Our famously anonymous Inspectors spend their lives on the road finding hidden gems across each destination. That means they know a thing or two about a good bite (or sweet punctuation). So we asked them to round-up their top picks in Toronto.
From Georgian delicacies like leek pkhali at Tiflisi, homestyle classics like chicken thighs at Sunnys Chinese, and an indulgent coconut cream pie (made with a macadamia crust) at Alder, our Inspectors had a tough job but the below are a smattering of the flavors they couldn't get enough of.
Check out the full list below and make sure to come back to view the full Toronto 2023 selection! Bon Appétit!
Tiflisi
Dish: Leek Pkhali
Excellent leek pkhali with five pucks made out of boiled sweet leeks, spinach, softly sweated onions, bound in a light walnut sauce. This was really good and the green vegetables came through so refreshing and vibrant. This dish is a reminder that not all Georgian food is heavy kebobs, filling dumplings or the gut-busting khachapuri.
Kappo Sato
Dish: Vinegared Dish
So simple but well done. Excellent quality monkfish liver set in a light sweet soy, a superb miso paste on top, and a brushing of yuzu zest which really lifts this up and balances any intense richness from the liver.
Restaurant 20 Victoria
Dish: Beets and oyster cream
There are so many wonderful, seasonal creations at this restaurant. The cooking is thoughtful and deceptively simple as in this dish with smoked yellow beets with oyster cream, watercress and sorrel dressed in good olive oil. The beets are tender and sweet, and then comes the cream. It's briny, umami packed, a tinge smoky — an original combination.
Alder
Dish: Coconut Cream Pie
The crust is buttery, crumbly and light, as is the coconut custard, coconut chantilly and the garnish, including caramelized white chocolate shavings and coconut meringue.
MiMi Chinese
Dish: Shrimp Toast
This restaurant likes having a good time and no dish better exemplifies that than this playful, flavor-packed riff on shrimp toast featuring fried white Wonder bread, a plucky block of shrimp, red vinegar and a hot mustard mayo. This is incredible. The bread is so crisp and rich —a perfect foil for the shrimp and the sweet dipping sauce.
Sunnys Chinese
Dish: Grilled Chicken Thigh
The cooking goes big and doesn’t hold back. For this dish, the dry rub consists of cumin, hot chili and Sichuan peppercorn. This is then grilled, sliced into strips, and plated in a mound. Gosh, this is wildly good. So many parts of the thigh are crispy, charred black without being bitter, and the combo of fragrant cumin, spicy chili oil and crispy bits is a knock-out. Nearly devoured this entire dish, which could easily feed 2-3.
The Wood Owl
Dish: Petit tender and pomme allumettes
The Wood Owl gets all the little details right. It’s such a cozy, welcoming place and their weekly specials show wonderful levels of care. On this day, a roast, medium rare, with a pleasant crust served with a lovely, glossy red wine jus thickened with bone marrow and paired with tender, melting roasted cippolini onions and a tangle of shoestring French fries. It’s a plate that’s familiar, done properly, seasoned well, and goes down easy with a glass of wine.
Hero image: Daniel Neuhaus/Alder
