Fika means coffee break in Swedish, or for some, a social ritual. That’s what FIKA Cafe in Toronto offers. Some coffee and sugary treats and a lazy afternoon lounge surrounded by Scandinavian designs. Well, at least that’s what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, FIKA does a brisk business with takeout coffee and pastries.
FIKA Cafe
FIKA has less than four traditional Swedish foods but it does them well. For a proper Swedish restaurant, IKEA is the only option, unfortunately. FIKA sells Scandinavian-inspired sandwiches like ones with smoked salmon. However, their strength is with coffee and sweet pastries, the very essence of fika.
Patio of FIKA. Losers have vandalized the handwritten welcome message on the railing.
The food
Their pastries sell out as fast as they did before the pandemic. Get there before noon for the full selection.
Pastry display case. Clockwise from top left: cinnamon rolls, ginger snaps, pecan brownies, spiced oatmeal currant cookies, spiced carrot cupcakes with lemon icing, semlor.
Feasting on Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnamese food across Toronto
Toronto has the largest Vietnamese population in Canada. Outside Vietnam, it is also one of the cities with the largest number of people of Vietnamese descent. Waves of immigrants came in with the onset of the Vietnam War. And with them came a blossoming of the Vietnamese food scene in Toronto.
Phở (rice noodles with beef) has become synonymous with Vietnamese food in Toronto. Naturally, there is far more to Vietnamese cuisine and it’s a shame that many Toronto diners don’t venture beyond the familiar dishes. The major regional cuisines of Vietnam are divided into North, Central, and South, each differing slightly in terms of ingredients and spices. So, to inspire your next meal, here are some of the best restaurants to check out for each regional cuisine. Please don’t come to these places for just phở.
Northern Vietnamese: Phở Sơn
Northern Vietnamese food shares similarities with Southern Chinese food. Flavours tend towards sweet, salty, and mild. Phở originated here and the broth is simple and clear, letting ingredients speak for themselves. There aren’t many Northern Vietnamese restaurants in Toronto. Phở Sơn stands out for being consistently good in every dish.
Exterior of Pho Son
No tour of Northern Vietnamese cuisine is complete without bún chả Hà Nội. This is a specialty of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It consists of rice vermicelli (bún) with a bowl of sweet-sour fish sauce (nước mắm) to dip into. Grilled pork pieces (chả) are served on the side.
Phở Sơn has the best bún chả in Toronto. It was a refreshing change from other Vietnamese restaurants to find vegetables treated with such care. Every leaf in the herb garnish was free of blemishes. Carrots and daikons were cut into flowers. It might be old-fashioned but I appreciate a restaurant that showcases its knife skills.
Bún chả Hà Nội from Phở Sơn. Quality bouquet of herbs on top. Bag of nước mắm and pickles at the back.
Expert technique was evident on the grilled pork as well. The fish sauce and soy sauce marinade seeped throughout the meat. The exterior was lightly charred and not burnt. Pork was succulent. Did I mention the accompanying vegetables were carefully carved?
The nước mắm was a refreshing counterpoint. An intense combination of sour, sweet, pungent, and spicy. It was one of the best traditional Vietnamese dishes I’ve had. 8.5/10.
Grilled pork and boiled vegetables for bún chả Hà Nội
On weekends, Phở Sơn cooks up offal and sausages. They are famous for their cháo lòng dồi (pork offal congee). I don’t see this offered at most Vietnamese restaurants, probably because Toronto diners are squeamish about eating intestines and stomachs.
Cháo lòng dồi from Phở Sơn
The congee had a style distinct from Chinese ones. It was more peppery, smokey, and oily. It was also deliciously savoury. There was an assortment of offal like large intestine, liver, and stomach. They were succulent and not overcooked. 8/10.
Yonge-Dundas Square is a mixed bag when it comes to food choices. There are a few great restaurants but there are many more mediocre chains that survive on tourist and shopping traffic. Well, if you are in the area around lunch time, it’s worth seeking out Elm Street Italian Deli for their subs.
