Around the World in 196 Plates

Country 025 – United Kingdom (House on Parliament)

Published on January 25, 2016January 25, 2016 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 454 Parliament Street, Toronto
Website: http://www.houseonparliament.com/

I remember, as a kid, scotch eggs were a special treat that I always looked forward to. But I haven’t had one in many, many years, and I’m not sure why. It’s one of those dishes where it’s pretty much impossible to go wrong. Take an egg, ensconce it in delicious sausage, cover it in breading and then deep fry it? You’d have to work pretty hard to mess that up.

House on Parliament does not mess it up.

First, there’s the perfect egg, hard boiled but not overcooked, with a creamy — not crumbly — yolk. It’s surrounded by a really tasty sausage (wild boar, pheasant and cognac) that has an almost pate-like richness of flavour that suits the dish perfectly. The fried breadcrumb layer is light and crispy, and just in case it’s not quite indulgent enough for you yet, they top the whole thing with a generous helping of rich, creamy hollandaise sauce.

It comes with a side of delightfully crispy homefries that were a touch underdone in the middle, but otherwise very close to perfect.

The restaurant was absolutely packed — we were able to get seated right away at just after 11:30 on a Sunday, but by the time we left the entrance was crammed with hungry diners waiting to get their brunch on. Eating the food, it’s easy enough to see why.

Country 024 – Ethiopia (Ethiopian House)

Published on January 10, 2016 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4 Irwin Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://www.ethiopianhouse.com/

See, this is one of the big reasons I started this blog: I have zero experience with Ethiopian cuisine. And who knows when I would have tried it otherwise — the inspiration for this particular excursion was entirely blog-related.

The moral of this story? If you want to try new things, start a blog. (and ignore the fact that you could easily try new things without the hassle and work of maintaining a food blog — where’s the fun in that??)

My dining companion and I shared both the meat and vegetarian Bayaaynatu, which the menu translates as “of each kind,” and is essentially a sampler plate. It all came on one enormous platter bearing a kaleidoscopic assortment of tastes and textures. I’m not even going to try to describe them all, but I will say that there wasn’t a weak selection in the bunch. I was particularly impressed by the diversity of flavours here; I sort of figured that everything would taste similar, but with few exceptions, each selection in the assortment had a personality of its own.

I really enjoyed it, though the meat in the dish at the top of the header photo was a bit tough, and the whole spread felt like it could have used more spice (hot sauce was provided, however).

There’s no classy way to eat this. There’s no cutlery to be seen; you just tear off a piece of injera — a wheaty Ethiopian flatbread that’s kind of like a thin, spongy pancake — and start scooping. The whole thing is served on a piece of that same bread, so eventually you’ll start tearing pieces off and eating that too. Only one napkin was provided (though I’m sure I could have — and should have — asked for more), and without getting into too much detail, I’ll say that by the end of the meal that napkin had seen better days.

It’s also an intimidating amount of food. My dining companion and I were defeated by the enormous spread, and neither of us are exactly dainty eaters. Still, we did our best; when the food is this good, how could you not?

Country 023 – Finland (Fanny Chadwick’s)

Published on December 27, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 268 Howland Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://www.fannychadwicks.ca/

I’ll bet you didn’t know how multicultural pancakes are. Check out their entry on Wikipedia; apparently about half of the countries in the world have their own variation on pancakes, which have been a staple at least since the time of the ancient Greeks.

And, yes, apparently Finland is one of the many pancake-loving countries out there. Their take — at least based on what Fanny Chadwick’s is serving up — is kind of like a crepe, only thicker and with a more substantial chew. Topped with a mango passion fruit compote, lightly sweetened ricotta and a bit of honey, and rolled up into dense, multi-layered rolls, they make for a hearty, satisfying breakfast.

The compote adds a nice balance of sweet and tart, with the blob of creamy ricotta on top rounding things out. The honey is sparingly applied, so if you like your breakfast to be closer to dessert, you’d be best advised to look elsewhere.

I found it a bit too eggy both in texture and taste, but then I’m not crazy about things that are eggy that aren’t eggs (I’m indifferent to French toast for the same reason). Despite that, however, I still quite enjoyed these pancakes.

