Michael Eats

An Amazing Fried Chicken Sandwich at DownLow Chicken

Published on June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 538 Manning Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.dlchicken.com/

DownLow Chicken is a Vancouver fried chicken chain (well, maybe “chain” is overstating it — they have three locations there, and now, one here) that specializes in Nashville hot chicken.

They’ve only been open in Toronto for a few months, but just based on this visit? Strong contender for the best fried chicken sandwich in the city. Absolutely stellar.

They have a variety of tenders and chicken pieces on the menu, but the specialty seems to be the sandwiches. I went with the OG: “Nashville Dusted Chicken, Pickled onions, Cole slaw, Pickles, DL Sauce.”

You can pick from seven spice levels; I went with hot, which is right in the middle. They also asked if I wanted dark meat or white, which I don’t think I’ve ever been asked when ordering a fried chicken sandwich. I went with dark.

Wow, it’s good. It actually reminds me a lot of how Chica’s Chicken was a few years ago, before the quality went downhill.

Every element here is on point: it’s got a perfect level of exterior crunch, the meat is super juicy, it’s perfectly seasoned, the ultra-fluffy and slightly sweet bun has just enough heft to stand up to the substantial sandwich, and the toppings are all great.

There’s a great balance between the zippy slaw, the sweet pickles, and the creamy sauce. And the Nashville spices are right where you want them to be (though “hot” is a bit mild for me — it’s still got a decent amount of heat, but I’ll probably go one or two notches higher next time).

And I can’t say enough about how perfect the chicken itself is — it’s just so tender, juicy, and satisfying.

I also got an order of the slaw, and it has a nice vinegary bite and is pleasant enough, but it’s not on the level of the chicken. That sandwich, though.

Quick Bites: Mogouyan Hand Pulled Noodle, Loga’s Corner, Cafe KenKaKu

Published on June 1, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Mogouyan classic beef noodles from Mogouyan Hand Pulled Noodle

Mogouyan Hand Pulled Noodle is a rapidly expanding chain that specializes in, as you might expect, hand-pulled noodles. Shocker, I know! I kept it simple with their namesake dish, which features a generous amount of noodles and sliced beef in a very basic chicken broth, with a decent amount of chili oil for additional flavour and spice. The noodles, sadly, were overcooked and a bit mushy, which is a shame since the chewy noodles are really the whole reason to eat this dish. Otherwise, this was totally fine — nothing about it jumped out at me, but it’s all solidly executed (aside from the aforementioned overcooked noodles) and tasty enough.

Momos from Loga’s Corner

I wanted to visit Loga’s Corner mostly because I had heard good things about their hot sauce. I actually got two, so I’m not sure which one is the one that people love (or maybe it’s both?), but both were nicely flavourful and had a nice kick. As for the momos themselves, I tried three: steamed lamb, steamed veg, and fried potato. The potato was probably the best of the three, with a satisfyingly crispy exterior and nicely creamy potato interior. The lamb was mostly quite good, but had more gristly bits than I would have liked (they were in pretty much every momo). All three definitely needed both of those sauces, particularly the veg, and had a much more muted flavour than you’d expect.

Tori Katsu Omurice from Cafe KenKaKu

Cafe KenKaKu is a delightful little Japanese place that serves a variety of sandwiches, udon, and omurice. I went with the omurice that comes with a side of katsu. I quite enjoyed it — in particular, the omelette was creamy and perfectly cooked, and the katsu was nice and crisp on its exterior and tender within. The omelette and the rice were both a bit underseasoned and bland, which was a shame (even pouring the curry sauce on top didn’t quite add as much flavour was you’d like), but it was all so well prepared that this is a minor complaint.

Delicious Sandwiches at DAM Sandwiches

Published on May 31, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 363A Oakwood Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dam_sandwiches/

I tried DAM Sandwiches at last year’s Do West Fest and quite enjoyed it, so this visit was long overdue.

They have four sandwiches on the menu along with a rotating special; I believe the brisket (“36 hour slow cooked brisket, sautéed onions & peppers, raw onions, banana peppers, chimichurri mayo, hickory stix”) is the most popular, so that’s what I went with.

It’s seriously good. The beefy, tender brisket is extremely tasty, the veggies complement it well, the hickory stix add some nice crunch, and the zingy chimichurri mayo does a great job of cutting through the richness of the beef.

As good as all that stuff is (and it’s very, very good), the bread might be the star of the show? It features a perfect balance between its delicately crispy exterior and fluffy interior, and kinda reminded me of a really good banh mi.

Clearly, another visit to this place is in order, because they really know their way around a sandwich.

Satisfying Chinese Food at Bao Goubuli

Published on May 29, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1177 Central Parkway West, Mississauga
Website: https://goubuli.ca/

If their website is to be believed, Bao Goubuli is a Chinese chain that opened their first location in 1858. No, not 1958 (which would still be very impressive). 1858.

Assuming that’s true, you can’t argue with that kind of history. Clearly, they’re doing something right.

They’ve got about a million things to choose from, but the first item on the menu (and the specialty, I assume?) is the pork bao: “Traditional Steamed Pork Bao stuffed with
Ground Pork and Green Onion.”

It’s a tasty bao, with the ultra-fluffy bun encasing tasty, juicy pork. Nothing too mind-blowing here, but it’s quite satisfying.

I also tried the pan-fried pancake stuffed with beef, which features a flaky flatbread rolled up with beef, lettuce, and a sweet sauce. Again: quite satisfying.

Last but not least, I tried the Tianjin-style savoury crepes (a.k.a. jian bing), which was a really solid version of this dish. Eggy, crispy, and tasty.

Tasty Saj Wraps at Shawarma Anas

Published on May 26, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 488 Eglinton Avenue West, Mississauga
Website: https://www.instagram.com/shawarmaanascanada/

Most of the time when I pass by a restaurant that looks interesting, I’ll pull it up on Google Maps to see what people are saying about it. I kinda do it by reflex at this point. If people seem to like it, I’ll add it to a running list of restaurants I want to check out. And if people really I like it, it goes to the top of that list.

Shawarma Anas, as I write this, has over 5000 reviews and 4.9 out of 5 stars. Shenanigans? Probably! But it’s still a high enough ranking that I felt compelled to check it out.

They have the usual assortment of shawarma and falafel that you can get on a plate or in a wrap (with pita bread or saj). I went with the chicken shawarma saj wrap, and got it with the “original” toppings, which is just garlic sauce and pickles.

Yeah, that’s a tasty wrap. It’s quite possible there are shenanigans afoot with their inflated Google ranking, but clearly, they’re doing something right. The shawarma is pretty solid; it’s nicely spiced with a decent amount of crispy bits. But it was also a bit dry, which was unfortunate — it tastes like it’s all white meat, and it was slightly overcooked. But there was enough of that tasty garlic sauce that this mostly didn’t matter.

And the saj was quite nice, with a decent chewiness and a nice crispy exterior from the griddle. If the chicken had been a bit juicier this would have been one of the better shawarma wraps I’ve had in Mississauga, but even as it was, it was very tasty.