White Squirrel Snack Shop (Toronto, On)

Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks

This restaurant ceased operations as of November 1, 2013


It’s always interesting and even exciting to see a new “Foodie” part of town develop. The intersection of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue in Toronto has, in the past, just been an area that, more or less, intersects the Business, Entertainment, Fashion and Chinatown districts. While still in its infancy, it’s looking like it’s trying to become it’s own little sub district. Call it the “Snack” district if you will. Within the last couple years no less than 5 places have opened up serving high quality fast food. Taking advantage of the lunch late night bar crowds. The latest of which, White Squirrel Snack Shop offers a little taste of Toronto.

In 2009 David Ginsberg opened White Squirrel Coffee Shop just west in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood. It’s been a hit ever since but the small shop doesn’t have a full kitchen. Wanting to expand his horizons, David found a spot and together with Chef Chelsea White crafted a menu that takes from Toronto’s strength; Diversity. Influences from across the globe can be found in items like Nachos, Fried Rice, Souvlaki and Po’ Boys. Many of those items coming in full or snack sizes.
The Snack Shop operates out of a store front on Queen Street West. Up front is the dining area with it’s half dozen or so seats as well as couple tables beside the counter. Which is about half way through the space. The restaurant has high ceilings and is very long and narrow. Two things really stand out, first is the completely unfinished wall down one side and the enlarged 100 year old map of the city on the other. The map is beautiful with it’s collage of vintage photos adorning. The unkempt feel of the place… not so much. The kitchen is in the back and where you pick up your goodies.

And speaking of those goodies, let’s have a look at some.


They make their own hot sauce and it’s just as good as anything you’ll find anywhere. There’s a hint of smokiness that comes from Chipotle. Other than that there’s a medley of chilies and other flavourizers. The whole purpose was to make it flavourful and not just hot for hot’s sake.


The Kimchi Fried  Brown Rice is a bit of an odd dish. Brown fried rice with kimchi, oyster mushrooms, tofu and topped with grilled bok choy. What I’ve heard and read so far, for the most part matches my findings. Which are that it wasn’t really what I was expecting (not that I really know what I was expecting), wasn’t wowed by it but at the same time, found it addictive. It was slightly spicy with a bit of crunch and packed with flavour. About half way through I decided to add a bit of the hot sauce. It was just that much better. Adding another layer of flavour and kicking the spice level up a few more notches really helped solidify this dish for me.


I thought the Sweet/Spicy Wings were quite good but not really my thing. They come grilled and tossed in a maple, chili, lime, cilantro sauce. They have good flavour but I find the sauce a bit thin. I like a heftier sauce that really sticks to them. I also found that the taste was somewhat restrained whereas I like a bolder flavour. So all in all they were really good but just not what I go for.


The Cubano is one tasty sandwich. Slow roasted pork, smoked ham, slaw, grainy mustard and pickles on fresh French Bread. White Squirrel’s version of this classic Florida sandwich is fairly close to traditional. The use of grainy mustard and slaw a slight departure but it holds fairly true. And does it justice. The most pronounced flavour is the piggy, roasted pork. The rest of the ingredients all play supporting rolls. The bread is delivered fresh from a local bakery every day and is excellent.


Their Snack Shop Burger is pre ordained with a half pound of house ground beef on an egg bun with caramelized onions, pickles and dijon mustard. While it’s not my “Go to” burger (bacon, cheese, pickle, raw onion, prepared mustard) I thoroughly enjoyed this. Make no mistake though, that is because of the meat. It’s excellent. The bun is good. It doesn’t detract and is sturdy enough to stand up to the oozing juice. The toppings are okay but nicely balanced. The sweetness of the sautéed onions equally measured by the pickle and mustard. The beef is, well, beefy. It is loosely formed into a patty and though it was cooked to well done, it’s still plenty juicy. The nice thing is, it’s ground corsely enough to still have a pleasant chew. This is just a great burger.


So whether you’re stumbling out of a bar or escaping the rat race, White Squirrel has some tasty treats for you.

You can find White Squirrel Snack Shop at 507 Queen Street West in Toronto, On.

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You can also find them on the web and Twitter.



Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

A Little Taste of the Caribbean

You know the problem. You’ve spent all morning walking around a mall and it’s time for lunch. Your options are pretty much the same in just about every mall. Chains. Boring. Fortunately for us here in the GTA, in some of the B or C grade malls you’ll find a small, Caribbean franchise named Tropical Joe’s. While they have a couple other locations the only one I’ve been to is at Gerrard Square. The tiny mall in Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood anchored by Home Depot.