Elm Street Italian Deli
They sell Canadian-Italian subs, or at least that’s what I call them. They are not traditional Italian panini because they come loaded with more meats and ingredients. Also, the ingredient combinations are not something one finds in Italy. It’s closer to American/Canadian-Italian sandwiches. Regardless of origin, I recommend them for a quick, quality bite.
It’s been just over a year since COVID-19 exploded in Toronto. For future historians, here’s a retrospective of how the restaurant scene changed over the last 12 months.
Order fulfillment changes
Of all the changes, those regarding order fulfillment are the most likely to stick around after the pandemic. Order fulfillment is everything between making an order and receiving food.
More contactless payment and ordering
Cashless restaurants existed even before the pandemic, with places like iQ FOOD accepting only card payments and online orders. The pandemic drove more places like Baguette & Co and PG Clucks to go cashless.
2020 saw the introduction of two automated cubby restaurants. Diners order and pay at a touchscreen kiosk. They pick up their order from one of the cubbies (compartments) at the back of the restaurant. No human interaction necessary. Regardless, both restaurants have one human staff to help confused customers. The concept has been around in other countries for years, but these are the first in Canada.
Finished orders are placed in open cubicles at Cubby Smart Kitchen
Touchscreen cubicles at Box’d
Human-free ordering, payment, and pickup at Box’d
Automated restaurants make their appearance in Toronto
Increased online presence
One positive outcome of the pandemic is how it has pushed businesses to digitize. When I did a refresh of my restaurant list at the end of 2020, nearly all the restaurants that did not have a website in 2019 had one now. Or at least a Facebook page.
Even old school restaurants like Wei’s Taiwanese Food created a shockingly modern website. Customers can pick up orders at designated spots around the GTA, an innovation I haven’t seen elsewhere. It makes the best of a small delivery team.
Online store of Wei’s Taiwanese Foods
More convenient ways to order
During the early months of the pandemic, there was a scramble to get on delivery apps. Foodora exited the Canadian market in May 2020, leaving behind Uber Eats, SkipTheDishes, and DoorDash as the only big food apps in Toronto. Deterred by high commission fees of up to 30%, some turned to smaller alternatives like Ambassador AI, Ritual, Tock, and TouchBistro. Tock is especially favoured by high-end establishments. Not all these platforms offer delivery though.
A few resourceful restaurants set up their own e-commerce stores using Shopify, Square, or their own bespoke site. Mandarin and Cafe Landwer rolled out their own digital ordering services, complete with phone authentication and online discounts.
These apps make it easy to order, pay, check availability, schedule orders, discover new restaurants, and reduce miscommunication when ordering. I hope that restaurants continue to invest in them after the pandemic.
Pre-ordering enters mainstream
With online ordering, it’s a breeze to plan a restaurant pickup after an outdoor stroll. No time wasted on waiting.
Another use of pre-orders are for special meals. You know, those that have to be ordered a few days in advance. High-end restaurants like Alo and Edulis switched to this format for their multi-course meal kits. Restaurateurs benefit from forecasting demand so they don’t end up with wasted produce.
Product changes
When the pandemic struck, many restaurants were suddenly in trouble because their business model could not be sustained by takeout. Fine-dining restaurants, buffet restaurants, bars, and any restaurant that sold quickly-perishable food (e.g. tartare, sundaes, soufflés) were hit hard. They had to turn to the buzzword of the startup world: pivot.
How a buffet restaurant adapted admirably in the times of COVID-19
Mandarin is known amongst Toronto residents for their all-you-can-eat buffet, with vaguely Chinese dishes and mishmash of dishes like sushi and pizza. Long-time Torontonians still bemoan the loss of crab legs from the line-up. Despite online criticisms, food quality is decent and is perhaps the best place to try Canadian-Chinese food. People don’t go there just for the food. Nostalgia plays a factor too. Mandarin prides itself as a family restaurant and surely many a celebratory meal went down at its restaurants.
Mandarin restaurant, on the ground floor of Canada Square
I was curious about how Mandarin was doing at a time when buffets are not allowed to operate. They held back during the initial months of the pandemic but quickly pivoted to takeout. Is there still a reason to patronize Mandarin when they have lost their main value proposition? Thankfully, the answer is yes.