You have a few choices for the side, but I went with the smoked fish, thinking that it was probably the most authentically Finnish. I think it was salmon, but don’t quote me on that. It was really, really good — perfectly tender, with a pronounced smoky flavour that didn’t overwhelm. It was hot smoked rather than cold, so it had the flavour of traditional smoked salmon, but the texture of perfectly cooked fish. It was great.

Country 022 – Thailand (Sukhothai)

Published on December 14, 2015December 14, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1442 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: http://www.sukhothaifood.ca/

Pad Thai isn’t typically my go-to order at a Thai joint, but after reading this article about its intriguingly bizarre history (which involves a military coup and a governmental decree that everyone wear hats), I felt oddly compelled to order it.

Sukhothai’s version comes with your choice of chicken, beef, or tofu. I went with chicken, which turned out to be a bad choice — the pieces were dry, tough, and thoroughly leftovery.

It was otherwise fine, I guess. It had a slightly more complex flavour than average and wasn’t as cloyingly sweet as some versions of this dish tend to be, but Pad Thai is never going to be my favourite. I think the story behind it is probably more interesting than the dish itself.

I had the cassava cake for dessert, which was the highlight. Though the slightly gummy texture was a bit off-putting at first, its sweet, coconut-infused flavour and rich dulce-de-leche-esque topping thoroughly won me over.

Country 021 – Italy (A3 Napoli)

Published on November 29, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 589 College Street, Toronto
Website: http://a3napoli.com/

Given that A3 is a collaboration between Porchetta and Co.‘s Nick auf der Mauer and Pizzeria Libretto‘s Rocco Agostino, you’d just sort of assume that it’s going to be really good. And you would be correct. You would be 100% correct.

The menu is an even split between crispy goodies coming out of their fryer and piping hot pizzas from their enormous, impressive 900 degree pizza oven (which is pretty much the centrepiece of the restaurant).

We started with the “Land” assortment of fried deliciousness, which came with decadently gooey arancini, flavour-packed meatballs, fried mozzarella that would put any mozzarella stick to shame, and perfectly cooked slices of sweet potato. It included a little cup of marinara for dipping, but everything was so tasty on its own that it was mostly superfluous.

They serve a sandwich that changes every couple of weeks, served on what is essentially an undressed pizza that’s folded over. It was meatball when I went, but it’ll probably be something different by the time you read this.

First and foremost is that bread, which has an addictively chewy texture and just the right amount of char from the inferno-hot pizza oven. Can I have all of my sandwiches in this bread? Because I want all of my sandwiches in this bread.

The inside of the sandwich was a perfect mix of rich tomato sauce, creamy pesto, and peppery arugula. That’s not to mention, of course, the toothsome and abundant meatballs. If I had to come up with the top five meatball sandwiches I’ve had in my life, this one would probably be on there.

We finished with the Zeppoli — little cinnamon-and-sugar-dusted doughnuts that are essentially like the best Timbits you’ve ever had, which come with a heady chocolate hazelnut sauce for dipping. That sauce, I should note, was so good that my dining companion was compelled to drink the remains.

Country #020 – Israel (Sid’s Deli)

Published on November 15, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 160 McCaul Street, Toronto
Website: http://www.sidsdeli.ca/

I know, I know — I’m cheating. The type of deli that Sid’s is serving up is an American Jewish phenomenon, without much (if any) connection to Israel. Sid’s should really fall under the United States on this blog, but since I’ve already covered that country, here we are.

Hey, if you don’t like it, start your own international-cuisine-themed blog.

The fact is, I couldn’t resist writing about this place. There aren’t many things I enjoy more than a really good smoked meat or pastrami sandwich. When a new deli opens in the city? I’m all over that.

Sid’s menu features the usual assortment of deli classics; I went with a pastrami sandwich, and had it with a bowl of matzoh ball soup on the side.

I really wanted to like this — there’s a dearth of really great deli sandwiches in the GTA, and none that I know of in the downtown core (and no, Caplansky’s hasn’t qualified as anything better than okay in quite a stretch). So I was crossing my fingers for greatness; alas, it wasn’t even good. It was catastrophically overseasoned. Like, it was kind of insane how overseasoned it was.

