It’s time to wax poetic about one of my favourite pastimes. There is no greater sense of excitement for a snacker than to scour the supermarket shelves for scrumptious treats; this is even more thrilling when those items are from SE Asian snack vendors or supermarkets. From cookies to candies, chocolates, nuts and pastries, to crackers and chips, or even dried fruit, vegetable and protein matter, these pre-packaged delights may bring comfort to those familiar with the flavours or have others question their inventive origins. Perhaps it’s time to take another trip to the stores lining Spadina, those that dot the insides of Market Village and Pacific Mall, or are a beehive of activity for grocery shoppers (T&T Supermarket). Take a quick look at what can be found in the aisles!

Continue reading Got the Munchies? Head for the Aisles SE Asian Style »

Tasty Exposuer: Jewel-like crystal dumplings from Chiu Chow Boy Restaurant (3261 Kennedy Road, Scarborough) allows diners a glimpse of the sweet treasures hidden inside before breaking though its chewy steamed skins.

Snacking is a favourite pastime of mine, and like many fellow snackers, I’m always on the lookout for new things to eat. The GTA hosts a number of great establishments dedicated to the art of snacking - a fact that both my tongue and tummy appreciate. This is the second part of a series dedicated to freshly made snacks from East Asia. Part 1 focused on grilled and fried munchies that you could really sink your teeth into, while this post places focus on sweet endings. Dedicated to entice Torontonians with a sweet tooth, the following highlights features an alternative to the standard meal-enders of coffee and pastries. It’s time to ready those taste buds for more tempting treats, from dessert soups to fruity bubble tea, the options seem endless.

Continue reading Snack Time Feature: the Search for Fresh East Asian Treats (Part 2 of 2) »

A sudden craving came recently to mind one day, but there was a problem. I only knew it as ke le bin in Chinese. But it’s neither Chinese, nor for that matter originally Japanese as I later found out. A twist on the French croquette, korokke, is typically made with mashed potato or a thickened white sauce base. Eaten as a snack or an accompaniment to curry and rice, it is found in bakeries, supermarkets, and restaurants all over Tokyo.

Continue reading Craving Korokke »

Gyoza from Sakawaya Japanese Bistro (867 Danforth Avenue). These flat pillow-like pan fried critters are filled with a juicy meat filling.

A recommended healthy lifestyle consists of exercise and frequent small meals. Not one to argue with the growing influence of health gurus, the latter tip brings smiles to the faces of munchers like myself. I love to snack - actually that is an understatement in itself. Let me correct myself. I love to snack A LOT, and although I do enjoy the variety provided by the typical North American big box grocery store, I find greater satisfaction in the fresh East Asian snacks provided by independent vendors in our fair city. This two part series showcases some of the highlights of what could be found while strolling the Toronto Night Market, or Asian food courts and plazas that dot Richmond Hill, Markham and Scarborough. Part tummy satisfier, part visual spectacle, there is never a dull moment when one is on the search for great eats. Follow your nose, look for the long line ups, and peek at the displayed samples at each stall for a taste surprise. See what all the hype is about and join in the on the fun.

Continue reading Snack Time Feature: the Search for Fresh East Asian Treats (Part 1 of 2) »

Buddha Dog Toronto
163 Roncesvalles Avenue
416-534-2007
Dinner for two (dogs and a salad) including taxes, tips and two lemonades: $23

I’d heard all about Picton’s award-winning hot dogs and sauces. Naturally, I was curious to try Buddha Dog Toronto’s new west-end location to savour what Toronto Life called “Genius” and Reader’s Digest dubbed “Best Hotdog in Canada.” Their snappy black and white menu introduces newbies like me to the concept announcing, “We were founded on a very simple philosophy - showcase the best regional flavours by bringing together exceptional local suppliers to hand make our dogs, buns, cheeses and ever-changing list of unique sauces.” OK, I thought - batter up.

Continue reading Dog Gone Tasty! »

If there is nothing more American than apple pie, then the one food that screams “North America” is peanut butter. Aussies and Europeans cannot fathom our infatuation, beginning with George Washington Carver and lasting through to present-day. The idea of grinding up nuts, seeds, and grains into pastes is hardly new, but peanut butter casts a long, sticky, delicious shadow on this continent.

However, as other nut butters become less obscured by this ubiquitous legume, their availability increases. I have even spied almond butter at Dominion a time or two, but for a real selection, I stopped by The Big Carrot and picked up six varieties.

Continue reading Oh, Nuts! »

Zippie Café
1718 Queen Street West
647-723-9292
lunch for two with all taxes tip and juice (no apps): $33

In the whole debate we’ve been having in Toronto about street food, one thing seems to have been forgotten – that it should be not only delicious, but simple and easy to eat with the hands. Local chefs are looking to countries in Asia and South America for inspiration for the dishes they’ll serve at the upcoming Street Treats Fair on July 13th, but there’s one country I’ve yet to have heard mentioned, one country completely overlooked. Poland.

No doubt, readers are scratching their heads in an attempt to come up with any kind of Polish street food that isn’t kielbasa. Turns out, Polish street food has turned into café food, and a little space known as Zippie Café is turning out open-faced sandwiches known as Zippies.

Continue reading Zippity Street Food »

Cerealicious
BCE Place
161 Bay Street, Concourse Level
416-214-9991
Bowls of cereal for two, all taxes: $9

I decided I should open my own restaurant while lying in hospital recovering from a schnitzel biryani eaten at an Indo-Nazi fusion café. Now becoming a restaurateur isn’t something to be entered into lightly. I knew fully well that restaurants are like marriages: most of them fail after a lot of excruciating stress and ugly recriminations.

Some sort of extraordinary theme, I felt, would ensure my culinary success. “Hospitilization” seemed like a promising concept. Unfortunately, I learned that it was already being done.

Continue reading Cereal Thrillers »

I bought my wife a spittoon for Christmas, a genuine antique spittoon. I considered it a unique, charming and romantic present. She certainly didn’t. Ironically enough, she tried to spit on me. Well, things eventually calmed down. I talked her out of a divorce and the spittoon makes a lovely planter for our African violets. And when she’s not looking I spit in it.

Well, tobacco spitting isn’t an activity I should have promoted within my family. It is uncouth and unhealthy. Snail spitting is not as unhealthy, but contains an element of cruelty. Yet, for some reason, the urge to masticate (hey, I said masticate) and expectorate overwhelmed me this Sunday. I walked jauntily into Little India for exotic chewing experiences well beyond the simple pleasures of Juicy Fruit or Red Man.

Continue reading The Paan Handlers »

Dolce Gelato
697 College Street
416-915-0756
1-3 scoops: 3-5$ (Larger tubs also available)

“Eh! Mi piace mangiare gelato!!” That’s me screaming for ice cream, I think, in Italian. The extent of my Italian language instruction ended around 1995 when I moved across country and away from an Italian Canadian girlfriend, it’s a long story. But after a recent visit to Dolce Gelato in the western reaches of Little Italy, a few words came rushing back, brought on by the very Italian-tasting product they sell in the shop. Unlike many places in Toronto that serve gelato too cold and hard to be properly called gelato, the offering at Dolce is soft and creamy. When I ask why, the answer is that it’s handmade in the shop so it isn’t shipped anywhere in a deep-freezer truck. As a result, at Dolce, you will never see your server come on to ‘er mangia-cake-style in order to scoop out a ball or two. Just like the stuff you’d get in Bari or San Gimignano or any other random Italian town, the gelato at Dolce slides up the side of the scoop like a silk stocking up the leg of an Milanese supermodel. Did I say that out loud?

Continue reading Oh Gelato Mio »