Quick Bites: Sovily, Misfit Ice Cream, Little Baba

Pizza from Sovily
Pizza from Sovily

I had a slice of the Sovily Rosé (“Rosé Sauce, Mozzarella, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Parmesan”) from this place, and it was totally fine.  The fluffy crust was kind of lacking in substance or flavour (it’s reportedly sourdough, though there’s zero sourdough flavour), but it had a nice exterior crispiness and was generally pleasant enough.  The sauce tasted canned and was a bit too generously applied, but the combo of mozzarella and parmesan was nice.  I can’t say I’m in a huge rush to come back here, but it got the job done.

Soy Boy at Misfit Ice Cream
Soy Boy at Misfit Ice Cream

I was extremely intrigued by the Soy Boy flavour at Misfit Ice Cream, which the menu describes as “tofu fa, brown sugar ginger syrup.”  Tofu fa is a really tasty dessert made with silken tofu, and I’m certainly on board for an ice cream version of it (but then I’m on board for an ice cream version of basically any dessert).  The version here does a pretty solid job of capturing the flavour of that dessert, though I’ll admit that the texture — which was icy and dense — left a bit to be desired.  The whole point of tofu fa is its luxurious ultra-silky texture; if you lose that, it does kinda put a damper on things.

Chicken Tawook Baba Box from Little Baba
Chicken Tawook Baba Box from Little Baba

I was a pretty big fan of Little Baba when I tried a couple of their wraps; well, I just tried their namesake Baba Box, and yeah, they know what they’re doing.  The one I tried came with chicken tawook, a zippy fattoush salad, basil hummus, some pickles, and a generous amount of garlicky toum (which their menu calls “garlic cream”).  Everything here was quite tasty, particularly the perfectly grilled chicken and the basil hummus.  I’ve never heard of adding basil to hummus, and I was afraid its distinctive flavour would be overwhelming.  But they add just enough of the stuff to bring a nice herbal zip that perfectly complements the other flavours, and the ultra-creamy texture is a thing of beauty (it might be one of the silkiest versions of this dish that I’ve ever had).

Delicious Wraps at Little Baba

Little Baba
Location
: 75 Portland Street Main, Toronto
Website: https://littlebaba.com/

Little Baba is a casual spinoff of a Michelin-recommended Lebanese restaurant called Amal, specializing in various Middle Eastern wraps and plates (that they call Baba boxes).  A casual restaurant with a Michelin connection?  Sure, I’m intrigued enough to check that out.

Little Baba

I wound up trying a couple of their wraps: tenderloin (“pita, hummus, parsley, onion, pickles, grilled veggie salsa”) and kefta (“pita, hummus, pickles, grilled veggie salsa”).

Little Baba

Both wraps feature a grilled piece of meat wrapped in toasted pita bread, and both are quite tasty.

Little Baba

That grilling really does make a difference, bringing both sandwiches a nice smoky flavour.  And both pieces of meat are perfectly cooked — the tenderloin, in particular, is cooked to a nice rosy medium and is impressively tender, with a tasty beefy flavour.

Little Baba

The kefta is quite good as well, with a good amount of spicing and a nice tender texture.

Little Baba

As for the other flavours, there’s a nice zippiness to both wraps that’s quite satisfying.  Both were a bit oniony for my tastes, but then I’m not a fan of raw onion, so most people will likely disagree.