trout – Michael Eats

Amazing Pizza at Beast Pizza

Published on April 18, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 96 Tecumseth Street, Toronto
Website: https://thebeastrestaurant.com/

I was a big fan of Beast way back in the day — it was one of my earliest reviews on this blog, and I actually wrote about the Beastwich on Serious Eats (alas, that post is long gone) — so it’s weird it took me this long to check out Beast Pizza.

I’m happy to say that Beast has not lost a step over the years. I’m honestly a bit shocked that it doesn’t come up more often when the best pizza in the city is being discussed (though I guess the fact that they’re only open for dinner and don’t do slices probably doesn’t help).

I started with the smoked trout pate: “Applewood smoked Ontario trout pate topped w/ pickled chilies and chives. Served w/ our house-made pizza dough bread.” This was pretty fantastic — it’s rich and creamy with a mild smokiness, and a nice flavour from the trout. The fresh bread that comes on the side is great. It’s a stellar appetizer.

But of course, the pizza is the reason to come here.

I went with the meatball: “red sauce, mozzarella, meatballs, fennel jam, and arugula.”

Every element here is just right; the meatballs are tender and packed with flavour, the fennel jam adds some nice pops of sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm, and the pepperiness of the arugula rounds things out.

But as good as all the flavours are here, it’s the crust that makes this a best-in-the-city contender. The contrast between the seriously crispy exterior and fluffy interior is the stuff dreams are made of. It also has a good amount of flavour, and enough chewiness to keep things interesting. It’s so good.

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.

Enjoyable Health Food at iQ

Published on December 29, 2022 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3401 Dufferin Street, North York (inside Yorkdale Mall)
Website: https://www.iqfoodco.com/

Though I hadn’t heard of iQ until very recently, they actually have nine locations as I write this, mostly downtown. The whole place kind of comes off as a parody of a trendy health food joint, with various bowls and avocado toasts on the menu, but based on the bowl I tried, it’s actually pretty tasty.

I got the Steelhead + Veg bowl: “roasted steelhead trout, avocado, roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli, cucumber, pickled onion, jalapeno, brown rice, chopped romaine, lime wedge, carrot ginger dressing.”

It’s not bad at all. It’s got a good variety of tastes and textures, the dressing was nice and zippy, and the quality of the fish (which is served cold, like the rest of the ingredients here) is quite good. I don’t think it’s going to blow anyone’s mind, but for something that’s so blatantly healthy, it’s pretty satisfying.