Ontario – Page 5 – Michael Eats

Tasty French/Diner Fare at Le Swan

Published on January 17, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 892 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://leswan.ca/

Le Swan is interesting. It’s a cross between a French bistro and an old-school diner, with the menu literally being split in half between “French” and “Diner.”

I tried a few things, and everything was thoroughly tasty.

First up was the smoked trout rillette. No description in the menu, but Wikipedia describes rillettes as “a preservation method similar to confit where meat is seasoned then submerged in fat and cooked slowly over the course of several hours.” It’s generally classified as a spread, and this was substantially chunkier than that; it was more like a smoky tuna salad, with big chunks of fish and onion. Whatever it was, it was quite satisfying (I’m normally not a fan of raw onion, but the onion here was extremely mild, and added more texture than anything else).

Up next was the hot chicken sandwich, which features a whole bunch of very tender chicken and peas served on toast and smothered in gravy, with creamy mashed potatoes underneath. This was pretty much the definition of comfort food, with the flavour-packed gravy really making the dish sing.

The green beans were pretty simple; they were tossed in some kind of tasty vinaigrette and were served with toasted almonds for crunch. They were nicely cooked, with a satisfyingly tender (but still firm) texture.

Last but not least: the corn dogs, which are topped with some kind of mayonnaisey sauce and slices of pickled jalapenos, and are stuffed with cheese along with the expected hot dog. These were a little different than the norm, with the batter being more like a pancake than a traditional corn dog, and with no exterior crunch. I thought I’d miss that, but the pickled jalapenos do a good job of adding the texture that you’re looking for.

Delicious Hot Turkey at White Lily Diner

Published on January 16, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 678 Queen Street East, Toronto
Website: https://whitelilydiner.ca/

I tried the meatloaf sandwich at the White Lily Diner a few years ago and found it to be thoroughly tasty. I recently went back, and I’m happy to report that the place is still cranking out delicious food.

That meatloaf sandwich is tough to beat, but I think the hot turkey (“stuffing French toast + smoked turkey + gravy + chutney + maple butter”) might just do it.

The idea of making French toast that tastes like stuffing is actually fairly ingenious, and works perfectly with the smoky turkey. The rich gravy soaks into the French toast and amps up the flavour from the turkey, and the creamy maple butter on top cranks the richness up to 11.

It’s a dish that could very easily be too rich, but the sweet, tangy cranberry chutney does a great job of ensuring that this never happens. It’s a fantastic dish.

Tasty Mexican Food at Pa’l Antojo

Published on January 15, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1885 Drew Road, Mississauga
Website: https://www.instagram.com/palantoj0/

Pa’l Antojo is in the middle of an industrial wasteland near the airport, so it definitely qualifies as a hidden gem. I was mostly in the area to pick up nuts from Master Delight, which I think sells the best nuts in the city. But it’s worth the trek to check out Pa’l Antojo either way; the food is stellar.

I tried a couple of things. I’d heard the quesabirrias (“stewed beef seasoned on a crunchy corn tortilla with cheese, cilantro, onion and beef broth”) are the thing to order here, so that was a must.

It’s very, very good, with a great contrast between the slightly crispy tortilla, the gooey cheese, and the tender beef. Once you dip it into the very flavourful broth, you’re off to the races. I could eat a million of these.

I also tried a pastor taco, and it was just as good, with the very generous amount of pork being crispy and abundantly tasty, and with the double layer of fresh corn tortillas complementing it perfectly.

Amazing Pizza at Tony’s Sourdough Pizzeria

Published on January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 45 Mill Street West, Elora
Website: https://tonyssourdoughpizzeria.com/

Tony’s Sourdough Pizzeria opened a few months ago with a decent amount of hype. That’s despite the fact that it’s way out in Elora, which is a bit of a trek from the GTA, putting it mildly (it’s about an 80 minute drive for me). So when I found myself in the area? Yeah, of course.

