Our first stop in Canada was at Toronto where we spent a week catching up with friends before heading to Vancouver. The spirit of Toronto is quite different from Vancouver. While Vancouver has this laid back, touristy feel to it, Toronto seems to have the high energy of an urban place. It seemed to be a larger melting pot of diverse cultures with far more options to choose from. This seemed true to us especially in terms of the food we enjoyed there. The pictures below will testify the same.
Seen below is, Poutine, a Canadian dish originating from the province of Quebec. A bed of crisp French fries is topped with a creamy layer of cheese curds and doused in brown gravy. I freaked at the amount of grease and fat that went into making this dish. This can ideally be comfort food on a cold evening considering how rich and heavy it is.
We had the best chicken wings at Allstar Wings and Ribs. The wings that we enjoyed there became a parameter for us to judge the quality of wings wherever we had them through the remainder of our trip. None of the wings we had elsewhere really matched up even close to those. Allstar has more than 200+ variety of wings. Before you place your orders you get to decide on the level of hotness you would want your wings to be spiked with. If you decide to go beyond a certain level of hotness, you need to sign a disclaimer that ensures that the consequences of eating that particular level of hotness is solely your responsibility. Yes, some of their sauces are fiery bombs! With fancy names like ‘God of Lightening’ and ‘Wicked Buddha’, the menu can be quite confusing. I don’t remember the names of the ones we had. But all of them were finger-licking amazing!
At the risk of sounding repetitive let me tell you, we also had the best ribs in Toronto. The ribs we savored at Montana’s BBQ and Bar was served with a choice of BBQ Sauce, coleslaw, and their in-house baked cornbread. The ribs were deliciously juicy and the portions were big.
We happened to have a lunch at East Side Marios with a friend who recommended their calamari dish. It was lightly seasoned with garlic, onions, red, green and hot cherry bomb peppers served in a tomato broth on a
sizzling skillet. The calamari was crisp and nice but it was the pepper on the garnish that I relished the most.
One rainy evening we got to slurp on some amazing Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) at Pho Hung. I loved the hot and tangy Seafood Pho that I had ordered but it was the Shrimp Cold Spring Roll that took the cake. It was delicately flavored and served with a delicious sauce which had soy in it.
I had the chance to catch up with one of my childhood classmates who now lives in Toronto. We met after almost twenty-five years. When he asked me to pick the cuisine I’d have liked to have for lunch my only criteria was that I was okay with anything but Indian. I’d rather explore other cuisines during my travel than eating the regular Indian food that we normally eat back home. At least not when I was overseas and had a plethora of options to explore. My friend obliged and decided that we try the Chinese-Canadian cuisine at Mandarin. I was taken by surprise at the lavish spread of buffet. The fare was an absolute treat to the eyes. Tastefully displayed was a salad and sushi bar, a selection of hot soups, freshly baked bread, hot entrees, grilled meats, and veggies, noodles, dumplings, pizza, an array of sinful desserts, fresh fruits, frozen yogurt and ice cream. It took us quite a while to absorb the sight of the beautifully laid food. We ended up clicking a lot more pictures than actually eating all of that sumptuousness. Their frozen yogurt is a die-for.
One evening my friend suggested that we visit a street in the neighborhood that is known to host some attractions on Tuesdays. Unionville in Markham goes vibrant every Tuesday with local music, events, shows, food stalls, and a few souvenirs shops to browse through. We strolled around a bit through what looked like a mini carnival. A local musician strummed merrily on his guitar entertaining a crowd gathered around him under a tree. We stopped by a chocolatier’s and feasted our eyes on some exquisitely crafted chocolates. The penguins and gift boxes made out of chocolate that you see below were just a few of some really marvelous looking pieces of chocolates. We sampled different flavors which simply tasted out of this world. I particularly took fancy to the green tea flavor.
The next sweet tooth pampering session was when a late night spin ended up at Caffe Demetre which is known for their finest sweet indulgences. Right from decadent cheesecakes to fluffy crepes stuffed with whipped cream dripping with the richest of sauces, we soulfully indulged ourselves with the sinful desserts till the last lick. Seen below are strawberry cheesecake, chocolate-toffee cheesecake and crepe stuffed with whipped cream served with ice cream.
As I started to collate the pictures to write this post I realized how much food we had consumed in Toronto in a span of just one week! The pictures that you see here are not even a fraction of what we ate. But well, I believe it was also due to the fact that we had lots of dear friends in Toronto who commonly shared our love for good food. Goes without saying that meals taste yummier when you share them with people you love!
I know, I know…I have been tormenting a lot of you with the food pictures that I previously posted in my blog post on Vancouver food and now this. But I guess I will be spared this time around coz’ I’m guessing that a lot of you would have already had your share of binge sessions during the festival. Hope you had a delicious Diwali. Before I go, let me remind you that life is short. Go right ahead and eat that cake!