The flavour was nothing but black pepper. You could basically tell that there was a tasty piece of pastrami under there, but it was completely obscured under a deluge of overbearing spice. You couldn’t take a bite without crunching down on whole peppercorns. It was unpleasant.

It’s a damn shame, because the pastrami otherwise seems to be right where you want it to be. I went with the hand-sliced option, which was cut into perfectly thick, yieldingly tender slices of fatty — but not too fatty — beef. I had a bite or two where the fat was slightly unrendered and tough, however, for the most part it was perfectly cooked.

But this wasn’t pastrami — it was a pepper sandwich with meat.

It came with a small side of coleslaw, which wasn’t much better. It tasted okay, but it was weirdly mushy. The soup, at least, was quite good. Despite my deli love, this was my first taste of matzoh ball soup, and yeah — I can see the appeal. The matzoh ball essentially performs the same function as crumbling crackers into soup, only far more substantial and satisfying. Aside from that, it was just an above average chicken soup. Tasty stuff.

Country 019 – Vietnam (Pho King Fabulous!)

Published on November 1, 2015November 1, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2411 Yonge Street, Toronto
Website: http://www.phokingfabulous.com/

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: the name of this restaurant is probably going to make you cringe. It’s an unfortunate bit of frat-boy humour that belies the legitimately tasty food that can be found inside.

You’d also expect an authentic Vietnamese joint to be a bit more bare-bones in its decor; the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city tend to have an endearingly run-down vibe that’s a bit at odds with the slickly appointed dining room you’ll find here. Again: don’t judge this book by its cover.

I ordered the Fabulous Beef Noodle Soup, which the menu describes as being filled with a cornucopia of meats: “Rare eye round, well-done flank, soft tendon, tripe, and beef meatballs.”

You have the choice of a medium or large bowl; the medium is absolutely crammed with noodles and meat, so unless you have a particularly voracious appetite, it’ll do.

A bowl of pho like this lives and dies by its broth, and this one has one of the most richly flavourful broths that I’ve tried (but then I’ve had maybe ten bowls of pho in my entire life, so don’t get too impressed). Kicked up with a couple of spoons of chili sauce and a squeeze of lime, and you’ve got a really satisfying bowl of soup.

The noodles are perfectly cooked and abundant, and the variety of meats gives the dish an appealing mix of flavours and textures: there’s the tender combination of rare and well done beef, the distinctively chewy/crunchy bite of the tripe, the unctuous richness of the almost melt-in-your-mouth tendon, and the hearty meatballs. There wasn’t a weak link here, which was nice.

Country 018 – United States of America (Descendant Detroit Style Pizza)

Published on October 18, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1168 Queen Street East, Toronto
Website: https://www.facebook.com/descendantpizza

Of all the regional American styles of pizza — New York, Chicago, California, etc. — Detroit is probably the least known. You’d be forgiven for not even realizing that they have their own style of pizza. But thanks to Descendant, the pizza-curious can sample it without having to actually go to Detroit (because let’s face it, no one wants to go to Detroit).

For the unaware, a Detroit style pizza is essentially a deep dish pizza cooked in a square pan, with a post-bake application of tomato sauce on top of the cheese.

Descendant keeps things simple, with a menu devoted to pizza and nothing but pizza. The tiny, open kitchen might have something to do with this — in fact, the whole restaurant is much smaller than you’d think, so expect to wait if you come during peak hours.

I tried a couple of pizzas: the Double Pep, which comes with two types of pepperoni above and beneath the cheese, and the Homenaje, which comes with “fresh chorizo, roasted jalepenos, lime pickled onions, sauce, cilantro sour cream, fresh cilantro.”

I’m not gonna lie: it tastes a lot like Pizza Hut.

The crust — grease-slicked and lightly crunchy on the outside, with a soft, bready interior — is Pizza Hut through and through. There is, however, a ring of crunchy cheese around the edges (a Detroit hallmark) that’s just as amazing as you’d hope it would be.

