough is pale brown and flakey like French puff pastry, but without butter. It also crumbles more easily.

The difference with the Filipino adaption is in the filling. While mung beans are still the most popular filling in China and Philippines, a uniquely Filipino filling is ube (purple yam). Baboy (pork) is also common in the Philippines, but not so much in China.

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Banh Mi Boys

Stalwart for Canadian bánh mì sandwiches

Banh Mi Boys burst into the Toronto food scene in December 2011 and quickly became a food sensation. They had the elusive formula of creativity, price, and taste. Firstly, they were a step up from traditional bánh mì sold a few blocks away in Chinatown. No more mystery meats and cuts. Banh Mi Boys put in recognizable chunks of proteins and jazzed it up with breaded squid rings and duck confit. Secondly, although they were more than twice the price of Chinatown bánh mì, it was still a basement bargain starting at $5.64 (2012 price including tax). Most importantly, as with any restaurant, taste is king. It was sinfully good and a harbinger of how the culinary scene in Toronto was taking off.

Fast forward to 2020 and Banh Mi Boys have opened several outlets across the city. As with any long-running establishment, there are the usual complaints of dropping standards and higher prices. There is some truth to that. But it is still a lifesaver for students on a budget and people looking for fast food that is not burger and fries.

Anatomy of a bánh mì

Quick crash course on bánh mì. Like how to pronounce the weird squiggly lines. It’s ok to say it in a neutral tone: “ban mi”. If you want to attempt Vietnamese tones, bánh has the same rising tone as someone exclaiming “huh?”. Mì has the same falling tone as someone dismissively saying “meh”.

Bánh mì is just a medium-length baguette sandwich. The crusty bread is sliced lengthwise and stuffed with mystery meats and đồ chua (pickles, almost always julienned carrots and daikon). Vietnamese love deli meats like chả lụa (pale pork sausage) and pâté (liver paste). These make an appearance in the house specials (bánh mì đặc biệt) of most stalls. Another popular variation uses grilled meats, like lemongrass pork in bánh mì thịt nướng.

The sandwich is finished in typical Vietnamese fashion with lots of fresh herbs and cucumbers. Well, at least for the ones in Saigon. Bánh mì originated from Southern Vietnam and is in top form there. Street vendors might slather on chilli sauce and drops of Maggi seasoning. Delish.

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El Habanero and Churrobar

Potential of Cuban cuisine, fulfilled convincingly

Cuban food gets a bad rep from all-inclusive resort tourists who complain about bland buffets. Well, the lack of quality produce and purchasing power hasn’t exactly helped the dining scene in Cuba. Sadly, for outstanding Cuban food, one has to venture out of Cuba. Fortunately, you don’t have to go far if you are in Toronto. Just hop over to El Habanero & Churrobar in the outskirts of Scarborough.

Exterior of El Habanero and Churrobar — El Habanero & Churrobar

El Habanero proves how good Cuban cuisine can be with quality ingredients and masterful technique. The dishes are not sophisticated but they are packed with flavour. The restaurant also doubles as a “churro bar”, which is exactly what you think it is and more. Besides churros and drinks, the restaurant also churns out churro-inspired desserts. Their churro cakes are especially popular and photogenic.

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Uncle Ray’s

This restaurant closed on 13 June 2021. Thanks for the memories!

Finally, a truly spicy Southern barbecue

American barbecue is slowly gaining ground in Toronto. Just 10 years ago, one would be hard-pressed to find a good barbecue, let alone regional styles like Texas, Memphis, Alabama, and others. The first big regional style to emerge was Central Texas (Beach Hill Smokehouse, Adamson Barbecue). Then, Kansas City style came rolling in (Hank Daddy’s, Kansas King). Not forgetting about homegrown Toronto style (Big Crow), the BBQ scene is indeed burgeoning here. It is only a matter of time before Carolina barbecue appears. Until then, you can get a small taste of it at Uncle Ray’s Food & Liquor.

Uncle Ray’s looks like a typical hipster Southern bar on the surface but goes for a different flavour profile than its competitors. It packs more heat. Its calling card is actually fried chicken, not barbecue. And both are good examples of soulful, lip-smacking Southern cuisine.

Exterior of Uncle Ray's Food & Liquor — Uncle Ray’s Food & Liquor

As its name suggests, Uncle Ray’s Food & Liquor is also a drinking hole. However, I did not partake in libations due to COVID-19 restrictions. The liquor counter looks inviting and takes centre stage in the restaurant. Various bottles of bourbon line the counter.

