Last month, I spent a week in downtown Toronto, schooling in the ways of SAP, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that is popular among medium and large scale enterprises. Since my course was 5 days long, I was initially apprehensive about being unable to sate my foodie appetites for a week. Toronto is a big city. It has much to offer foodie-wise, but culinary adventure is limited when you are unfamiliar with Toronto's public transit system and you've a grueling day's instruction the following morning. Happily, if your hotel just happens to be located on Bloor, 10 paces from Yonge Street, finding a decent meal isn't difficult.

After I checked into my hotel, I went looking for a convenience store to purchase a calling card. During my search, I noticed that I was famished and stopped by a cafe-style Vietnamese restaurant, called Ginger (695 Yonge Street). There, I ordered a really nice bowl of pho, but what really impressed me was the sheer variety of inexpensive menu items available and the large number of people Ginger served. When I finished my meal, a quick glance at the latest set of patrons and their orders compelled me to return. I even took a colleague to Ginger the following Thursday to introduce her to pho.

However, it's not the pho that I enjoyed most. It's the bahn mi, the Vietnamese incarnation of the submarine sandwich.

Beef and Chicken Bahn Mi

Beef Bahn Mi - Close-up

Chicken Bahn Mi - Close-up
After I observed two of the line cooks polish off a couple of the sandwiches on their break, I told myself that I had to give it a try. Made to order, these sandwiches featured either thin cuts of chicken breast or thinly shaved beef. Each seemed marinated in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce that reminded me of Thai sweet chili. When ordered, the meat was seared on the griddle and then placed into a buttered crusty roll with plenty of pickled daikon and carrots and young stalks of cilantro. Oddly missing was the thin slather of liver pate that is characteristic of bahn mi, but the full seared flavors more than made up for it. The meat was tender and savory. The vegetation provided bright herbal flavors and textural contrast. Both the chicken and beef bahn mi were delicious.

The crusty roll actually reminded me of the "paposeco rolls" from the Ace Bakery that are sold by the Superstore back home.

Supermarket Paposeco Roll

For breakfast the next morning, against my better judgement, I went to the nearby Tim Horton's for a Bagel, Egg, Lettuce, and Tomato (BELT) sandwich and a cup of joe. Considering that most Timmies aren't equipped with a flat top or griddle, the sandwich's egg and bacon are more than likely ready-made and microwaved. This explained the unnatural round shape of the bacon and the strange rubbery texture of the eggs. Gratefully, I discovered that SAP courses come with complimentary coffee and muffins, so breakfast was sorted for the rest of my stay.

Here's what a Timmie's BELT is supposed to look like:

Timmie's BELT as advertised

For lunch, I dined with the rest of my fellow students in the underground food court, linking the SAP learning center and the connected mall next door. Twice, I went to the Soup It Up for the sandwich and salad special. Neither special warranted any pictures.

On Thursday, however, I ate at Druxy's, a familiar purveyor of deli sandwiches. There, I had the "chicken special", which was worth writing about. With its smear of mayo, fresh lettuce, sweet tomato, swiss cheese, grilled chicken breast, bacon, and sliced avocado, the sandwich demonstrated perfect flavor and texture harmony. Sweet and bright tomatoes balanced the savory chicken and salty bacon. Crunchy lettuce balanced the firm meat, crisp bacon, and soft avocado.

On Tuesday evening, I wandered into a Popeye's for some fried chicken for supper. Ottawa actually has no Popeye's Chicken and Seafood location, so the restaurant was novel to me.

Signage

Toonie Two Piece Chicken Deal

Close Up
I found Popeye's chicken's crust both thicker and much darker than what I was used to. The chicken itself looked over fried and had a very greasy mouth feel. I finished one piece before I came to my senses and disposed of the other. This is when it dawned on me that the chicken most likely sat under a heating lamp and was re-fried when served.

My Friday class ended at 1:00 pm so I took a final stroll before having a late lunch and catching my train home. This is when I decided that I couldn't leave Toronto without having sushi of some form. With luggage in tow, I stopped at Natural Japanese Restaurant (714 Yonge) for an Okinawa combo.

Restaurant Interior

Salad Appetizer

Okinawa Combo: Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, and Crab Nigiri + California Rolls
Alas the sushi was little better than the buffet-eria-style sushi from typical all-you-can eat restaurants. The California rolls were poorly constructed and the nigiri was somewhat unevenly formed. Fortunately, the fish was fresh and the rice was loosely packed so each piece fell apart in my mouth as they should. Cost: $10.99 before taxes or tip.

Nevertheless, I realized that I needed to pickup something for dinner during the trip home, so I ordered a cooked combo, called Kyoto Sushi on the menu. Cost: $11.99 before taxes or tip.

Kyoto Sushi Combo: shrimp, crab, egg, and surf clam + salmon tempura rolls + eel hand roll
The combo served me well on the train ride home. I actually found that I enjoyed the cooked combo better than the raw. Particularly, the salmon in the maki was fatty and fresh, imparting both a pleasant flavor and texture.

This Just In: If you're interested in making authentic bahn mi at home, head over to the Wandering Chopsticks blog. There, you will find recipes for a grilled pork bahn mi (banh mi thit heo nuong), a breakfast (egg) bahn mi (banh mi hot ga op), a barbecued pork bahn mi (banh mi xa xiu), and even a meatball bahn mi (banh mi xiu mai). For the record, the characteristic pickled daikon and carrots are called "do chua." I gather they can be purchased at an Asian market.

Menus follow after the jump:


Druxy's Menu

Front

Inside

Natural Japanese Restaurant Menu

Front

Inside

Back

Particulars:
Ginger
695 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
(416)966-2424

Natural Japanese Restaurant
714 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
(416)921-8988

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