A few years ago I was on a bit of a Jerk Chicken kick. I'd tried about a half dozen places and while all were really good to fabulous, none were as good as the Jamaican lady's who worked the cafeteria at my work. One day I was talking to a fellow toiler and asked him where he got his fix. Being from Jamaica himself and all. I was stunned when he pointed me to a mall but I'm glad he did. This particular location, by pretty much all accounts, is the best.

So let’s have a look at these spicy tastes of the islands.

The Jerk Chicken was the first thing I sampled from here and wasn’t sure about the Chow Mein noodles. I opted for a combination of noodles and rice. Skipping the veggies. The rice is good, don’t get me wrong. Made with coconut milk and pigeon peas it was as it should be. The noodles on the other hand, made sort of pilaf style, were so much better. I’m a big fan of pasta and I guess these are close enough. They stood up nicely to the heat and juiciness of the chicken. Speaking of the chicken, the spicing was nice. Not overly hot but as you can see, if you like it a little livelier you can add hot sauce. The bird was nice and juicy which added oomph to the gravy.

Ox Tails, for those who don’t know, are the tail of a cow. As a young lad I didn’t want to try them. For some reason the name is rather off putting for people. Rest assured though,these are all cow. These ones are nice and rich. A sweet and sour sauce that’s little spicy but not much but with a big, well rounded flavour. They’re some of the meatier pieces you’ll find. At least, in this order they were. They matched perfectly with the noodles. The veggies, basted in the gravy were quite good too.

The Stew Chicken is amazing. Chopped bits of chicken in a sort of sweet and sour curry (different from the ox tail gravy) fortified with some onions. It’s also rather peppery. Not spicy though it does have a slight tingle but more just tasting of pepper. The chicken managed to stay moist even during stewing which is a huge plus. As you can probably tell I’ve landed completely in the Chow Mein noodle camp by this point.

You can find Tropical Joe’s in some Toronto area food courts but this particular, and probably best one is in Gerrard Square at 1000 Gerrard Street E. Toronto, On.

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Well that’s all for now folks, see ya next time in the food court.

Davwud

 

Secret Society

From the road it’s not much more than a worn out building. It offers very little information as to what goes on inside. For most, it wouldn’t even be noticed. Others would see Spanish merchants and not give it another glance. Within its brown and cream cloak a cabal of sorts meets. Lawyers, hair dressers and cooks, et al, offer videos, hairdos and money transfers right under the collective noses of Torontonians. They don’t advertise to the likes of me. They’re not in business to serve me. They’re there, for the most part, to serve each other.
A look around back reveals a door with basic sign saying “Food Court.” It’s as unassuming as it can be and an understatement if there ever was one. For this is no mere food court. This is an oasis. A portal to another part of the planet. A culinary vacation without ever leaving the city.
Hidden in the north west corner of the city, el Mercado Latino or Plaza Latina is a gem among jewels. Catering to the growing GTA Latin American community it’s anchor shop is Autentica Spanish Food and Empanadas. Of which I wrote earlier.
For the rest of the food court, English is an almost ignored language both written and spoken. It’s somewhat ramshackle in appearance with kiosks looking more like they were built by a local handyman rather than a licensed contractor. It can be intimidating I’ll admit. Even off putting. But muster up your courage and you’ll enjoy some genuine Latin flavour.Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador and even Cuba are among the countries represented here. Easily identified by the flags above. If not by a little deductive reasoning. 

First and foremost, don’t let the language barrier worry you. Most vendors have pictures at which you can point and generally speak decent, broken English. In fact the younger, the more likely they are to speak it. Secondly, I’ve noticed that anywhere you go, if you show interest in another peoples food they really open up to you. 

So on with the food.

Most items are cooked to order. Generally you place your order and take a seat. They bring out your goodies when they’re ready.

Being Latin it’s no surprise most vendors have “Real Coke.” That is, Coca-Cola made with cane sugar and not that health political hot potato HFCS. I prefer the diet versions of soft drinks but every once in a while it’s nice for a change. This version from Mexico is far better than that of Canada or the US. It’s smoother, less carbonated and doesn’t have a harsh sweetness associated with HFCS. This is why we fell in love with the drink in the first place.