It’s a popular place. I showed up right when they opened at 11:30, and it was already pretty packed. Reportedly, they only make 100 pizzas a day before they sell out, so showing up early seems advisable, particularly if you’re making the trek from Toronto.

I kinda wanted to try every pizza on the menu, but I only have so much stomach space, so I went with the meatball and onion: “Fior di Latte Mozzarella | Italian Meatball | Caramelized Onion | Pecorino Romano | Fresh Basil.”

Wow, it was good. It’s that crust. A lot of places advertise that their pizzas are made with sourdough, and if you really concentrate, you can kinda identify a mild sourdough flavour. Here, on the other hand, the sourdough flavour is front and centre, with a noticeable tang that gives the pizza a whole bunch of personality.

And it’s perfectly cooked. The pizza is Neapolitan-adjacent, with a perfect leopard-spotted crust and a great balance between its light exterior crispiness and the chewiness within. It has a bit more heft than your typical Neapolitan pizza, which totally works with the generously-topped pie.

And yeah, the toppings are stellar, too — the meatballs, in particular, are absolutely packed with flavour and have a great tender texture. I could eat a million of these just on their own, but combined with everything else here, it was profoundly delicious.

It’s a ridiculously long drive for a pizza, so… is it worth it? Yes. Yes it is. It legitimately might be among the 10 best pizzas I’ve ever had.

Quick Bites: Tatin Bakehouse, Mi’Hito Sushi Laboratory, Breakfast ING

Published on January 11, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Custard tart from Tatin Bakehouse

I figured Tatin Bakehouse was probably worth checking out after reading about their Michelin connection in Toronto Life, and yeah, it’s a delightfully unique little bakery. I tried the custard tart, which is impeccably made, with ultra-rich custard, a delicate brûléed top, a tasty layer of chewy black rice, and a perfect crust. But between its slight salty kick and ultra-restrained sweetness, it’s right on the line between sweet and savoury, and barely feels like a dessert. To be fair, I had just blown out my palate somewhat with a garlicky shawarma wrap, so it’s possible that this was my fault, but I appreciated this more than I enjoyed it.

I actually checked out the bakery a second time a few weeks later and tried the chocolate croissant, and I will admit that it left me wondering if I gave the bakery too much credit on my first visit; it looked good, but it was dry, had almost no buttery flavour, and had such a stingy amount of chocolate that you could barely taste it.

Sushi burrito from Mi’Hito Sushi Laboratory

I’m sorry, Mi’Hito Sushi Laboratory, but your flagship product should not exist. Sushi should not be a burrito. To be fair, the stuff they serve here is less of a burrito and more of an oversized, uncut maki roll. And it was totally fine — eating it wasn’t an unpleasant experience. I ordered the Rising Sun burrito (“tuna, lettuce, cabbage, avocado, tempura crunch, tobiko, carrot, crab meat, green onions, and spicy mayonnaise dressing”) and it was tasty enough. There was a decent amount of good quality tuna, and the other fillings were solid. But it’s so fat that you can never really get a satisfying bite; sometimes you get mostly tuna, and other times, mostly plain veggies. That’s not to mention the nori, which was oddly difficult to bite into. It was all basically enjoyable enough, but I would have much rather just been eating normal sushi.

Malaysian Sandwiches at Breakfast ING

I tried a couple of sandwiches at Breakfast ING, a small Malaysian restaurant inside a bubble tea joint: the house special (“pork loin marinated with house special recipe, fried egg, cabbage, and peanut butter”) and Malaysian street style (“4oz ground beef with a taste of M’sian spice, tomato, fried egg, lettuce and sweet & spicy sauce”). Neither sandwich particularly blew me away (the third slice of bread feels superfluous in both, and only serves to dry out the sandwich), but they were both pretty tasty. The fact that they were nine bucks each for a couple of reasonably hefty sandwiches certainly doesn’t hurt.