pork belly – Michael Eats

A Great Breakfast Sandwich at Alma + Gil

Published on March 28, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 392 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.almaygil.com/

Alma + Gil started as a pop-up specializing in breakfast sandwiches, and have recently expanded to a new location with a full menu. There’s some tasty-looking stuff on the menu, but of course, I had to get one of those sandwiches.

I went with the pork belly sando: “overeasy free run egg, roasted pork belly, cheese chicharron, caramelized onion sauce, brioche.”

It’s a great sandwich, with the combo of the perfectly runny egg, tender pork belly, and crispy cheese being thoroughly delicious.

The “cheese chicharron” is just a piece of cheese that’s been browned and crisped up on the griddle, and yeah, of course it’s a great addition to this (or any) sandwich.

The soft, ultra-fluffy brioche bun adds some mild sweetness, and is a great vehicle for the other ingredients here.

There are a couple of things holding this back from breakfast sandwich perfection (I wish they had gotten at least a little bit of colour on the pork belly, and the ultra-rich sandwich is crying out for some hot sauce or anything acidic to cut through its decadence somewhat), but it’s still a top-tier sandwich.

Pork Overload at Fushi Co.

Published on November 23, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4186 Finch Avenue East, Scarborough
Website: https://fushi.co/

Fushi Co. mostly caught my eye thanks to the photos of the pork and rice they have posted in the window of their restaurant, which reminded me a lot of a mind-blowing pork dish I had in Taipei. That was back in 2019, and I still occasionally think about it. I’ll be sitting there minding my own business, and boom, I’m thinking about that pork. It was magical.

The dish I had here was a bit more deluxe — I could have had the one which just comes with braised pork knuckle, which I believe would have pretty much been identical to the one from Taiwan. But the “Signature Four Happiness Pork” comes with pork knuckle, pork belly, a bone with a decent amount of meat attached, and intestines. Why yes, I would like all the pork.

Is it too much pork? I think it’s too much pork. Certainly, it’s more pork than any reasonable person should eat in one sitting. But did I eat it all? You bet I did. Did I feel good about it after? I sure didn’t!

It’s quite tasty. All the pork is reasonably tender (even the intestine, which has none of the chewiness or gaminess you might expect), and the deeply savoury flavour is very satisfying. I wish there had been some kind of hot sauce or chili oil to kick things up, but such is life.

It’s not even remotely as good as the Taiwanese pork of my dreams (that was legitimately one of the best things I’ve ever eaten), but it’s still an enjoyable dish. Plus, at 15 bucks for enough rice and meat to comfortably feed two, it’s a great deal.

Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich from BEAR Steak Sandwiches

Published on June 7, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 550A College Street, Toronto
Website: https://bearsteak.ca/

The Great BEAR sandwich is a collaboration between BEAR Steak Sandwiches and Great Fountain Fast Food, and it’s only being served this weekend (June 7 and 8).

That’s just not enough time for a sandwich this great. I think it’s safe to say that this is the most upsetting thing happening in the world right now. No, I’m not going to look at the news. You look at the news. I want to eat this sandwich for the rest of my life.

The Great BEAR sandwich, as per Instagram: “crispy pork belly, black vinegar sauce, black pepper aioli, pickled onions, scallions, black sesame bun.”

Yes. Yes to all of that. For whatever reason, the notion of putting Chinese roast pork in a sandwich had never even occurred to me, but yeah, of course. Of course that’s good.

The pork is fatty and perfectly cooked, and while my first few bites were a bit lacking in crispy skin, the back half of of the sandwich was loaded with the stuff.

The meat itself is so tender and and flavourful that you could throw it on a bun and call it a day, but the other stuff here really amps up the flavour of the sandwich. And the zippy pickled onions and black vinegar sauce do a great job of cutting through the richness of the unctuous pork; the sandwich is very finely tuned, and never feels too heavy.

The bun looks a bit big in the photos, but it’s pillowy and light, and lets the pork be the star of the show.

So no, sorry BEAR Steak Sandwiches. This can’t just be a limited-time thing. I won’t allow it.

A Solid Sandwich at Banh Mi Boys

Published on June 24, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 392 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://banhmiboys.com/

Remember Banh Mi Boys? They opened back in 2011, and were thoroughly amazing. They were one of my favourite places for a quick bite downtown. But then they expanded and, like with so many places, the quality went downhill. After a couple of particularly iffy sandwiches, I stopped going altogether.

But it’s been a few years, and I figured it was time to give them another shot. And hey, what do you know — they’re pretty good again. I don’t know if they’ll ever hit the highs of their early days, but it was a really solid sandwich.

I had the five spice pork belly banh mi, and yeah, it was tasty. The pork was slightly tough and the flavours don’t quite pop like they used to (and the spice level was sadly anemic, despite asking for it hot), but this was otherwise a satisfying banh mi. The bread was nice and fresh, and the abundant pickled veggies do a good job of cutting through the richness of the pork.

Fun Fusion Brunch at Curryish Tavern

Published on March 24, 2024March 24, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 783 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: https://curryishtavern.ca/

As you might guess from the name, Curryish Tavern is a fusion restaurant that mixes Indian flavours with pub classics like burgers and fries. The brunch menu, which I tried, features a bunch of brunch standbys with an Indian twist.

I had the samosa eggs benny, which finds a couple of samosas topped with poached eggs and ghee hollandaise, served with ultra-crispy home fries and a slice of “mirch maple pork belly.”

It’s a tasty dish. The samosas themselves are a bit middle-of-the-road, but the combo of the samosas, the perfectly poached eggs, and the zippy ghee hollandaise — not to mention the sweet, tender pork belly — is a winner. My biggest complaint here is that the pork is off to the side instead of on top of the samosas as you’d expect, which feels like an excuse to give you less of it (which is odd considering that the dish isn’t exactly cheap at 21 bucks).

(I should also note that since I wrote this (I’ve got a bit of a backlog) the menu has been changed slightly; the benedict now costs $18, and the pork is a $5 upcharge.)

The potatoes are great; they’re perfectly cooked, with a delightfully crispy exterior and a fluffy interior.