There are less than 10 Yemeni restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. All of them serve mandi. It goes to show what the most popular export of that nation is. While none of them cook it in the traditional way (in an underground pit), they are all still pretty tasty. Of these restaurants, Monasaba is by far the best in every aspect.
Monasaba
Mandi—A celebratory rice feast
Mandi (مندي) is a rice dish cooked with meat stock and spices reminiscent of North India. While the rice cooks, meat is placed on top of it so that its juices can seep down. It reminds me of Indian biryani and that is not coincidental. Yemen had strong historical trade links with India. Traditionally, mandi is served during feasts since it is laborious to prepare. It’s doesn’t make sense to cook a small portion after going through the hassle of setting up an underground oven. So, Yemenis use a large vat that can feed multiple families.
Today, mandi can be found around the Arabian peninsula. In Dubai, it has become a food fad with food court stalls and fancy restaurants popping up with their own renditions. Since visiting Yemen and Saudi Arabia is out of the question for most foreigners, Dubai is the most accessible place to try mandi. And if you can’t travel to the Middle East, Monasaba in Mississauga has an excellent version as well.
Lai Wah Heen is the grand dame of luxury dim sum, incorporating ingredients like lobster and caviar since the 1990s. It won critical acclaim but standards went downhill for a long time before rising again. Today, it’s still a decent place to try high-end dim sum if you don’t want to make the trip to Richmond Hill and Markham.
Hotel entrance to Lai Wah Heen
Lai Wah Heen
Online reviews are harsh, mainly because the price doesn’t meet expectations. Indeed, some items like char siu bao (barbecued pork buns) don’t taste that all different from average restaurants but are priced higher. The trick is to select the right things. Research on their specialties beforehand and get the unique ones. Then, the experience won’t be as bad as detractors claim.
This restaurant closed in March 2021. Thanks for the memories!
Slurp-worthy boat noodles and other lesser-known Thai noodles
Delightfully ungrammatical name aside, Boat King of Thai Noodles is the place to get a wide range of Thai noodles. Everyone knows about pad thai. Some know about pad see ew (ผัดซีอิ๊ว) and pad kee mao (ผัดขี้เมา). This restaurant offers lesser-known dishes that only Thai food enthusiasts will recognize. For example, its signature and namesake is boat noodles. It’s the best version in Toronto. Then again, there aren’t a lot of competitors. Nana used to offer this before the pandemic. Kiin used to offer it when they had lunch service. Now, Thai Noodle is the only other place near downtown that has boat noodles.
Boat King of Thai Noodles
Kway tiaw reua—the unsung emblem of Thai noodles
I have a confession to make. I don’t like pad thai. This after eating it all over Thailand and seeking the best restaurants. It’s too boring for me and strikes me as a leftovers dish. Even though pad thai is identified as the iconic dish of Thailand, it should be boat noodles. Just like how green curry is unique to Thailand, boat noodles are quite different from its noodle cousins in China and Southeast Asia.
Boat noodles are known as kway tiaw reua in Thai (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ). It also goes by other English transliterations like kuai tiao reua or guay teow rua. I use the least ambiguous spelling here. Boat noodles gets its name from vendors rowing on boats through Bangkok’s canals. The food was prepared in the boat and handed off to customers on the shore. In modern times, restaurateurs have moved to dry land.
The defining characteristics of boat noodles are its small serving size and its blood-infused broth. Yup, you read that right. There is some pig and cow blood to thicken the broth. It doesn’t taste strong like Chinese or Vietnamese blood cakes but it darkens the brown broth and adds to the texture and richness. Most people wouldn’t even notice it. The bowl is small because historically, vendors wanted to minimize spillage when passing it to customers. Nowadays, it has become a tradition to order multiple bowls and stack them up like some kind of trophy to gluttony.
There are several varieties of boat noodles. You can mix and match the type of noodles and broth. Common noodles are sen yai (เส้นใหญ่; broad, flat rice noodles), sen lek (เส้นเล็ก; thin rice noodles also used for pad thai), and ba mee (บะหมี่; yellow egg noodles). Broth choices are beef blood, pork blood, yen ta foo (fermented red bean curd), or tom yum. The blood choices, called nam tok, are representative of boat noodles.
Boat noodles at Pa Yak, near Victory Monument in Bangkok. Clockwise from left: pork sen yai with blood broth, pork sen yai with tom yam broth, beef sen yai with blood broth.
Toppings include meat slices, meat balls, liver, leafy vegetables like morning glory, bean sprouts, fried garlic, and pork crackling. Diners add peanuts, sugar, chillies, and other condiments to taste. It’s a comforting dish. The broth packs meatiness and umami that makes you want to order more.
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.
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.
Discover the starchy delights of spätzle, knedlíky, halušky, and nokedli in Toronto (and finding the best)
The iconic Central European food is undoubtedly the schnitzel, a thin, breaded slab of meat. It’s filling and easy to make, which explains its popularity outside the region. Witness cotoletta (Italy) and milanesa (Argentina and Brazil).
But we are not here to talk about something that is famous enough already. Today, we go on a tour of the second-most iconic food of Central Europe: dumplings. These are the underappreciated workhorses that give the cuisine a reputation for being heavy and starchy. Not to be confused with Asian dumplings, these dumplings are bite-sized lumps of flour, potato, or egg. They are also universally bland, so the skill comes in the texture and shape.
Toronto is blessed to have full representation of the dumplings of Central Europe: Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. (I left out Poland because their most famous dumpling, pierogi, is too divergent from the others. But if you are interested in Polish kopytka, Café Polonez is a good bet.)
One can easily go on a taste test around the city and debate which is the better variant. And that is exactly what I did.
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.
Super Bakers
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.
Surprising Sri Lankan creations in the Tamil heart of Toronto
Along Markham Road near the northeastern border of Toronto lies one of the Little Indias of the city. The section between McNicoll and Steeles Avenue is the geographical centre of the largest Tamil population in Canada. It may not seem like it because of the industrial location but it sprawls out north into the residential areas of Markham and south to the more populated areas of Scarborough.
Markham Road and Steeles Avenue East, the centre of the largest Tamil community in Toronto
Markham sign at northwest corner of Markham Road and Steeles Avenue East
Tamils are an ethnic group from Tamil Nadu state in India and northern Sri Lanka. Large numbers migrated from Sri Lanka to Toronto during the civil war period from the 1980s to the early 21st century. As a result, Sri Lankan cuisine in Toronto has become synonymous with Tamil cuisine, even though Tamils are a minority group in Sri Lanka. The majority group, the Sinhalese, use slightly different spices in their cooking. By the way, it is surprisingly difficult to find a Sinhalese restaurant in Toronto. Check out Banana Leaf Catering and Take Out if you are interested.
On the other hand, Tamil restaurants are thriving in Toronto. For the most part, they have remained traditional and cheap takeout businesses. But enough time has passed since the 1980s to allow for deviations with classic recipes. Toronto is one of the few cities in the world that have the right conditions for fusion cuisine to emerge: a large Tamil population, a multicultural food landscape, and a sophisticated audience eager for new things and not adverse to paying more. The scene is still burgeoning, but here are some of the places I’ve come across in Scarborough.
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.
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.
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.
