Michael Nusair

Tasty Cookies and Onigiri at Momochee’s Desserts

Published on June 26, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 263 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga
Website: https://momochees-desserts.square.site/

Momochee’s Desserts is a delightful bakery in Port Credit that specializes in cookies, basque cheesecake and, oddly enough, onigiri.

Onigiri, for the uninitiated, is a triangular rice ball with various fillings; frequently, it comes wrapped with a sheet of nori that’s been protected from the rice by plastic, keeping it crispy.

It’s not something that you’d expect to find at a bakery, but yeah, I’m into it. I’m a big fan of the stuff, but it’s hard to find a really good one in Toronto. Usually, the seasoning is off or it’s been sitting out too long, with unpleasantly firm rice.

I went with the spicy mayo onigiri, and aside from being served too cold, it was just right. The rice was fresh and nicely seasoned, it had a good proportion of creamy tuna filling (with a surprisingly pronounced spicy kick), and the nori was perfectly crispy.

But of course, the place is mostly a bakery, so I had to get a dessert. I went with the classic chocolate chip cookie, and it’s quite tasty. Nothing about it blew my mind, but the contrast between the crispy exterior and gooey interior was satisfying, and it had a nice amount of good quality chocolate chips.

A Decent Breakfast Sandwich at Eggslut

Published on June 23, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 545 King Street West, Toronto
Website: https://eggslut.ca/

Hot take alert: whenever I eat a trendy breakfast sandwich in the GTA, I always ask myself the same question — is this better than a McMuffin? An alarming number of times, the answer is no. No, this fancy breakfast sandwich that costs several times as much as a McMuffin… does not actually taste better than a McMuffin.

Eggslut opened in Toronto recently to a whole bunch of hype. The most popular sandwich on the menu seems to be the Fairfax, so that’s what I went with: “cage-free soft scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo in a warm brioche bun.”

It’s fine. The soft scrambled eggs are perfectly cooked, with a luxuriously rich, creamy texture. The sweetness from the caramelized onions and pillowy brioche bun helps to balance out the saltiness of the eggs. It’s tasty.

But the bun is so, so soft, and in the absence of anything that isn’t squishy in the sandwich, the texture is one-note mush.

Contrast this with a Sausage ‘N Egg McMuffin, where you get a nice balance of textures — light crunch and chewiness from the toasted muffin, softness from the egg and cheese, and meatiness from the sausage. The Fairfax is clearly using better quality ingredients and cheffy technique, but the McMuffin is more satisfying.

(Not to mention that the McMuffin costs about five bucks, whereas this costs fifteen and absolutely does not feel worth the splurge.)

I should mention that I also tried the French Toast Sticks (“house-made brioche French toast dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with maple custard”), and they were actually pretty amazing. The French toast is pleasantly custardy, with a perfectly crispy exterior and a nice punch of flavour from the cinnamon and sugar. The creamy custard on the side complements it perfectly.

It’s kinda hilarious that the menu calls this a side (it’s straight-up dessert), but whatever you call it, it’s delicious.

Dill Pickle Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s

Published on June 12, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5250 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.wendys.com/en-ca

Pickle fried chicken sandwiches are definitely having a moment; Popeyes, KFC, and McDonald’s have all done their own version, and now here comes Wendy’s to hop on that bandwagon. Your move, Burger King.

Here’s how Wendy’s describes it: “A juicy, crispy chicken breast with dill pickle mayo, mozzarella cheese, and six (6!) pickle slices on a toasted bun. Your pickle craving doesn’t stand a chance.”

I’ll admit that I wasn’t crazy about this one. It has an unmistakable dill pickle flavour, both from the pickles and the zippy mayo, but otherwise the sandwich is just kinda one-note salty in a way that I found vaguely unpleasant.

It didn’t help that the chicken itself was dry. That’s always a crapshoot at a fast food joint; sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you get sad dryness. Oh well.

Lamb Overload at Bareh Sefid

Published on June 7, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 9325 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill
Website: https://barehsefid.net/

I was pretty excited to check out Bareh Sefid after seeing it on Suresh Doss’ great show, Locals Welcome. They specialize in big platters of various braised lamb parts. I feel like lamb is seriously underappreciated, so yeah, I’m all over that.

Their menu consists entirely of lamb, and if you want to try it all, you’ve gotta go with the Darbari plate: “2 Sides Lamb Head Meat, 1 Tongue, 2 Eyes, 3 Lamb Trotters, 1 Brain, 2 Bowls Of Lamb Broth, With Full Service: Pickled, Home Made Bread, Lime.”

The lamb is all seriously well prepared and unctuously tender. The head and tongue are probably the most straightforward — you’d never know that they’re off cuts just by tasting them. The eyes and trotter both have a similarly squishy texture, and are also quite tasty, if a bit one-note soft. The brain is the most interesting of the bunch, with a firm texture and a slightly liver-esque mineraly flavour.

It’s all nicely spiced, but mostly, the preparation ensures that the lamb flavour is front and centre. The meal comes with a side of lime wedges and zippy pickle relish, with the relish, in particular, doing a great job of cutting through the richness of the lamb.

It’s so much lamb. The platter consists entirely of fatty/collagen-rich lamb along with a couple of types of flatbread to eat it with, and while I was in lamb heaven for the first few bites, eventually, I kinda wanted some other flavours? I like lamb a whole lot, but — for me, at least — this might have been too much of a good thing.

Tasty Gelato at Aura Gelato Artigianale

Published on June 6, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1070 Saint Clair Avenue West, Toronto
Website: https://auragelato.com/

Aura Gelato Artigianale is a bit confusing — the sign on the outside says Gemma Gelato, but everything on the inside of the shop (including the cups) calls it Aura Gelato Artigianale. Online, it’s occasionally referred to as “Aura Gelato Artigianale at Gemma Gelateria.” So… it’s a collaboration between the two shops, I guess?

Whatever it is, it’s good.

I always like to go basic when I try a gelato or ice cream joint for the first time; it’s the best way to suss out the quality. With no big chunks or funky flavours to hide behind, it’s all about the gelato itself.

I got the dark chocolate, and yeah, that’s good stuff. It’s super rich and creamy, the sweetness is very well tuned, and the chocolate flavour is nicely robust. It’s really tasty.