El Sabroson

Who knew Peruvian food was so good. Other than Peruvians of course. East meets west in Peru where conquest from Spanish and immigration from China have shaped the cuisine. The name of this place says it all; “Delicious.”
Lomo Saltado is another shining example of fusion food. A simple Chinese stir fry mixed with French fries to create this conglomeration. It came nicely presented with a mound of rice at one end but the game plan here is to get the rice to the bottom of the dish and have it soak up the oils and grease. As is pictured below. This dish was stunningly good. It’s always great when one minute you don’t even know a food exists and the next you’re eating one of the tastiest things you’ve ever had. You have to wonder how anyone could keep it a secret. It’s the type of dish that is probably better the more greasy it is. Comfort food, hangover food, fusion food. Call it what you will but ultimately it’s delicious food.
As was the Jalea. Corn meal battered and fried seafood topped with a garnish of Peruvian Creole saladAt first bite, (shrimp with no garnish) it seemed rather boring. What makes this dish is the pickled onions and tomatoes. Contrasted with the heavier fried shrimp, calamari and fish it was excellent. I found the fried yucca side to be somewhat plain. That’s what yucca is though. Like a mild, starchy potato.
A hot sauce was provided that was bordering on deadly. This seemed to be little more than pureed habaneros. I didn’t add any since it didn’t need it.

Comedor Popular Ecuatoriano

Meaning, Popular Ecuadorian Dining room this stall is tucked into the corner and serves up some great soups (sopa) and ceviche. A number of other diners had terrific smelling soup from this vendor. We opted for ceviche though.

Ceviche is seafood “Cooked” in citrus juice. Rather than heat cooking the protein, the acid in the juice cooks it. The result is a fresh tasting, tart dish that’s sweetened slightly by the sugars pulled out of the added vegetables. Most often red onion and tomato. A little cilantro for garnish and colour rounds out the dish. As one can imagine, this ceviche mixto is just terrific. A seafood medeley of shrimp, scallops, mussels and calamari tossed with the vegetation. Keep in mind that a minimum of 15 minutes is required for the citric acid to work it’s magic.

La Fuenta del Puro Sabor

Translated to mean “the source of pure flavour”, more foods hailing from Ecuador are featured in this stall. They specialize in natural fruit juices. This mango shake, more like a smoothie in consistency was fantastic. A velvety texture and sublime mango taste was fabulous.

La Costenita Colombia

Near as I can tell, this translates to “The Colombian Coast.” During a crawl around the city sampling Colombian empanadas we paid a visit. Empanadas are a meat and potato filled pocket pie. Other meats and even veggie filled empanadas are sometimes offered but here it’s the Colombian standard beef and potato.The empanadas are cornmeal breaded and have a potatoey tasting filling similar to that of a samosa. They’re quite good.

Much better are the pupusas though. Especially when paired with the shredded cabbage. The fried tortilla is stuffed with cheese and pork and is just tasty.

For desert a dulce de leche churro from Autentica was the perfect finish.

You can find the el Mercado Latino at 9 Milvan Drive in Toronto, Ontario.

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Well that’s all for now from the Latin food court. Check back in for updates as I work my way through this place.

Davwud

Pho Saigon, Newmarket, On

Soup of the Gods

As I’ve pointed out in the past, the influence of one culture on another helps make exceptional cuisine. I also pointed out the French influence on Vietnamese cooking as well. You need look no further than the national dish of Vietnam, Pho. Born of the French stew Pot au Feu and adapted by Vietnamese people this dish can also be traced back to China. The resulting melting pot of ingredients, Chinese noodles in a French style beef broth with south Asian spices and vegetables makes for a very light yet hearty, simple yet complex dish.

Pronounced F–uh it seems to have been invented in the northern part of Vietnam in the early part of the 20th century. Simply noodles in beef broth with meat if affordable and/or available. The dish migrated south after the partitioning of Vietnam into two countries in the mid 1950’s. Perhaps as a way of distinguishing the dish from ones served in communist North Vietnam the democratic south started garnishing their soup with things like bean sprouts, lime juice, hoisin and various herbs. The introduction of Pho to North America further developed it into the soup we know today by introducing different meats such as chicken and shrimp. Purists scoff at this as traditionally a cook was judged on the delicate balance of the broth.

As with Fight Club, the first rule of Pho is there are no rules. You order a bowl of broth and noodles and whatever protein or combination there of you like with it. A popular choice is slices of rare and well done beef. A plate of bean sprouts, lime wedges, basil and a chili pepper are joined by the hoisin, fish sauce and chili sauce on the table. Mix and match, customize your bowl as you see fit. This may bristle some from the north but it’s up to you how you enjoy something. I always add a healthy squirt of hoisin and as much sriracha (chili sauce) as I feel I can handle. A few bean sprouts for crunch and I’m good to go.
Etiquette is also pretty loose. As with most Asian noodle dishes, slurping is allowed if not encouraged. Typically the broth is eaten with a spoon and then the solids are eaten with chop sticks.
For us, the best locally is at Pho Saigon.

The small restaurant in the Quaker Hill strip mall is just about as good as it gets. More than just a soup kitchen they offer noodle and rice dishes as well as appetizers. Shakes from different south Asian fruits like durian and jack fruit are joined by bubble teas.

