Quick Bites: Eataly Sherway Gardens, The Daily Dumpling Wonton Co., Roywoods

Eataly Sherway Gardens
Tuna sandwich and almond pastry cream croissant from Eataly in Sherway Gardens

I really hope that Eataly in Sherway gardens is still working out the kinks from their recent opening, because while my first visit was generally okay, I just tried a couple of things, and neither was even remotely worth what they’re charging.  The tuna sandwich was basically fine, even if it tasted like something I could make at home and featured bread that didn’t exactly taste fresh.  But the croissant (girella crema e mandrla) was so aggressively stale that I actually asked for my money back after a couple of bites.  I’ve literally never even considered returning a pastry up to this point — and I’ve had a lot of bad pastries in my life — so make of that what you will.

The Daily Dumpling Wonton Co.
Dumplings from The Daily Dumpling Wonton Co.

I tried a couple of varieties of dumpling from this place (Classic Shanghai, which is pork and mustard greens, along with shrimp, pork, and chive), and both were quite tasty.  Neither variety particularly knocked my socks off, but they both featured perfectly cooked wrappers and satisfying fillings.  The highlight might have actually been the very tasty chili oil, which is smoky, mildly spicy, and features a nice balance of flavours; they sell this in jars you can bring home, and yeah, I bought one.

The Daily Dumpling Wonton Co.
Jerk chicken from Roywoods in Yorkdale

The time I tried the jerk chicken from Roywoods, I had it in a sandwich, so I figured I’d get the plate with rice this time.  The boneless dark meat was a bit on the salty side, as was the rice, but it was otherwise quite tasty (and unlike last time, it actually had a pretty good kick).  It’s nothing too mind-blowing, but for something from a food court, you could certainly do worse.