This Toronto trip has been a long time coming. We originally planned a trip back in May 2020 before the whole world effectively shut down. Two years later, we've finally made it!
It was an early morning flight so we were running on only a few hours of sleep. But because we're on vacation, the anticipation and excitement certainly helps outweigh the fatigue.
On this trip, we had myself, LT, ST, and KE. It was essentially a big birthday trip since three of us had birthdays all within the week. Libras represent!
We stayed at a hotel just five minutes from CN Tower. We were a few hours early for check-in but thankfully our room was already good to go! After dropping off our luggage and freshening up, we set out for our first meal of the day.
Banh Mi Boys has been around for at least a decade and has become almost a signature Toronto food spot. They take traditional components of a banh mi and combine them with different flavours and proteins.
We didn't want to be too full for our dinner plans so we got their steamed baos instead of a full banh mi. LT got the 5 spice pork belly ($4.75) while I got the fried chicken ($5.00). The steamed bao was fluffy and the fried chicken was hot and crispy. There was a bit of mayo to help with dryness while the cucumber and pickled carrots kept things nice and fresh. A good bang for your buck at Banh Mi Boys!
We ventured further down Spadina Ave into Chinatown territory. Our next stop was at Dainties Macaron where they specialize in Korean-style macarons. What sets these apart from regular macarons is the amount of filling between the shells. It's almost double or triple the average amount of buttercream.
Dainties have almost 25 flavours to choose from. A lot of them are Asian-inspired like injeolmi, Hong Kong milk tea, and red bean. I went for the roasted black sesame ($2.95) while LT chose dalgona ($2.95). The shells were a bit hard so it might be best to wait for the macarons to come to room temperature. I actually think I prefer regular macarons since I found the ratio of filling to shell to be off. Definitely a cute place to visit though.
Just a couple of shops over was Icha Tea. Quenced our thirst with an iced mango jasmine tea. Not too bad, though I wish I had gotten pearls with it.
From there, we walked over to Nathan Phillips Square where the iconic Toronto sign is. Also a cool view at night but unfortunately we never made it back to see it lit up.
Killed some more time exploring Yonge-Dundas Square. This always gets compared to New York's Time Square but it's not all that exciting. After a quick browse around the Muji close by, we walked back to the hotel to rest up before dinner.
While I was making our itinerary, one of ST's must-visit places was PAI, a northern Thai restaurant. They're one of the top recommended places on Yelp and after our visit, I can definitely see why. We didn't have a reservation going in so we had to wait close to an hour. It was a bit cold and rainy that evening, so it felt like heaven sent when we finally got the call that our table was ready.
The restaurant is located down a set of stairs and is absolutely huge. When we were following the hostess to our table, it honestly felt like a never-ending maze.
From left to right, we ordered khao soi with beef ($21.00), Chef Nuit pad Thai with shrimp ($23.00), green curry with chicken ($23.00), and pad gra prow with chicken ($21.00). I love how you can select different proteins for each dish since KE doesn't eat pork.
Khao soi is a coconut curry soup with fresh egg noodles, crispy noodles, and garnished with coriander and green onions. The braised beef was sort of a mixed bag, some pieces were tender while others were tough.
The pad Thai was probably one of the best pad Thai's that I've tried. Good amount of wok heat and properly balanced in flavours.
The green curry was served in an actual coconut with a side of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf. Lots of chicken hidden within. Medium spice level.
My favourite dish that we had was the pad gra prow. Ground chicken stir-fried with Thai basil, onions, and peppers. It's served on top of steamed jasmine rice with a wispy fried egg. The stir-fry is a bit greasy, but it has a strong oyster sauce flavour with a black pepper finish. I'm on the hunt to find this dish in Edmonton. Will keep you updated when I do!
And that concludes our first day in Toronto! Oh sorry, To-ron-o.
- CT
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