Just about as addictive as the soup are the spring rolls. The shrimp and pork are tasty and very fresh. We ordered a sampler platter that also included pork spring rolls and egg rolls. The pork rolls are also very fresh tasting and as you can see, the egg rolls are deep fried and very full of meat. The fish sauce is good and goes with anything but the peanut sauce is amazing. It’s absolutely fabulous with the two spring rolls.

From the Rice part of the menu they have this incarnation of Pork Chop, Shredded Pork and Steamed Egg. Again, there's few rules there but generally you use the fish sauce (orange kind) the rice and then augment that with any of the other things. I added some of the shredded pork and a bit of egg. It was fantastic. As well, the pork chop was very tasty. A definite hit.


Also from the appetizer department are the Wings. If you’re a wing lover, you could do worse than visit an Asian restaurant to satisfy your craving. Simply put, most Asian restaurants make great wings. Deep fried and generally plain where these things shine is in the sauce. Most offer a sauce that’s a well rounded balance of sweet, sour and spicy. Pho Saigon’s editions are very hot. Medium is not for beginners. At first you may not think so but get a few in you and you’ll find they pack a wallop. They also have a nice deep, sweet, garlicky flavour, are cripsy yet still allow the chicken to shine through. Some of the best wings I’ve had.

 

We ventured into the noodles section of the menu as well. The noodle dishes are similar to the Pho but without the broth. The Vietnamese style fish sauce that accompanies is supposed to be poured over and eaten. I added some hoisin and sriracha of course.


You’re greeted with a nice pot of green tea which is always nice.

You can find Pho Saigon at 16925 Yonge St. in Newmarket, Ontario.

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Well that’s all for today. Hope to see you again in the food court.


Davwud

What Everyone Who Loves to Cook Wants to Do

For anyone who loves to cook, the dream of some day opening their own place never dies. Most people though never act on it. The reasons will vary from fear of failure to job security. It would be difficult to give up everything you have to venture into the restaurant business. It’s a cruel and unforgiving trade. Most don’t make it.
In 1970 when Jeslin Needham immigrated to Canada opening a restaurant was simply a dream. Trying to establish yourself in a new country and raise a family isn’t a time to gamble. Thought she was always in the kitchen preparing dinner, readying for back yard BBQ’s or family gatherings job security was important. So she took a job at an accounting firm. Ever the loyal employee, Jeslin toiled away at virtually the same job for some 30 years. Never getting ahead.
Finally in 2004 enough was enough. Tired of the long commute and same old boring job, Jeslin took the advice of her friends and family. “You should open your own place” they’d say so that’s precisely what she did. Taking the recipes she learned at the feet of her grandmother in Jamaica, she leased out a small unit in an industrial mall in Newmarket and started gaving the locals “A Taste of the Islands.”

Offering the best of Jamaica, A Taste of the Islands would build a loyal following which included myself. Business was such that her son Richard joined her within the first year. Together they served up the Jerk, Curry and stews that have made Jamaican food famous. Although doing well, the tiny take out place near Yonge and Mulock wasn’t THE dream. After five years of learning the business it was time to open a proper sit down restaurant. The new place is bigger with a proper dining room and an expanded menu with items such as Jerk Shrimp added. Soon there will be a liquor license and island drinks and beer will flow.

When it comes to the food, “Everything irie.”
I’ve had almost everything on the menu except for the new items. It’s all good and it’s all (just about) made on site. The only exceptions are the patties (Non Nisa/Tastee) and roti skins (hand made though).
The Oxtails are simply superb although not spicy. They have a rich gravy and are slow cooked until the meat is so tender. Oxtails aren’t for everyone though. They’re rather fatty which also makes them greasy. Greasy in a good way I say.

The Jerk Chicken is spicy, slightly salty and very robust. The chicken is slow roasted in the island spice paste until it’s fall apart tender. It had enough heat although if I were in the mood, I’d have kicked it up a bit.

The rice and peas that come with it are also very nicely cooked. The extra gravy we asked for went nicely with it without drowning. A fantastic fresh slaw accompanied our entrées.
Based on the fact that their Curry Chicken and Curry Goat are both great I can assume the roti is fabulous as well.
Once they’re in the swing of things at the new place, a Saturday special will alternate between Akee and Saltfish (the national dish of Jamaica) and Liver and Onions. The Akee as I can attest is fantastic. I do add a bit of hot sauce to mine as I like it a little hotter than they serve it.
They also carry a selection of island soft drinks including the favourite Ting.
You can find A Taste of the Islands at 16700 Bayview Ave. in Newmarket, Ontario.

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You can also find them on the web

Well that’s all for now.


Davwud