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.
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 (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.
- 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. - 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.
The food
For this tasting, I tried some typical dishes and one not-so-common one.
Pirosmani’s khinkali were respectable. They were shaped well. The dough was thin enough and the pleating was neat.
For the filling, I chose a mixture of pork and beef. The pork fat kept the filling juicy and the beef added earthy flavours. There was sufficient broth inside the khinkali and it had a pleasant umami. I thought it was a clever change from pure pork or pure beef khinkalis. 8/10.
Their small-sized kharcho was smaller than I expected. It was quite average. All the ingredients were there: beef cubes, rice, herbs, and spices. Somehow, the spice mix didn’t provide a kick of flavour or heat. It was almost like store-bought kharcho. The beef was a tad tough too. I prefer the kharcho at Genatsvale. 6/10.
I didn’t try their khachapuri because they don’t hold well for takeout. So, I ordered a less common dish: elarji (ელარჯი). This is regarded as a peasant dish. It’s a cornmeal porridge sludge with cheese folded in. I’m delighted that Pirosmani not only offers it in its traditional form, but also as modern deep-fried fritters.
The concept is on the right track but the dish needed more tweaking. For one, they should have drained the elarji after frying. An unsightly pool of oil settled at the bottom of the takeout container. After I patted the elarji dry, it was an OK snack. It tasted exactly as expected, albeit with the aftertaste of oil. The cheese was rather salty. The whole dish needed an acidic sauce to balance the richness. Some tomatoes, citrus, or vinegar would have worked. One positive was the inclusion of fresh corn bits that gave textural interest. 5/10.
The place
Pirosmani is located in industrial Duke Heights, close to Dufferin and Steeles Avenue West. Surprisingly, there are other restaurants in the vicinity.
The exterior looks like a boring business lot but the interior has been transformed into a folksy Georgian tavern. A flag in the shape of Georgia and a large portrait of Niko Pirosmani, a famous Georgian painter, are some of the standout ornaments.
For Instagram lovers, there are traditional costumes to pose in.
Unfortunately, there is little natural light. During warmer months, there is makeshift outdoor seating at the parking space in front of the restaurant.
Verdict
Decent Georgian restaurant with a larger variety of traditional items than its competitors. 7/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Pirosmani Restaurant
- Rating
- 7/10
- Recommended dishes
- Beef and pork khinkali
- Prices
- Beef and pork khinkali x 3: $11.24 ($9.95 excluding tax)
Kharcho: $8.98 ($7.95 excluding tax)
Baked elarji: $14.68 ($12.99 excluding tax) - Address
- 913 Alness Street
- Hours
- Monday to Thursday 1200h – 2200h
Friday to Sunday 1200h – 2300h - Date of visit
- June 2021, August 2021