Have You Eat Suzume?

It was a beautiful, sunny Friday so I wandered over to Spadina for some Toronto-style pizza. It was fresh out of the oven so the cold temperature helped to cool down the slice. I have burnt my mouth in the past by being too impatient. I thought to finish off lunch with some snacks from Vietnamese bakery and banh mi shop Nguyen Huong. But although Chinatown was looking a little forlorn due to the lockdown, shuttered stores, and buildings torn down for condos, there was actually a line-up outside the shop.

So I kept walking and passed by Bathurst and Dundas where a cluster of shipping containers turned market stalls are found. They were usually closed in winter so I was surprised to see a new one called Suzume Rice Bar was open. I crossed the street to check it out and ended up ordering 3 omusubi for $3.45 each.

These were rice triangles, wrapped in seaweed sheet or nori, and stuffed with various ingredients. They also come cleverly packaged such that the seaweed was kept separate from the warm rice. I fumbled on my first attempt to remove the plastic wrap but quickly got the hang of it. The tuna and green onion was my favourite with its hint of soya sauce. Ume shiso packed a punch but I thought the salted plum overwhelmed all other flavour include the usually fragrant Japanese perilla (shiso). Finally, the salmon and wasabi was sushi-like in its pairing.

Overall, I didn't love these Omusubi: too much rice and little else. It wasn't the fault of Suzume. The grilled Yaki Onigiri, with its crusty rice exterior and soy sauce coating (a favourite at casual diners like Manpuku), is simply a superior snack. Suzume does offer other intriguing dishes and is worth a second visit.

Man At Work

When Honest Ed along with Mirvish Village were slated for commercial development, long-time diner South Accent relocated to the corner of College and Ossington. This stretch between Ossington and Dovercourt has never gained the cachet of Little Italy or The Ossington Strip. Combined that with tired offerings, I wasn't surprised that it closed during the pandemic.

Over the last several weeks, I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of Mannat. Most Indian/Hakka restaurants aren't found in the city core but out in the suburbs. Not all are good but the good ones are phenomenal. When I passed by this Thursday, the Open sign was finally lit.

Sometimes Hakka cuisine means Chinese food from the Hakka province, and sometimes the Indian-flavoured Chinese food created when Hakkanese folks moved to India. I was hoping for delicious Chinese-Indian mix myself so I was mildly disappointed when I saw that the menu had separate sections for Indian and Hakka dishes.

In any case, I ordered the Chilli Fish Gravy ($15) and Basmati Rice ($5). The chilli dish had a generous amount of lightly fried fish (around 10+ pieces). The thick sauce was average, not too gloopy, though the heat came mostly from Rooster-brand Sriracha. In fact, as I watched the dish being prepared from various squeeze bottles, I wondered if anything was house-made.

I'm not averse to a restaurant keeping costs down by (probably) using commercially-produced ingredients. But that has to be reflected in the menu prices, too. Currently, Mannat was a few dollars too expensive to be a cheap eats. Despite the presence of pricey Chiado and the baffling mystery of Argentinian steakhouse Vos (how is this mostly empty resto still in business?), this strip isn't a restaurant destination. Observe the revolving door that is Buono, Pray Tell, and Phil's BBQ. Or this exact spot with not just Southern Accent but Shios Japanese Tapas Bar, an upscale Portuguese BBQ, and a Iberian restaurant. Personally, I'd drop a couple of bucks per dish and position Mannat as wallet-friendly neighbourhood spot. But I'll reserve my final judgement after I try the Indian entrées, too.

A Little Off The Top

Bake Shoppe near College and Ossington started as a wedding cake bakery and branched out into cookies, desserts, and cakes for all occasions. I find bakeries make things too sweet for my palate. So though it lasted around 10 years I only visited a handful of times (and mostly for ice cream).

Despite the pandemic, a new owner has reopened the space as Barbershop Patisserie. An interesting moniker and named for the main chef Jill Barber. Wait, is the Canadian singer highlighting as a baker? No, this Barber has been kicking around the Toronto food scene for awhile and this was her first solo venture.

Though it was a proper store, Barber kept pop-up hours currently (i.e., opened until sold-out); no doubt a pragmatic budgeting decision for now. But the space must be doing all right since I have visited a few times only to find them out of food. Finally, on Thursday, I arrived just after lunch and snagged a Spiced squash Danish ($4.75) and an Apple Chausson ($4.50). She also had savoury pastries like Sausage Rolls and Chicken Pot Pie.

These were both excellent: buttery, crispy, lightly sweet, and packed with flavour. I inhaled the Danish with its wonderful, warm spice flavour with a touch of saltiness from the goat cheese. The turnover was equally sophisticated as a dinner dessert the next day. Here's hoping Barbershop will be a popular neighbourhood spot for years to come.

Stay Calm and Curry On

Most people were probably not into Groundhog Day this year. The last 12 months has felt like the same day just like Bill Murray's predicament in the epynomous film. And 6 more weeks of winter (or anything) was both inevitable and unwelcomed.

There was no storm as in previous years but I still wanted to keep my Groundhog Day tradition. But Spice Indian Bistro had shut down last October due to Covid rents and Alma wasn't open today (and it had a weird flavour profile). In any case, with only take-out as an option, this year didn't have the same vibe. So I returned to Tsu Chi to get a main.

I opted for the 13-spice beef curry ($14.80) with a side order of karaage ($4.80). This was excellent vegan food. I don't need my plant-based meals to replicate meat flavours but these were spot-on. The karaage looked and tasted like fried chicken. And the curry was delicious, a wonderful substitute for any non-meat eaters hankering for Japanese curry. Even better than the real thing.

My only complaint was that both were a few bucks too expensive for me to consider coming here as a regular. More than $15 for essentially coleslaw, rice, and curry and more than $5 for 2 small drumsticks were over my price point for a go-to spot.