I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge at Write Tribe.
Hi Vinodini … I’ve enjoyed your posts … I’ve never been to Toronto .. perhaps one day I’ll get there. The food does look good – so glad you had a happy time there with your friend … cheers Hilary
Thanks for reading, Hilary. 🙂
All the deliciousness in this post! I am so hungry now, and it is close to 11 PM here. Sigh. Nonetheless, loved this virtual food tour of Toronto.
I hope you got to eat something after reading this, Shantala. 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment.
Wooooaaaah drooling and like how! I binged all of last week at Andamans and now paying a price by working out twice as hard.
Just one question out of curiosity, if I’m allowed to ask: How many extra kilos did you pile on with all this heavely bingeing. Or did all the walking help burn off the calories. 😉
Mine:
https://natashamusing.com/2017/10/beyond-fears-lies-fun-writebravely-writetribeproblogger-mondaymusings/
You answered it! I managed to keep off a lot of those calories since we had to walk long distances on a regular basis. And besides the time we would eat outside my meals were really simple convenience food packets. It gets difficult once you’re back in India. I’m trying to wash off the binge eating sins of Diwali! 😉
Dayumm! Canada seems to have treated you pretty well, Vinodini. I’m glad. Although I’ve never actually been there, some reason the thought of Canada, brings a smile on my face.
I’m the happiest when I’m traveling, Sid, be it Canada or any other location. I can guess why Canada brings a smile to your face. It has that feel-good thing, I suppose.
Wow oh wow ! Vinodini, I should be hating you for posting these pics! But they are so amazing, I’ll let you live to write more posts. :). Loved the disclaimer at Allstar Wings and Ribs. There are some places in India too where they need to start this practice!
Hahaha…thanks for sparing me, Sunita! I agree India has a lot of such places where they should actually put up disclaimers. They should start with those spicy Chaat stalls, I guess. 😀
Life is short, go and eat that cake. This is so like me! A part of me Is worried and wants to be cautious but the other part is like – wth dont know if I will be in a position to have this in future – who has seen tomorrow. Have your fill!
Life is short, go and eat that cake. This is so like me! A part of me Is worried and wants to be cautious but the other part is like – wth dont know if I will be in a position to have this in future – who has seen tomorrow. Have your fill! Nice one
Exactly, we only live once. So why not make the most of it, at least in moderation? After all its going to be only a few slices and not the entire cake that we would eat! 😉
All that good looks so delicious that I will be honest, I had a hard time reading. Tried twice and succeeded in the third. What stayed still were the pictures.
Hahaha…I can understand your dilemma, Parul. I wish I could have just put the pictures but well, I had some thought or the other to add from my side. 🙂
This is so mean of you, Vinodini! Posting all those yummy food pictures which we have to just look at in awe…ONLY LOOK AT!!! Tormenting, indeed! 😛
I so wish I could reach out into my computer and grab all those yummy things you clicked for us! The chicken wings, the buffet spread, the chocolates, the desserts….YUMMMMMMMMM!!!
And, now I am so hungry! 🙁
Hugs! Am glad you enjoyed fooding around!
My apologies, Shilpa! 😉 My whole intention of sharing these pictures is to chronicle my visit so that it could give a glimpse of what Canada has to offer, in case you wish to visit sometime.
This post makes me feel hungry, I am still drooling over the pics of desserts
I hope you enjoyed the drooling session. Please don’t stay hungry. Go grab a dessert from somewhere. 😉
I read this post on an empty stomach and by the end of it my mouth was watering. Unfortunately there’s nothing close to the pictures you posted to consume right now! Really enjoying your trip through your posts 😊
Thank you so much, Ryan. I hope you had something to eat after you read this post!:D
Ooh yum! My mouth is watering at the pics of all that delicious food. I love seafood and seafood pho sounds delicious. Like you, I also like to try local cuisine when traveling. Toronto seems to have some fabulous eating options. Enjoyed this foodie travelog.
I love seafood too, Rachna. It would be a crime if you’re unable to devour the local seafood delicacies if you’re around the sea, right?
All those yummy food photos are making my tummy rumble! 😉 I also love to experiment with food – when I’m traveling, Indian food is the last thing on my mind!
Glad you enjoyed the food photos, Shinjini. 🙂
Hi Vini,
Reading this post made me nostalgic about our reunion – priceless moments. Wonderful time, great company and fabulous food at Mandarin. I look forward to your next visit.
Hey thanks, Vikas! It was indeed a pleasure to catch up with you. The lunch at Mandarin was memorable. I’m glad you read this post. Looking forward to seeing you guys again!
Awesome work.Just wanted to drop a comment and say I am new to your blog and really like what I am reading.Thanks for the share
Thank you. 🙂