Restaurant Review – Page 54

Tasty Buns at Bao Mama

Published on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 100 City Centre Drive, Mississauga
Website: https://baomama.ca/

Bao Mama currently has a temporary pop-up in the Food District at Square One (until April 16th), but if you miss them there, you can check out their permanent location in Scarborough. And you might want to do that, because their Filipino-inspired buns are thoroughly tasty.

The first one I tried was the hip hipon crispy shrimp bao, which features crispy fried shrimp topped with a zingy sauce and “Asian house slaw.” The shrimp was a bit overcooked, but this was otherwise quite satisfying, with a nice contrast between the fluffy bao and the crispy fried shrimp, not to mention the tasty slaw and the slightly sweet sauce.

I also tried the triple B braised beef asado bao, which is stuffed with a generous amount of tender braised beef, and topped with the house slaw and crispy onions. This was easily my favourite of the two; that ultra-tender, very flavourful beef is something special.

They have a tangy, sweet chili sauce you can get on the side, and this stuff is a must — it complements both baos perfectly, and does a great job of amping up the flavours and adding a mild kick.

Decent Gelato at Hotel Gelato

Published on April 2, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 532 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto
Website: http://www.hotelgelato.com/

Hotel Gelato is pretty good. I’ve had worse gelato in the city, and I’ve had better. Can that be the whole post? It’s gelato! It’s good! I don’t know.

I should write a bit more? Okay, fine.

Despite the name, Hotel Gelato is actually not just a gelato shop, but a full cafe with a menu featuring salads, sandwiches, and brunch classics. If you walk to the back of the restaurant, however, you’ll find their namesake gelato.

I tried a couple of flavours: peanut butter and vanilla sponge toffee. They were both perfectly tasty; they could have been richer and creamier, and neither of the flavours particularly blew me away, but it wasn’t exactly a chore to eat. Again: it’s gelato. It’s good. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but if you’re in the area, I don’t think you’ll be mad that you checked the place out.

Quick Bites: Street vendor hot dog, Bao Bar, Ed’s Real Scoop

Published on March 30, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Hot dog from street vendor at King and John

Street vendor hot dogs have mostly disappeared from the city, which is too bad; they’re certainly not gourmet, but when you need a quick bite, they’re pretty tasty. I actually made a short film about street vendor hot dogs back in 2007, so yeah, I like them. This particular one wasn’t the best I’ve had (the secret of a good street vendor dog is to grill it until it’s got a crispy exterior and a smoky, charred flavour, and that didn’t happen here), but for five bucks for a quick meal, it’s hard to complain.

Great Chicken and Crackle Belly baos from Bao Bar

I think part of the reason I don’t want to dwell on negativity on this blog is that it’s very possible to catch an otherwise good restaurant on a bad day. So rather than trash a place that doesn’t deserve it, I feel like it’s a better idea to just focus on the places I like. That being said, I tried a couple of the baos at this place, and nothing about them — not the bread, the meats, or the sauces — was even remotely good (I should note that “great chicken” is the name of the dish, and certainly not my description of it). But then Bao Bar is generally fairly well regarded online, so maybe it was just a bad day.

Pumpkin and sweet cream from Ed’s Real Scoop

I have a love/hate relationship with Ed’s Real Scoop (well, love/hate is a bit strong… love/like I guess?); when it’s good, it’s very good. But I find it to be the most inconsistent of the better ice cream shops in the GTA. But here’s them at their best: on this particular visit I had pumpkin and sweet cream, and both were fantastic. The pumpkin had a really satisfying pumpkin pie flavour, and the sweet cream (which is reliably the best flavour here) was as delicious as usual. Having them together is basically like pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. It’s a boffo combination.

Outstanding Pizza at Superpoint

Published on March 26, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 184 Ossington Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.superpoint.ca/

I’ve had slices from Superpoint a few times, but this was my first full pizza, and oh man it was good. I liked Superpoint before, but this bumped them up to a whole new level.

I had the Burrata & Honey: “marinara, local burrata, basil, honey.”

Pizza perfection. Everything just works.

It’s that crust. It’s got a great flavour, and it’s super crispy without ever coming off as too crispy; the balance of chewiness and crispiness is just right, and the contrast between the two is absolutely delightful.

The garlicky zip of the marina is super tasty, and the richness of the creamy burrata — which is torn off in chunks onto the pizza post-bake — balances it perfectly. That’s not to mention the honey, whose sweetness does a great job of rounding out the pizza’s other flavours.

The menu doesn’t mention it, but it’s also seasoned with a herb blend and grated parmesan, and yes. Yes to all of it. It’s so good.

Stellar Banh Mi at Ba Le House

Published on March 16, 2023July 1, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1125 Dundas Street East, Mississauga
Website: None

Ba Le house is clearly doing well — it’s actually an off-shoot of Banh Mi Ba Le, which is in the same plaza just a few stores over. I guess business was brisk enough that they were able to open a second store (which is a bit confusing — if you try to order a banh mi at Banh Mi Ba Le, they’ll direct you to Be Le House instead).

I’m very glad that this place is doing well. There’s actually another, completely unrelated banh mi joint around the corner in the same plaza, Banh Mi Saigon, and I sort of figured that Ba Le would be about the same — good but not great.

I could not have been more wrong. I got the classic assorted cold cut banh mi, and holy moly it was good. Probably the best banh mi I’ve had in the GTA.

Everything about it just works; it’s meaty, porky, and delicious. The proportion of cold cuts (which I’m guessing that they make in house, and which are a cut above the norm) to zingy veggies to fresh bread is just right. There’s a nice slathering of creamy mayo and tasty pate, it’s got a mild but noticeable kick, and a slight sweetness from the hoisin.

And the bread is great; it’s got a delicately crispy exterior and a fluffy but substantial interior that holds up to all the filling quite nicely. A lot of banh mi can wreck the roof of your mouth if you’re not careful; this one has a delightful crispiness that you can still eat with aplomb. No risk of mouth shredding here.

The sandwich comes up to five bucks even, which is an absolute steal for the level of quality that they’re serving up. It’s so good.