For this review, I went to the closest Mandarin downtown, at Yonge and Eglinton.
Suyas are easily the most accessible Nigerian food. Unlike other traditional dishes like slimy cow foot soup (nkwobi) or mud-like amala (yam flour paste), barbecued meat is a crowd-pleaser. It’s no wonder that the majority of Nigerian restaurants in Toronto offer suya. The Suya Spot is one of the best places to sample this meaty delight.
The Suya Spot
Do you want your West African meats well-done or extra well-done?
In my travels to West Africa, I’ve sadly never had revelatory food experiences. Grilled meat is popular and goes by different names: suya in Nigeria, soya in Cameroon, and brochette in Niger. However, quality ranges from ho-hum to bad at most places. I’ve never been to Nigeria (I blame unreasonable visa fees), but my experiences in surrounding countries indicate a philosophy of overcooking meat. It could be for hygiene reasons or a local preference. But it does tend towards dry and tough proteins.
Suyas are no exception. Good suya places will grill them just under the verge of being overdone. Bad places will just give chewy or burnt meat. Suyas have a unique flavour profile compared to other meat-on-a-stick delicacies from around the world. It comes from the use of West African spices like uda (a type of pepper, also known as grains of Selim) and kuli kuli (deep-fried groundnut flour). I recommend trying them at least once to broaden your horizons.
When I think of Greektown in Toronto, I think of tourist traps. Sure, there are many Greek restaurants but they all have nearly the same souvlakis and grilled seafood. If I go there for Greek food, I usually end up at Athens Pastries. It stands out as one of the few specialists of Greek pastries. Perfect for a quick bite.
Athens Pastries: original and flagship store on Danforth Avenue
Athens Pastries has been in Greektown for over 40 years. They’ve become a neighbourhood fixture and admirably kept up with the times with renovations. Part of their success lies in having a small menu that it can perfect on. There are just 3 savoury options and 4 sweet ones. Hasn’t changed in years. Furthermore, their savoury options are really just variations of the same thing: filo pies. Go in the morning to get the widest selection.
If you didn’t know, the best time to get ice cream is in the dead of winter. Go during the night if you can. That way, you can avoid summer lineups. It might sound like a joke, but not until you see the queues at Bang Bang Ice Cream during warmer months.
Bang Bang Ice Cream
Bang Bang seems like any other boutique ice cream store on the surface. Indie, takeout only, free samples, some creative flavours, but not eyebrow-raising like Death In Venice. Their strength lies in perfecting what they do. I am no ice cream connoisseur but Bang Bang is superior to chi-chi ice creameries I’ve tried in foodie American cities.
Their unique claims to fame include ice cream cradled in Hong Kong egg waffles (鷄蛋仔) and signature flavours like Totaro (ube and coconut) and London Fog (Earl Grey). “Bakery” is in Bang Bang’s full name, though they really only produce confections that can be slathered with ice cream. This isn’t a knock on their baked products. They are good but ice cream is really Bang Bang’s raison d’être.
Donburi (丼) is a general term for rice bowl meals. Literally a bowl of rice with stuff on top. There is no rule on what goes on top, but traditional combinations are gyu don (牛丼; stewed beef slices and onion), ten don (天丼; tempura), katsu don (カツ丼; schnitzel), and unagi don (鰻丼; grilled eel).
Oddly enough, the best donburi restaurant in Toronto eschews these classic bowls and goes for modern interpretations. It’s still recognizably Japanese though.
Onnki Donburi
Onnki Donburi has the elusive winning combination of taste, presentation, portion, and price. The cooking and plating is like a mid-range to top-end restaurant, yet the portion sizes are perfect and don’t leave diners wanting. It hasn’t forgotten the casual roots of donburi either and is moderately priced.
There aren’t any Maltese dinner restaurants in Toronto. The Maltese food establishments here are cafeterias that offer the national pastry, pastizzi, among other things. Nannu’s Pastizzi is the best of the lot, has the largest variety, and even has decent Maltese lunch options.
