Name: Banh Mi Boys
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Contact Info: 399 Yonge St., 416-977-0303, banhmiboys.com, @banhmiboys
Owners: David, Philip and Peter Chau
The Food: The same menu as the original Banh Mi Boys location on Queen West: Vietnamese sub sandwiches (including the five-spice pork belly banh mi, one of the city’s top 20 sammies), steamed baos and tacos. The Chau brothers are working on adding an authentic Vietnamese shrimp dish, and rumours are circulating about a secret menu—try ordering the pork belly and fried chicken Club Bao.
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Most hotel dining rooms are conventional and quiet—depressing, even—but the restaurant on the 31st floor of the Trump Tower hums with captains-of-industry energy. Wealthy travellers gawk at the view, stockbrokers knock back $50 glasses of Tignanello, and Harry Rosen suits abound, including, on the night we visited, one worn by Harry Rosen himself. A dollar sign replaces the S in Stock’s logo, and there’s truth in advertising. The wine list starts at $50, and a $20 manhattan would be easier to swallow if it weren’t bludgeoned with bitters. Chef Todd Clarmo comes from the Oliver and Bonacini franchise and dishes up hit-and-miss steak house fare. The thick New York strip is tender; the crispy frites alongside come with a fabulous truffle aïoli. The lobster chunks in a salad, however, range from sweet and tender to salty and soggy. Pastry chef David Chow makes an incredible lemon cake with pistachio crumble, yogurt sorbet and lavender pearls. You can do better for less elsewhere, but no one in the room seems to care. Mains $24–$120.
