food – Page 28 – Michael Eats

Delicious Jamaican Food at Potluck Caribbean Cuisine

Published on October 23, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1707 Britannia Road East, Mississauga
Website: https://potluckrestaurant.ca/

I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from Potluck Caribbean Cuisine — I mostly checked it out because it’s close to my work, and it kinda blew me away.

It’s popular, that’s for sure. I showed up at around 4:15pm on a weekday and the place was shockingly busy for such a random time. It seemed odd, but then I ate the food and oh, okay, I get it.

I was hoping to order the jerk chicken, but they were out of dark meat, so I went with the BBQ chicken instead. You have your choice of sides; I got rice and peas (which they top with oxtail gravy), and coleslaw.

The chicken comes doused in a ketchupy BBQ sauce, and at first I thought it was too sweet (it’s a bit intense), but it grew on me. It’s especially good when you combine it with the rice and peas, which are nicely seasoned and feature perfectly creamy beans; it’s one of the best versions of the dish that I’ve ever had. The combo of the sweet sauce and the savoury rice is thoroughly delightful.

I got the “small” size, which is a comical designation considering that the overstuffed container is crammed with what has to be a couple of pounds of food. At 13 bucks, it’s a fantastic deal.

Tasty Fried Chicken at Ding-a-Wing

Published on October 20, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 171 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://dingawing.com/

Sometimes I’m not entirely sure how to open these blog posts, so you know what? I’m just going to get straight to business: the fried chicken sandwich at Ding-a-Wing is fantastic. You should eat it immediately.

They have a handful of fried chicken sandwiches on the menu here. I should note that I tried place this earlier this year when they were on Roncesvalles; they’ve since moved, but it seems like the menu has remained the same.

I went with the Hawt Sandwich: “Buttermilk brined and fried boneless chicken thigh with coleslaw, pickles and dusted with our Cayenne Salt on a potato bun.”

It’s a phenomenal piece of fried chicken; the level of exterior crunchiness is just right, it’s nicely seasoned, and the meat is super juicy.

I wish it were spicier (the level of heat was somewhere between mild and non-existent), but otherwise the flavours are all great, with a satisfying balance between the hearty chicken and the zippy coleslaw and pickles.

My only real complaint is the bun, which is pillowy and mildly sweet. It’s theoretically a great match for the sandwich, but I think it was likely dressed too far in advance, which meant the bottom bun was mushy. But the sandwich was otherwise so delicious that it was easy enough to overlook this.

Tasty Katsu Curry at Cafe Green Tea

Published on October 14, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham
Website: None

Though the name might make you think it’s a coffee shop of some sort, Cafe Green Tea is actually a delightful little restaurant in the J-Town area of Markham specializing in Japanese comfort food like soba, udon, and katsu curry.

I ordered the katsu curry, which you can either get with pork or chicken (I got pork). It’s a counter service place, and they work quite fast; once I ordered, it only took a few minutes for my number to be called.

It’s a tasty plate of no-frills katsu curry. The pork is slightly on the dry side, but otherwise everything here is right where it should be: the curry is rich and flavourful, and the katsu has a perfect level of exterior crispiness.

Bonus: at 14 bucks for a relatively hefty serving, it’s a solid deal.

Tasty Breakfast Sandwiches at La Boulangerie

Published on September 30, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1134 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://laboulangeriedundas.com/

The breakfast sandwich at La Boulangerie was recommended by no less than Susur Lee, so I figured it was probably worth checking out.

And clearly, La Boulangerie is a popular place, because it was absolutely swarming with people when I visited on a recent Sunday afternoon.

They have a handful of tasty-looking sandwiches on the menu, but on this particular visit, I was a man on a mission.

The breakfast sandwich, as per their menu: “egg, ham, bacon, white cheddar.”

It’s a well-executed breakfast sandwich, that’s for sure. The eggs are perfectly cooked, and the quality of the ham and the bacon are top-notch.

I don’t know if it’s worth going out of your way for, though. It’s very good, but it’s such a basic, unornamented sandwich that it’s hard to get too excited about it.

This is probably not something I should admit publicly, but it also doesn’t pass my personal “is this substantially better than a McMuffin?” test. I clearly have garbage taste, because I think a McMuffin from McDonald’s is better than like 90 percent of the fancy breakfast sandwiches in the city, including this one.

A Great Cake at Oompa Bakery

Published on September 29, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 71 Underhill Drive, North York
Website: https://oompabakery.com/

Oompa Bakery is a delightful little bakery in North York; they were mostly cleared out when I visited on a Saturday afternoon (they clearly do well!), but they did have dacquoise cakes in a variety of flavours.

The one I tried featured pistachio- and raspberry-flavoured buttercream sandwiched between two little cakes. I really enjoyed it.

The buttercream was perfect; super creamy, not overly buttery, and with a great contrast between the pistachio and raspberry flavours.

The cake in a dacquoise is kinda like a macaron, but with the addition of ground almonds, which gives it a more substantial texture and a slightly nutty flavour. It was quite tasty, with a delicately crispy exterior and a chewy interior that complemented the smooth buttercream perfectly. It’s a great dessert.