food – Page 17 – Michael Eats

Great Shawarma at Tahini’s

Published on April 5, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 347 King Street West, Toronto
Website: https://tahinis.com/

Tahini’s is a shawarma chain with around a dozen locations peppered throughout the GTA, so I’ll admit that my expectations were not super high. Still, I figured I’d give it a shot.

I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap, which comes in three different configurations: original, old school, and authentic. I went with original (“garlic, tahini, pickles, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, parsley”).

I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this.

Everything here is just where you want it to be: the chicken is juicy and has a decent amount of crispy bits, the proportion of toppings to meat is just right, and the sauces (which are very generously applied) are quite tasty. In particular, the addition of pomegranate molasses is kind of ingenious, as it gives the wrap a zippy brightness that helps to cut through its richness.

And the wrap (saj, I think?) is nicely toasted, giving it a nice balance between its lightly crispy exterior and chewy interior.

In my experience, once a restaurant opens more than two or three locations, the quality starts to take a nosedive, so the fact that Tahini’s is this delicious is a very pleasant surprise.

Tasty Burritos at Bolets Burrito

Published on March 30, 2025 by Michael Nusair2 Comments

Location: 134 Lower Sherbourne Street, Toronto
Website: https://boletsburrito.square.site/

Pretty much any time the topic of the best burrito in Toronto comes up on the Toronto food subreddit, Bolets is mentioned. I finally got around to it recently, and yeah: it’s quite good.

They have a handful of meat options (including some esoteric choices like Buffalo chicken and sweet spicy Thai), but the steak seems t o be the one they’re most known for, so that’s what I got.

The burrito comes crammed with steak, along with the usual assortment of rice, beans, and veggies.

The steak is tender, plentiful, and very well seasoned, and the proportion of meat to veggies to sauce is spot on. I asked for it hot, and while it’s not exactly going to blow your head off, it’s got a good kick. There were a couple of inedible gristly bits in the steak, which was unfortunate, but otherwise I really enjoyed this.

Is it the best burrito in the city? I don’t know, but it’s probably a contender.

Amazing Gyros at Souv Like

Published on March 22, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 708 Pape Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://souvlike.ca/

Souv Like has a reputation for serving some of the best gyros in the GTA. All it took was one bite to confirm this to be true. Heck, I knew it was probably true just by looking at it, with all those gloriously brown crispy bits.

They have a handful of things on the menu, but I think the pork or chicken gyros are where it’s at.

I went with the pork, which is a pretty no-frills wrap, coming stuffed with meat, tomatoes, onions (which I skipped), fries, and secret sauce. I should also note that the grizzled man behind the counter assembled this thing with remarkable speed; I think he shaved the meat off the spit and put the wrap together in something like thirty seconds. And yet nothing about it felt haphazard, with a good proportion of meat to toppings to sauce. The guy’s clearly been doing this a while.

It’s an amazing wrap. The pork is pretty much exactly where you want it to be, with an abundance of crispy bits, a nice tender texture, and a great flavour. It’s maybe a touch on the salty side, but that’s balanced out nicely by the slightly sweet secret sauce. The perfectly cooked fries are a good addition, and the fresh, slightly chewy pita works well.

I also like that the wrap is heavy on meat, and light on everything else. A lot wraps like this are so overloaded with veggies that the meat almost feels like an afterthought. Clearly, that’s not the case here.

McVeggie at McDonald’s

Published on March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 372 Main Street North, Brampton
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

McDonald’s recently announced that they’re testing a new veggie burger — the McVeggie — at various locations in Ontario, British Colombia and New Brunswick. This includes locations in Brampton, and sure, I’ll drive over to Brampton to check that out. I drove all the way to Woodstock the last time McDonald’s was testing a veggie burger, so I think it’s clear that I don’t value my time.

Unlike the last veggie burger, the P.L.T., which was made with Beyond Meat and kind of sucked, this one features a more traditional veggie patty. Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “The McVeggie features a breaded veggie patty made with a blend of vegetables (including carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, soybeans, broccoli and corn) and seasoning, topped with shredded lettuce and mayo-style sauce served on a toasted sesame bun.”

Clearly, it’s popular, because the first location I went to was actually sold out. Yes, I drove to multiple McDonald’s locations in Brampton to try this thing. Did I mention that I don’t value my time?

They have a version that comes with spicy habanero sauce, but I figured I’d try the standard one. It’s pretty good! I should note that I got lucky and got one that was clearly fresh from the fryer (it was piping hot), so your mileage may vary, but I liked it more than I thought I would.

The patty has a pronounced crunchiness on the outside, and an interior that I wouldn’t describe as full-out mushy, but that’s fairly soft. It might have come off as too soft, but the satisfying crunch of its exterior does a good job of balancing things out.

There are noticeable chunks of vegetables interspersed throughout, though they don’t add a whole lot to the burger’s texture or flavour. It’s kinda falafel-esque, but with a much lighter flavour (the seasoning, in general, is fairly muted — don’t expect anything with much more punch than a McChicken).

The rest of it is basically a McChicken — same sauce, lettuce, and bun. Overall, it’s nothing too mind-blowing, but it’s pretty satisfying.

Quick Bites: Ramen Ryu, Matt’s Burger Lab, Lola’s Gelato

Published on March 16, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Ramen at Ramen Ryu in the Well

I mentioned, a few years ago, that Ryu’s Noodle Bar serves some of the best ramen in the GTA. Well, they’ve got a quick-serve outpost in Wellington Market in The Well, the fancy new food court (sorry: food hall) downtown, and it’s quite tasty. The depth of flavour isn’t quite there and the noodles were a bit on the soft side, but for something from a food court, it’s satisfying. The broth may not be up there with the best in the city, but it’s creamy and tasty. It’s a solid bowl of ramen.

Classic Smash Burger at Matt’s Burger Lab

Though Matt’s Burger Lab has a surprisingly deep menu, with a whole bunch of creatively-topped burger and fried chicken sandwiches, I figured the Classic Smash was probably the thing to get: “4 ounce prime beef patty, fresh onion, iceberg, pickle, Lab Sauce.” I skipped the onion, but otherwise got this as-is. It’s pretty tasty. The patty has a decent amount of crust on it, a nice coarse grind, and a mild beefy flavour. The bun (potato bun, I think) is nice and fresh, and the toppings suit it well. The Lab Sauce is basically like a sweeter, zestier version of the typical Big Mac-style sauce you’ll find on so many burgers in the GTA, and it works. There’s quite a lot of it, which in this case is a very good thing, because the well-done burger patty is quite dry. The sauce basically balances things out, but the dryness holds it back from being much better than pretty good. Still, I enjoyed it.

Almond Raspberry gelato from Lola’s Gelato

This is going to be a quick one. I’ve written about Lola’s a few times before on this blog, and it pains me that it doesn’t always come up when people are talking about the best gelato in the city, because it’s a strong contender for that crown. But I think maybe the word is finally getting out, because on my most recent visit, the place was absolutely packed. Of course, it’s just as delicious as ever. This particular flavour had a great almond flavour, which works surprisingly well with the raspberry sauce they have swirled throughout. And it’s just as creamy and luxurious as always. Good stuff.