Now is the time of year when Toronto’s patisseries and food shops offer a tremendous selection of goodies that cater to the most specific tastes. To make sense of this yearly embarrassment of riches, we found some delicious items that are sure to be crowd pleasers and ideal gifts. Here, 12 ways to avoid the dreaded (and regifted) Pot of Gold.
The latest restaurant buzz, including what’s opening, what’s closing, and where to eat, drink and be seen
Food Porn
Nadège Patisserie sends its desserts down the catwalk
Pink pillars of cake known as Addiction at Nadège Patisserie on Queen Street West (All photos by Catherine Hayday)
Nadège Patisserie continues to find original ways of flogging pastries to Torontonians. Last week, the Queen West shop held a fashion show-like event to unveil its fall 2009 cake collection. And just like at a fashion show, there was one strict rule: look but don’t touch. We don’t want to be too literal, but at the unveiling of a cake collection, shouldn’t guests, you know, try the cake?
Of course, it was hard to be bitter when surrounded by so much sweet—especially when Nadège’s near-flawless macaroons and homemade marshmallows circulated so freely. The fall cake collection itself incorporates the elements we’d expect of a transition season. To really abuse this fashion metaphor, let’s call gingerbread and mulled wine the tweed of the fall food lineup. They were certainly well represented: the gingerbread appeared paired with caramel in Obsession Caramel, while the mulled wine was mixed with cinnamon and orange in Avida Dollars.
Full slide show of the cakes, after the jump.
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Food Porn
Hidden pleasure: a delectable Cantonese dining experience that’s off the foodie radar
It’s easy to see why John’s Chinese Barbecue Restaurant has remained off the foodie radar: it’s hidden in a Richmond Hill strip mall and has a non-descript English name. Most come for the Chinese rotisserie—a joy in itself—but adventurous diners tend to order John’s Cantonese fare. Several notches above the usual cloying sauces and greasy batter of take-out Chinese, we dig into expertly rendered versions of chow mein and stir fry, as well as Guangdong delicacies like braised sea cucumbers, Peking duck and dried abalone (dining with a Chinese-reading companion helps decipher the specials and menu). In this slideshow, we tour an authentic Cantonese meal that’s worth a drive north of the 407.
John’s Chinese Barbecue Restaurant, Unit 10, Chalmers Gate 11, 328 Hwy. 7 E., Richmond Hill, 905-881-3333.
Food Porn
To a tea: a look at one of Toronto’s truly unique dining experiences
Anyone who believes afternoon tea is a stuffy, doily-laced affair has never experienced it at the Windsor Arms. The Yorkville hotel has been serving afternoon tea since 1927, but history and convention have not kept the practice stuck in the past. We swing by the elegant French-style tea room for the unconventional “twilight” tea seating ($45), available from Thursday to Sunday at 6 p.m., which is complemented by a glass of sherry or flute of sparkling wine. Join us as we sink into our upholstered seats, pinkies high, and enjoy one of Toronto’s truly unique eating experiences.
Windsor Arms Hotel, 18 St. Thomas St. (at Bloor St. W.), 416-971-9666, windsorarmshotel.com.
Food Porn
Hidden treasure: A photographic tour through some of Toronto’s best dim sum
In the beginning: Our plate at Grand Chinese Cuisine waits to be filled (All photos by Renée Suen)
One of Toronto’s best dim sum experiences occurs in the strangest of venues: the Doubletree Hilton hotel near Pearson airport. Grand Chinese Cuisine is as glamorous as its name suggests. Heavy table linens add a muted, luxurious ambience to the dining room—a circular enclave with walnut blinds that block out the lobby so effectively that it is hard to believe we are dining in a hotel (or in Etobicoke, for that matter). Most foodies are familiar with the traditional forms of dim sum, but nouveau styles, like the dishes here, have taken connoisseurs by storm. We find ourselves sampling flavourful treats that are as appealing to the eye as they are to our appetites—all with a mid-range price tag. Our photographic tour of a legendary dim sum meal, after the jump.
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Food Porn
Sushi Kaji: An omakase odyssey
The view from here: Above the bar at Sushi Kaji (All photos by Renée Suen)
Nearly every Toronto food enthusiast has heard about a little boîte on the Queensway called Sushi Kaji. We were there recently for the omakase meal ($120)—12 courses spanning several hours. Nabbing a spot at the bar, we were privy to the cooking theatre starring chefs Mitsuhiro Kaji and Takeshi Okada, and also got to slurp soba noodles with staffers from some of Toronto’s best restaurants. We found ourselves in the jubilant company of folks from the Thuet empire, Scaramouche and All the Best Fine Foods. Our bellies were treated to a parade of Japanese delights—presented in the photos after the jump—and we left with the happy impression that, despite the economy, many chefs still choose to eat out and support one another’s craft.
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