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.
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.
All their wares are precisely arranged like a sculpture. They might even be colour-coordinated.
Their chilled and frozen sections have a fair selection. It’s rather pricey though since they are specialty imports.
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.
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.
Bentos—an everyday uninspiring option
The top-sellers at Maeli Market are the bentos (便當). They are different from Japanese ones: all the side dishes are placed on top of the rice instead of in separate compartments. Chinese and Southeast Asian bentos either come in this form or the Japanese one.
This type of bento is also called fast food (快餐) in Mainland China or economical meal (经济餐) in Southeast Asia. The name says it all: a cheap meal with two or more dishes to go with rice. During lunch and dinner rush hours, restaurateurs set up hot tables with dozens of dishes. Customers point to the ones they are interested in and the server plops it on the rice. It’s usually a meal of necessity or convenience, not a gourmet option.
The food
Maeli Market curates and prepare their side dishes as meticulously as they do with their groceries. They take familiar Taiwanese dishes and elevate them with precision. The result is a rice dish that is far better than most street stalls in Taiwan.
Their braised pork belly bento (桔醬五花肉) has microgreens, tofu skins, braised pumpkin, lettuce stem pickles (菜心), sauteed spinach, cabbage mix, and a slice of radish. You can see how beautiful the plating is, with every morsel in its place.
The star of the dish was naturally the pork belly. It was glazed with a mandarin orange sauce. The fat had rendered well and was unctuous. Meat was tender. The citrus and pork contrasted well with the saltiness. I couldn’t get enough of it.
The side dishes were masterful too. They were exemplars of these humble dishes, seldom achieved in street food stalls. Vegetables were cooked to the right doneness. Oil and seasonings were restrained to the minimum necessary. Special mention goes to the pumpkin slices, steamed till tender with a pinch of pepper. It showcased the earthiness of the pumpkin.
This was the best Taiwanese bento I’ve had, with the caveat that I don’t usually seek out bentos in Taiwan, so there may be better ones out there. To achieve a higher score, it would need more explosive flavours or innovation. 8.5/10.
The crispy red yeast pork (酥炸紅糟肉) bento was just as good. Red yeast is a fermented by-product from making rice wine. It’s deep red and has a faint sourness and umami to it. Used primarily in coastal southern China, it spread to Taiwan as with other specialties from Fujian province.
The meat was well-coated but it had lost its crispness from takeout. It was still savoury though. Side dishes were the same except fresh greens were swapped with braised bamboo shoots. 8/10.
I recommend trying their snacks too. Gua bao (割包) is a classic Taiwanese street food. It’s basically a taco but with steamed bread instead of a tortilla. I chose the BBQ beef (照燒牛肉) gua bao.
It was definitely a fancier gua bao than those found on the streets of Taipei. More variety of ingredients and well-presented. I liked the addition of citrus, which lifted the salty-sweet beef slices. Balanced flavours and textures. 8.5/10.
The place
Maeli Market is in a business park hub with other noteworthy restaurants. Although it’s small, it’s an enjoyable place to browse while waiting for food to be prepared.
There is an open kitchen at the corner of the store.
Verdict
Elevated Taiwanese bentos with perfect sides. Better than most in Taiwan. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Maeli Market
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Braised pork belly bento
BBQ beef gua bao - Prices (including tax)
- Braised pork belly bento: $13.00 ($11.50 excluding tax)
Crispy red yeast pork bento: $13.00 ($11.50 excluding tax)
BBQ beef gua bao: $5.53 ($4.89 excluding tax) - Address
- 18 William Sylvester Drive
- Hours
- Monday to Sunday 1030h – 1900h
- Date of visit
- August 2021, December 2021