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Papyrus

Simple Egyptian street food done exceedingly well

Egyptian food isn’t typically my first choice of Middle Eastern cuisine. There are not many unique dishes and flavours are muted. Vegetarians will have an easy time as the dominant street food in Egypt is the trinity of koshari (كشري; rice, lentils, macaroni, spicy tomato sauce), ful medames (فول مدمس; mashed fava beans), and taameya (الطعمية; falafel). In fact, these three dishes are usually found together at street stands.

I remember surviving for weeks in Egypt on these fast foods. Ful doesn’t appeal to me because it’s heavy and an unappetizing shade of grey. Taameya is all right as all deep-fried foods are. But the Egyptian food highlight has got to be koshari. The tomato sauce gives a much-needed tangy kick to an otherwise bland cuisine. The different starches also add textural complexity.

There are only a handful of restaurants in Toronto that have koshari. Papyrus is the best of them. It also excels in taameya and the humble baladi (بلدي; Egyptian flatbread). Their key to success is having a simple menu and executing each component well.

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Poke Guys

Well curated ingredients for a quality poke bowl

Poke Guys was one of the first to jump on the poke fad when it hit Toronto in 2015. While other establishments have went bust, Poke Guys is still going strong because of two reasons: ingredients and location. Situated between the Financial District and the shopping zone around Yonge-Dundas Square, it gets a steady stream of customers all week. Of course, the food has to be good to get repeat business.

The poke bowl fad

Traditional Hawaiian poke is very simple. It is just marinated raw fish. The flavours aren’t too crazy. The usual suspects are shoyu (soy sauce), sesame, and seaweed. Poke morphed into a rice bowl on mainland USA and exploded in popularity in 2014. Since it really is a salad bowl, anything goes. There is a dizzying variety of toppings and proteins to choose from. Japanese ingredients are popular, like tobiko (fish roe) and gari (pickled ginger). Kimchi, avocado, and jalapeños are also ubiquitous.

Poke at Poke Guys — Poke selection at Poke Guys. Top row: sweet and spicy shrimp, spicy shoyu salmon, spicy shoyu tuna, masago. Middle row: honey ginger salmon, classic shoyu tuna, crab slaw. Bottom row: wasabi octopus, classic shoyu salmon, tofu, slaw.

Some people view poke as deconstructed sushi or a less skilled version of chirashi don (raw fish on rice). I view it as a food in its own right. I agree it doesn’t take a lot of training to put together a poke bowl. What it lacks in refinement more than makes up for it in creativity. The keys to a good poke bowl are

Freshness
Harmony
Proportion

Ideally, the fish should be fresh and not from frozen. Vegetables should be crisp. All components should complement one another. A common mistake is to have too many strong flavours like kimchi and onions. It overwhelms the delicate taste of raw fish. Another pet peeve of mine is having too much filler materials and not enough protein.

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Plan B

The perfect braai

Braai is the South African term for barbecue. Like all barbecues around the world, there isn’t a standard recipe. Just a bunch of people grilling meats and enjoying the outdoors. The difference in South Africa is that boerewors is more likely to make an appearance. Boerewors literally means farmer’s sausage in Afrikaans and Dutch. It consists of beef and mild spices and is almost always a long, thin coil. It does not have a distinctive taste.

Also like all barbecues, braai is a hit or miss affair. It can be exquisitely smokey or raw in the middle, overdone and dried out. I’ve had my fair share of bad braais in South Africa. Imagine my surprise when I came across this little eatery in Toronto that does a better braai than the ones I’ve tried in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Plan B is the only South African restaurant in Toronto and its menu is summarized by its signboard: burgers and braai. Everything is made in house. There is no pork—it is halal. On the occasions I visited, I saw South African customers driving from far outside Toronto to get their fix. A testament to Plan B’s quality and also the scarcity of South African food in the region.

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Grand Cru Deli

Deli classics with a French flair (belated Winterlicious edition)

Summerlicious and Winterlicious can be a great time to try new restaurants. The trick is finding a restaurant that offers superior value or limited time dishes that interest you. For most restaurants, these events are equivalent to a free dessert. If you are not a fan of desserts, you might want to give them a pass.

Grand Cru Deli is a new entrant to Winterlicious, having opened in March 2019. Billing itself as a wine bar, you might be forgiven for thinking the food is an afterthought. I went in not knowing what to expect and came out impressed.

Exterior of Grand Cru Deli — Grand Cru Deli

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