The Double Pep is especially Pizza Hut-esque — the quality of the sauce and pepperoni are obviously much higher, but if I tried it blind I’d probably just think that Pizza Hut was having a particularly good day.

The Homnaje was the better of the two pies; with its unique and distinctive flavours, it stands apart from its fast food brethren. The zippier flavours here help to cut the richness of the heavy pizza, and make this a more balanced pie. Pickled onions and sour cream seem like odd toppings, but they work surprisingly well.

Country 017 – Philippines (Lamesa Filipino Kitchen)

Published on October 4, 2015November 29, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 669 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: http://www.lamesafilipinokitchen.com/

I was really looking forward to trying Lamesa — specifically, I was looking forward to trying their take on sisig, a dish that looked especially compelling on the Philippines episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show.

I came at brunch, and sadly, despite its presence on their website’s menu, the sisig was M.I.A. — apparently there’s a new chef in the kitchen, so I’m guessing what’s on their website and what’s in the restaurant might not match up for the next little while.

I ordered the Silog breakfast instead, which comes with your choice of boneless bangus (also known as milkfish), pork belly tocino (which the waiter described as their take on back bacon), or pork longanisa (a sausage), along with cassava hash, fried eggs, garlic rice, and salad.

I went with the fish, which had been fried, giving it a nice crispy exterior — but either this type of fish just naturally lacks any type of moisture, or it was way overcooked. I’m going to guess the latter.

It had an overt (though not at all unpleasant) fishy flavour, but was puckeringly salty and unpleasantly dry. Without the runny yolk to lubricate things it would have been nigh-inedible, but combined with the perfectly-cooked eggs, it wasn’t bad.

The cassava hash (which was also fried, and which lacked anything even remotely resembling any hash-like properties) was fine — nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside — but I wish they had taken some of the salt out of the fish and put it here instead. If it had been seasoned at all, you couldn’t taste it. It was exceptionally bland, though the tangy house-made ketchup certainly helped.

The salad was the standard boxed mixed greens with a basic vinaigrette that you can find at so many restaurants; fine, but nothing to see here. Move along.

I feel like I’m being overly negative; nothing here was particularly great, but nothing was outright bad, either. Certainly, I had no problem cleaning my plate. So I’ll end on a high note. The garlic rice — fragrant with garlic that’s right on the verge of being burnt — was an intense flavour-bomb, and easily the highlight of the meal. The garlicky taste from that rice lingered on my palate for the rest of the day, but it was totally worth it. I’d be tempted to come back just for that.

Country 016 – France (Patisserie 27)

Published on September 21, 2015 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 401 Jane Street, Toronto
Website: http://www.patisserie27.com/

I think I like the idea of a millefeuille better than I actually like a millefeuille. I mean, custardy cream served between layers of flaky puff pastry? That should be amazing. But the texture, inevitably, is off. The pastry is never quite right — typically, it’s been made way too far in advance, and has completely sogged through. Sometimes, to compensate, it’s too crunchy.

It’s a pain to eat. You try to cut or bite through it, and the cream can’t quite hold up to the pastry; it squashes out the sides and makes a classy, refined dessert considerably less so.

When I heard that Patisserie 27 makes their millefeuille to order, I thought, well, that’s it. They’ve solved it. How could this not be delicious?

And though it’s probably better than most millefeuilles I’ve had in my life, it’s not quite the millefeuille perfection I was hoping for. I haven’t been to France and had the real deal there, but I have to assume this is a pale imitation.

The pastry cream was pretty great — it’s not too sweet, with a rich custardy flavour and subtle notes of vanilla. It was really, really good.

The pastry, on the other hand, couldn’t quite hold up its end of the bargain. The dessert was made to order, so it wasn’t soggy, which is good. But it wasn’t quite as light and flaky as you’d like. The custard-spreading problem was still very much present.

It was also a little bit too assertively flavoured to match well with the more demure pastry cream; it tasted kind of like a pie crust that’s just on the edge of burnt, and completely overwhelmed the other flavours here.

It certainly wasn’t bad. But I guess if I want the perfect millefeuille I’ll just have to buy a plane ticket (or, less drastically, try other French bakeries in the city).