Michael Eats

Fantastic Sushi at Oroshi Fish Co.

Published on November 11, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 962 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.oroshifishco.com/

Oroshi Fish Co. is a tiny little hole-in-the-wall take-out joint specializing in higher quality sushi at lower prices than you’d expect. It’s tucked away in a little back alley just off College; if you’re not looking for it, it’s very easy to miss.

It’s pretty much the definition of a hidden gem, though clearly, the word has gotten out; when I visited, there was a pretty steady stream of customers and delivery drivers picking up take-out orders.

They serve what they describe as “dry-aged premium sushi,” and yeah, I get why it’s popular. It’s very, very good.

I tried the regular sushi set: “4pc nigiri set (salmon, tuna, scallop) + California maki.” It costs 22 bucks, which certainly isn’t cheap, but which is an absolute steal for the quality of sushi they’re serving.

Everything here is just right, from the tasty seasoned rice to the obviously high quality fish. Perfect rice-to-fish ratio. Even the pickled ginger is very clearly better than the usual stuff.

The prices they’re charging are not much higher than the many hundreds (thousands?) of anonymous neighbourhood sushi joints sprinkled around the GTA, and this was so, so much better than the sushi I’ve had at any of those spots.

Satisfying Korean Gelato at Illo Scoop and Flake

Published on November 10, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4300 Steeles Avenue East (inside Pacific Mall)
Website: https://www.instagram.com/illoscoopandflake/

I love gelato, but it’s always nice when a place mixes it up and serves stuff that isn’t the usual chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, and on and on.

Enter: Illo Scoop and Flake, an interesting Korean-influenced gelato spot inside Pacific Mall. As soon as I saw that they had a red bean flavour, I was sold. Red bean desserts: great. Gelato: great. This is as close to a sure thing as it gets.

You can get the gelato with various toppings (which accounts for the “and Flake” part of the name, I guess), but I stuck with just the gelato on its own.

It’s quite tasty, with a very restrained level of sweetness and a subtle flavour that lets the milkiness of the gelato be the star of the show. The red bean flavour is mostly in the background, but it’s definitely there, and becomes more apparent as you eat it.

The sweetness and red bean flavour are so understated that it took me a few mouthfuls to get on board, but the more I ate it, the more I enjoyed it.

The texture, too, is stellar — it’s maybe slightly thin, but it’s otherwise pleasantly smooth and creamy.

My only issue is that I wish the beans had been ground a bit more finely. There are little flecks of red bean mixed in, and they add a graininess that detracts from the great smoothness of the gelato. That’s a minor complaint, however.

Tasty Eats at IBUND Classic Shanghai Potstickers

Published on November 8, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5457 Yonge Street, North York
Website: https://ibund.net/

It’s always nice when the name of the restaurant tells you exactly what to order. IBUND Classic Shanghai Potstickers (there’s a name that just rolls right off the tongue) has a pretty broad menu of Shanghai classics, but obviously, you’ve gotta try the potstickers.

There’s no description for anything in the menu, but everything you need to know about the Juicy Pork Potstickers is right there in the name — they’re stuffed with a generous amount of nicely-spiced pork, and they are indeed quite juicy. They’re almost at soup dumpling levels of juiciness, and they’re really satisfying.

There isn’t a single thing about them that I’d change — the wrapper isn’t too thick and has a great texture, they’re perfectly fried with a nice crispy bottom, and the pork inside is thoroughly tasty. They’re the restaurant’s specialty, and you can tell. Seriously good.

I also tried the Shanghai Style Pork Mooncake, which the menu notes is recommended. Between the flaky dough and the ground meat filling, this kinda felt like a Chinese version of a Jamaican patty. I enjoyed it, even if it’s not quite on the level of the potsticker (but then what is?).

Finally, I tried the Shanghai Eight-Treasure Spicy Noodles, which you can get dry or with soup (I went dry). Oddly, it’s not spicy at all, but otherwise this featured chewy, pleasantly salty noodles (I’m pretty sure the dry noodle base is their scallion oil noodles) topped with a slightly sweet, meaty topping. I legitimately have no idea what that meat was (or if it even was all meat — some of the pieces seemed like they weren’t?), but it was tasty.

Delicious Sandwiches at Dear Grain

Published on November 4, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 175 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://deargrain.com/

I’ve written about Dear Grain a few times on this blog, so on this particular visit, I sort of figured I might not bother to blog about it at all. But everything was very tasty, and I was like, okay, fine, I guess I have to blog about this? I guess I’m obligated??

(Don’t even try to get inside my brain and find a justification for why I’m still blogging after all these years, despite everyone moving on to your newfangled “social media.” I don’t know. I have to, and I don’t know why.)

I tried a couple of sandwiches. First up: To The Max Brekky Sandwich (“bacon, egg, ham, cheddar, scallion aioli, tomato jam”).

This was a quality sandwich. All the sandwiches here are pre-made and then heated up to order, so you don’t get a gooey yolk, which is a shame. But everything else was seriously tasty, with a really nice balance between the salty bacon/ham, rich aioli/egg/cheddar, and a nice bright sweetness from the tomato jam to balance things out. And of course, it’s a bakery that specializes in bread, so the bun is stellar.

Up next: Sourdough Grilled Chopped Cheese (“braised ground beef chuck, caramelized onions, pepperoncini, mustard mayo.”).

This one kinda blew me away. The description doesn’t mention cheese, for some reason (I guess they figure it’s already in the name?), but this was quite cheesy, and the combo of the gooey cheese and flavourful beef is a big winner. That’s not to mention the sweet caramelized onions, the zippy pepperoncini and mustard-mayo, and, of course, the perfectly toasted sourdough.

It all works so well together. It was maybe the best chopped cheese I’ve ever had? Actually no — not maybe.

Quick Bites: Chinese Bakery, Milk & Cookies, Rosso Pasta Bar

Published on November 1, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Red bean pineapple bun from Chinese Bakery

I had a red bean pineapple bun from the very generically-named Chinese Bakery (that’s gotta be a nightmare for SEO) and it was totally fine. Tasty enough, but probably about as generic as the name of the bakery. It’s got a good level of sweetness, it was fresh enough, and the red bean paste is nice and chunky (though the bigger pieces of red bean were a bit too firm). The cookie top was very soft and mostly fell off before I could eat it, and the bun itself was a bit dense, but I didn’t dislike eating it.

Chocolate chip cookie from Milk & Cookies

Speaking of fine desserts from generically-named bakeries, the chocolate chip cookie at Milk & Cookies in Kensington Market is pretty good. It’s tasty. It’s a chocolate chip cookie; it’s very, very hard to go wrong there. Nothing here particularly stood out, and the level of salt was a bit overcranked, which kinda overwhelmed the other flavours, but again, it’s a chocolate chip cookie. It doesn’t have to be the best one you’ve ever had to be perfectly enjoyable.

Rosso Bolognese from Rosso Pasta Bar

Quick serve pasta joints seems to be a burgeoning trend in the city, and sure, why not — it’s an easy thing to take on the go, and it’s cheap and satisfying. Or theoretically cheap? My pasta bowl cost $16.99; it’s upsetting to contemplate, but I guess that isn’t particularly expensive by 2026 standards?? Anyway, I ordered the bolognese (“Rigatoni, slow-simmered beef ragù, parmigiano reggiano”), and it was fine. The fresh pasta was nicely al dente (though that wasn’t the case for everyone I went with) and the sauce was tasty enough. I’d compare the flavour to a nicer jarred sauce, like Rao’s, though the ground beef was overcooked and dry. I don’t think I’d come back here given what they’re charging, but I’m not mad I gave them a shot.