Toronto – Michael Eats

An Amazing Fried Chicken Sandwich at DownLow Chicken

Published on June 2, 2026June 2, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 538 Manning Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.dlchicken.com/

DownLow Chicken is a Vancouver fried chicken chain (well, maybe “chain” is overstating it — they have three locations there, and now, one here) that specializes in Nashville hot chicken.

They’ve only been open in Toronto for a few months, but just based on this visit? Strong contender for the best fried chicken sandwich in the city. Absolutely stellar.

They have a variety of tenders and chicken pieces on the menu, but the specialty seems to be the sandwiches. I went with the OG: “Nashville Dusted Chicken, Pickled onions, Cole slaw, Pickles, DL Sauce.”

You can pick from seven spice levels; I went with hot, which is right in the middle. They also asked if I wanted dark meat or white, which I don’t think I’ve ever been asked when ordering a fried chicken sandwich. I went with dark.

Wow, it’s good. It actually reminds me a lot of how Chica’s Chicken was a few years ago, before the quality went downhill.

Every element here is on point: it’s got a perfect level of exterior crunch, the meat is super juicy, it’s perfectly seasoned, the ultra-fluffy and slightly sweet bun has just enough heft to stand up to the substantial sandwich, and the toppings are all great.

There’s a great balance between the zippy slaw, the sweet pickles, and the creamy sauce. And the Nashville spices are right where you want them to be (though “hot” is a bit mild for me — it’s still got a decent amount of heat, but I’ll probably go one or two notches higher next time).

And I can’t say enough about how perfect the chicken itself is — it’s just so tender, juicy, and satisfying.

I also got an order of the slaw, and it has a nice vinegary bite and is pleasant enough, but it’s not on the level of the chicken. That sandwich, though.

Delicious Sandwiches at DAM Sandwiches

Published on May 31, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 363A Oakwood Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://www.instagram.com/dam_sandwiches/

I tried DAM Sandwiches at last year’s Do West Fest and quite enjoyed it, so this visit was long overdue.

They have four sandwiches on the menu along with a rotating special; I believe the brisket (“36 hour slow cooked brisket, sautéed onions & peppers, raw onions, banana peppers, chimichurri mayo, hickory stix”) is the most popular, so that’s what I went with.

It’s seriously good. The beefy, tender brisket is extremely tasty, the veggies complement it well, the hickory stix add some nice crunch, and the zingy chimichurri mayo does a great job of cutting through the richness of the beef.

As good as all that stuff is (and it’s very, very good), the bread might be the star of the show? It features a perfect balance between its delicately crispy exterior and fluffy interior, and kinda reminded me of a really good banh mi.

Clearly, another visit to this place is in order, because they really know their way around a sandwich.

Satisfying Chicken Rice at Thai Nyyom

Published on May 24, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1419 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.thainyyom.ca/

Thai Nyyom has a delightfully focused menu. Outside of the appetizers and desserts, they serve just three things: chicken rice, khao soi, and a rotating special. The chicken rice and khao soi are both available in vegetarian versions, but that’s it. If you don’t want one of those three things? Too bad, go somewhere else.

Honestly, I wish more restaurants would do this. Just serve a handful of things and do them really, really well rather than spreading yourself thin with a huge, padded-out menu.

I went with the chicken rice, which is an abundantly simple dish, consisting entirely of poached chicken served on top of chicken-infused rice. It comes with a container of hot sauce on the side, but otherwise, this is about as simple as it gets.

It’s really good. In particular, that rice is pretty much perfect, with a really fragrant, chicken-packed flavour that’s profoundly satisfying.

I wish the chicken were a bit better — it doesn’t quite have the silky texture that you’ll find in the best versions of this dish, and has a mildly leftovery flavour — but the rice is so good that it basically didn’t matter.

Plus, any issues with the chicken basically disappear once you add some of that zingy, garlicky hot sauce. That stuff could make anything taste great.

A Delicious Brunch at Emma’s Country Kitchen

Published on May 23, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 810 Saint Clair Avenue West, Toronto
Website: https://www.emmascountrykitchen.com/

Emma’s Country Kitchen has been serving up brunch for a while. I’ve been wanting to check the place out since seeing it on a 2015 episode of You Gotta Eat Here, and yeah, they’re still around and kicking. Even more surprising: the place is still hopping. I showed up at about 10:00am on a Saturday, and it was a half hour wait to get in.

I tend not to go to brunch places all that often, because it’s all a bit boring, and it’s generally all stuff you can make at home relatively easily. But when it’s as good as it is here? Yeah, I can’t do that at home, and I doubt you can, either.

It’s worth braving the crowds. Everything here was stellar.

In particular, the cinnamon bun pancakes (“Stack of light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes swirled with caramelized brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Served with whipped brown butter and real maple syrup”) might be their most well known dish (it was featured on that episode of You Gotta Eat here all those years ago), and for good reason.

Seriously, I think these might be the best pancakes I’ve ever had? They were nice and fluffy with just the right amount of density, they’ve got a nice tang from the buttermilk, and the caramelized brown sugar gives the pancakes a nice crispiness in spots and a delightful amount of sweetness. I didn’t even use the syrup on the side — the level of sweetness here was restrained, but perfect.

The brown butter on top gives it a nice creaminess and a mild salty pop that offsets the sweetness of the brown sugar. Good lord these were good. I could eat about a million of them.

I also tried the Breakwich (“Freshly baked buttermilk biscuit topped with over easy egg, melted cheese and choice of sage and onion sausage, house cured bacon or griddled tomato”) and yeah, that was stellar, too. You can choose your egg, cheese, and meat: I went with scrambled, spicy pimento cheese, and sausage.

The perfect biscuit was the highlight, but everything here was very, very good. In particular, that pimento cheese has a nice kick and a satisfying zippy flavour. I want this stuff on all my breakfast sandwiches from now on.

Finally, I tried the Emma’s BLT (“Freshly baked buttermilk biscuit, 2 pieces house cured bacon, fresh tomato, baby arugula and roasted garlic mayo”). You can get this with a biscuit, or a toasted rye bun. I went with the bun since I was already having the biscuit.

This was the least exciting of the dishes I tried, but still quite tasty. I’m pretty sure I’m going to dream about that thickly-cut house-cured bacon. It’s fantastic. But then everything here is fantastic, so why shouldn’t it be?

Tasty Eats at Lamb Soup Noodle House

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

Location: 4750 Yonge Street, Toronto (inside Emerald Park food court)
Website: none

The lamb soup at Lamb Soup Noodle House is pretty tasty, with a very clean lamby flavour. I got the spicy version, which also had a very noticeable fiery kick. Nothing about it blew my mind — but I’m a fan of lamb, and I’m never going to dislike anything that packed with lamb flavour.

(The chunks of lamb are a bit tough and the fat noodles are overcooked, but I think the broth is the real reason to order this.)

I think the better thing to order here, oddly, isn’t the lamb soup — it’s the jian bing, an eggy Chinese crepe.

I actually tried the jian bing here several years ago and quite enjoyed it. It was called Gao’s Crepe back then, so I’m not sure if it’s the same place or another jian bing spot in the same location, but either way, it’s thoroughly delicious.

Rather than going with the standard jian bing, I went with the one that comes stuffed with spicy noodles and cheese (!), and wow it was good. The wrap itself was chewy and satisfying, it has a nice crunch, and the zippy noodles and melty processed cheese work surprisingly well together. There’s also some kind of sausage in there, and yeah, that’s tasty too. It’s all quite junky, but in a really satisfying way.