downtown – Page 18 – Michael Eats

An Amazing Vegetarian Sandwich at Black Camel

Published on July 30, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4 Crescent Road, Toronto
Website: https://www.blackcamel.ca/

If it weren’t for Toronto Life’s list of the best sandwiches in the city, never in a million years would it have occurred to me to try the roasted veggie sandwich at Black Camel. I suppose I’m indebted to the list, because the sandwich was quite delicious.

Black Camel is a little take-out sandwich shop that specializes in tender, slow-roasted beef brisket and pork sandwiches (they also have chicken, steak, and a BLT).

I had assumed that the roasted veggie sandwich was more of a perfunctory, vegetarian-appeasing menu-filler than something anyone would actually want to order.

I was super duper wrong. The veggie sandwich was just as good as their other offerings. Maybe better.

The sandwich consists of roasted roma tomatoes, red pepper, and eggplant, with some peppery arugula for good measure. It’s served on a soft, fresh bun.

You can choose from a variety of sauces; Toronto Life recommended the Charamoula sauce, which the menu describes as a “Moroccan-inspired mayonnaise [that] blends the flavours of garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, and smoked paprika into a one-of-a-kind topping.” The list also recommended adding Fontina cheese, and who am I to argue with the list?

It’s a fantastic sandwich. The veggies are all tender but not mushy, with a nice herby flavour. They’re sweet, savoury, and absolutely crammed with flavour.

But it’s the Charamoula mayo that’s clearly the star of the show. It’s zesty, spicy, and incredibly assertive without being overwhelming. It’s one of those sauces that would make practically anything taste good; the fact that the veggies themselves are quite tasty is just a bonus.

The mild Fontina cheese adds a nice creaminess that only ups the richness from the silky mayo. It’s a shockingly delicious sandwich.

Tasty Greek Food at Fat Lamb Kouzina

Published on July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 874 Yonge Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.fatlambkouzina.com/

Fat Lamb Kouzina is a delightful little Greek place near Yonge and Bloor that, as you’d guess from the name, specializes in lamb. It’s mostly a take-out joint, though they do have a communal table and some stools.

The menu’s pretty simple — you can either get lamb, pork, chicken, or eggplant, and you have the choice of getting it on a pita, or with a side of potatoes or salad.

I went with the lamb; it’s right there in the name. It’s an easy enough choice.

There’s nothing better than well-prepared lamb — there’s something about its distinctive flavour that’s fairly irresistible. And they prepare it very, very well here. It’s slow-roasted and seasoned perfectly, with a zippy, herb-packed flavour.

It’s also incredibly tender. Maybe a touch too tender? I would have liked it to have a bit more texture, but it’s hard to complain when it’s this delicious.

I got it with the potatoes on the side, which were perfectly creamy, and just as herby and delicious as the meat. It comes with a cup of creamy tzatziki that amps up everything’s flavour. It’s good stuff.

Another Decent Breakfast Sandwich at Egg Bae

Published on July 24, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 189 Augusta Avenue, Toronto
Website: http://eggbae.ca/

I think it’s safe to say that Egg Bae isn’t for me. I think it’s fine — actually, it’s better than fine. All of their sandwiches use high quality ingredients that are prepared well; they’re just not particularly to my taste.

The last sandwich I tried — the eponymous Egg Bae — was tasty enough, but I found it to be one-note soft and rich.

This time, I went with a pick from Toronto Life’s list of the 25 best sandwiches in the city: the Eh Bae Bae (“Soft Scrambled Eggs, Sweet and Spicy Bacon, Muenster Cheese, Tomato, Arugula, Pickled Shallots, Bae Sauce”).

Once again, the individual components are all top-notch; the sweet bun is fresh and fluffy, the bacon is meaty and satisfying, the Muenster is nice and gooey, and the eggs are ultra creamy and luxurious.

But while this sandwich actually has a bit more balance from the pickled shallots, it needs a lot more; it’s incredibly rich. It does have some texture thanks to the bacon and the veggies, but it’s still mostly just soft overload.

That’s not to mention that between the glazed bacon and the very sweet bun, it’s an intensely sweet sandwich.

Still, it’s enjoyable enough — but considering the quality of the ingredients, it could be so much better.

Simultaneous Love and Hate at Blackbird Baking Co.

Published on July 23, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 172 Baldwin Street, Toronto
Website: https://blackbirdbakingco.com/

You win some and you lose some.

I just tried the almond croissant from Blackbird Baking Co. On one hand, the croissant itself is fantastic; it’s lightly crispy on the outside, satisfyingly buttery, and has an absolutely perfect texture. The exterior crispiness is maybe a bit too subtle, but for the most part it’s one of the better croissants I’ve had in the city.

But the almond part of this almond croissant is disappointingly anemic. Almond croissants are traditionally stuffed and topped with almond paste; the paste on top gets crispy and caramelized, and the paste inside is gooey and sweet.

That’s how it’s supposed to be, at least. Here, on the other hand, the layer on top was so thin that it may as well not have even been there, and it was filled with a crumbly, dry almond mixture that had almost no sweetness. It’s not at all what it’s supposed to be.

I get wanting to put your own spin on a classic, but if you’re going to do that, maybe make sure that your new creation actually tastes good?

Still, the croissant itself is so amazing that it basically doesn’t matter. Just don’t expect anything particularly sweet or almondy.

A Delicious Veggie Sandwich at Forno Cultura

Published on July 4, 2019July 10, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 609 King Street West, Toronto
Website: https://fornocultura.com/

I recently had a seriously tasty meal thanks to Toronto Life’s list of the 25 best sandwiches in the city. So it seemed like a safe enough bet to try another entry from that list: the melanzana from Forno Cultura, a great Italian bakery on King Street West.

It’s a roasted eggplant and zucchini sandwich with fior di latte (AKA mozzarella), Emmental cheese, and arugula.

I was tempted by the very tasty looking meatball sandwich, but I stuck with the list, and I’m very glad that I did. The list is on a roll. It’s an amazing sandwich.

The eggplant and the zucchini are both super tasty — they’re meaty and tender, with a very herby, garlicky flavour. The two cheeses balance quite well, with a nice soft creaminess from the fresh mozzarella, and a sharper cheesy flavour from the Emmental. Add in the peppery bite from the arugula, and you’ve got a tasty sandwich.

Though as good as the various fillings are, it’s the sesame-studded focaccia that’s the real star of the show. It’s crispy, fluffy, and amazing.

The sandwich is also exceptionally oily — basically as soon as you pick it up, your hands become slick with grease. Normally this might be a bit much, but I think that oil was also a vehicle for the aforementioned herby, garlicky flavour, because the whole sandwich was tasty and amazing. It never feels overly oily.

I should have left it at that, but I made the mistake of getting the cornetto cioccolato for dessert. It looked so good!

It tastes absolutely nothing like it looks. It was barely sweet at all, and the texture was oddly crunchy and dry. It was, weirdly enough, very similar to a pretzel. Not a warm, fresh pretzel; the dry kind from a bag. I don’t know if that was intentional, but I’m guessing it wasn’t because it was blatantly unappealing. It was quite saltine-esque.

Still; it’s hard to stay mad a place that serves a sandwich that delicious.