fried – Page 2 – Michael Eats

Tasty Katsu Curry at Hinoya Curry

Published on March 22, 2026March 22, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 20 Carlton Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.hinoyacurry.net/

Hinoya Curry is a chain that specializes in tonkatsu curry; they’ve got a bunch of locations in Japan and a few worldwide — including, most recently, right here in Toronto.

I actually tried the tonkatsu curry at Hinoya a few years ago in Tokyo and found it to be satisfying, but by Japanese standards, just okay.

By Toronto standards, on the other hand? Quite good!

I ordered the same dish here, tonkatsu curry, which features a fried pork cutlet on top of rice that’s absolutely doused in a rich, beefy curry sauce.

It’s very tasty. The menu describes the curry as “sweet first, spicy later,” and yeah, that’s about right. It’s got a nice balance of sweet and savoury, a pleasant curry flavour, and a lingering heat that’s mild, but definitely present.

It goes very well with the freshly fried tonkatsu, which is nice and tender and retains its crunch, despite being smothered in sauce.

It comes with some pickled radish on the side, which has a vinegary brightness that does a great job of cutting through the dish’s richness. I wish there were more of it, however; they put a teeny-tiny amount on the plate, and I could have used about double or triple (it’s in a container on the side in Japan — or at least it was when I visited — which makes much more sense).

Another nice touch: the container with a mix of puffed rice and toasted garlic on the table, which adds more crunch and flavour to the dish. I’ve never seen this anywhere but here, and I don’t know why — it seems like it would improve pretty much anything.

Chicken Tenders at Chica’s Chicken

Published on March 1, 2026March 1, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2853 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.chicaschicken.net/

My policy on this blog — in the last few years, at least — is to avoid negativity. If I think a place is just okay, I’ll generally write a quick review and not dwell on it, and if I think it’s bad, I won’t write about it at all. It’s tough enough to succeed in the restaurant business as it is, and whatever extremely mild (almost non-existent) level of influence that I have, I’d rather not use it against a local business that’s just trying to survive.

I do make an exception for big fast food chains, however — I think they can take it. And Chica’s, with its four locations, Michelin designation, and plans for growth (there’s a section on their website where they say that they’re “seeking passionate franchise partners”), is entering big chain territory.

That being the case, I can note that the chicken tenders at Chica’s really bummed me out. This is a place that I once said served some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, and this was… not that. I’ve noticed that Chica’s has been going downhill since they started their expansion a few years ago, but this was the first thing I’ve had here that was outright bad.

The chicken was just so, so dry, despite being served hot and fresh. White meat is always going to be a bit on the dry side, but this was something else. It comes with some tasty dipping sauce on the side (which kinda tastes like coleslaw dressing, but in a pleasant way), and you’d better believe I used all of that sauce.

As for the exterior, it was more leathery than crunchy — I legitimately had a hard time biting through it.

I ordered this hot AF, and while it had a solid level of heat, it tasted like something was missing (salt, mostly, but overall the flavour just wasn’t there).

I recently had a fried chicken sandwich from KFC, and the chicken in that sandwich was better than this on every level — it was tastier, crunchier, and juicier. From KFC! Over a place that used to serve the best fried chicken in the city. What a world.

Chili Crunch Chicken Sandwich from KFC

Published on February 24, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4559 Hurontario Street, Mississauga
Website: https://www.kfc.ca/

I was actually kind of shocked to see that chili crunch is now mainstream enough to pop up at a giant fast food chain like KFC — but then I guess it’s been on its way up for a few years now (here’s an article from 2022 about how chili crisp “took over America”).

KFC’s got several items with the stuff, including a sandwich, Loaded Chili Crunch Tenders, a chili crunch Snacker Wrap, and chili crunch fries.

I went with the Chili Crunch Chicken Sandwich: “Meet your new spicy obsession – the Chili Crunch Chicken Sandwich. KFC’s juicy, crunchy, signature tripled-breaded chicken fillet is layered with spicy chili crunch oil, creamy chili crunch mayo, crispy onions, and pickles— all sandwiched between a toasted potato bun.”

I’m a fan of chili crunch, so I sort of figured this would be good, and yeah, it is. For one thing, unlike my last experience at KFC, the sandwich was hot, fresh, and made with some level of care. This seems like it should be the bare minimum, but here we are.

But even aside from that, this is a tasty sandwich — the chili crunch they’re using is a bit tangier than the norm, but it works. Combined with the heat and the garlicky punch, it’s a great topping for a fried chicken sandwich. The mayo also has some of that flavour, which is nice.

The level of spice is pretty decent, too — it’s certainly not the spiciest thing you’ll ever eat, but it’s got a nice kick. It’s a level of heat that would have been unheard of from a fast food chain a few years ago, but fast food places have been upping the spice recently.

I’m not sure if the crispy onions add all that much, and the sandwich is maybe a bit too salty, but otherwise I really enjoyed this.

Delicious Ukrainian Food at Barrel House Korchma

Published on February 14, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 2385 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Etobicoke
Website: https://www.instagram.com/barrelhousekorchma/

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been to a Ukrainian restaurant before visiting Barrel House Korchma; even when I was still updating 196 Plates, the blog where I attempted to eat at one restaurant from each country in the world (without leaving the GTA), I never got around to that country.

Well, if Barrel House Korchma is anything to go by, I guess Ukrainian food is pretty tasty (if not that dissimilar from the cuisine in any number of Eastern European countries).

I tried a couple of things. First up was the fried stuffed buns: “Two fried buns stuffed with potatoes and dill.”

I can’t say I’ve ever had anything quite like this; though the menu calls this a bun, it’s not really bun-like at all, with a thin exterior that’s crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and a fluffy mashed-potato interior that’s infused with dill. It comes with a garlicky dill sauce on the side that complements it perfectly. It’s a great dish.

Up next was the Chicken Kyiv: “Breaded chicken fillet with melted butter and herbs.”

This was a tasty version of a pretty well-known dish, with a delightfully crunchy exterior, and a buttery (but not overly greasy) interior that helps to compensate for the inherent dryness of the chicken breast. It comes with a sweet, Thousand-Island-esque sauce that pairs nicely with the savoury chicken.

You can choose your side; the waitress recommended the roasted potato, which was a solid choice, with a lightly crispy exterior and a bit of a garlicky flavour that’s quite satisfying.

A Tasty Meal at Angara Indian & Hakka Cuisine

Published on February 12, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 5555 Eglinton Avenue West, Etobicoke
Website: https://angararestaurant.ca/

Angara is a great Indian restaurant in Etobicoke that recently opened a second location downtown. I checked out the original, and yeah, I get it — there’s clearly a reason that they’re doing well enough to expand.

I tried a couple of things. First up was the Chef Special Bombay Paneer: “Paneer prepared dry with red onion, green chilli, and curry leaves.” This was basically like a fried chicken dish, but with paneer subbing in for chicken; it’s battered and crispy, and tossed in a tangy, mildly spicy sauce.

You can also get this with chicken, which I’d imagine would be even better, but the dense, meaty paneer actually does a pretty solid job of subbing in for chicken. It’s a tasty dish.

Up next: Chef Special Lamb Angara (“Spicy yet creamy curry with homemade chef special spices served in a sizzling plate”). This was seriously good, with a generous amount of tender chunks of lamb in a rich, creamy, and ultra-savoury sauce. The sizzling plate it comes in kinda caramelizes the sauce around the edges. It’s delightful.

I also got an order of freshly-baked naan, which has the crispy bottom and chewy interior that you’re looking for. It, like everything else here, was seriously good.