sammysamstyle

Travel Dates: 06/10/23 to 06/13/23

Love for the 6ix.

It’s a vibe in the 6ix. I get it now. I completely understand why Drake is down for Toronto. The city has an underground big city feel. It’s lively and filled with vibrant people with great style and flair. I found the people of Toronto to be pretty friendly and my preconception of Torontonians definitely changed after my trip.

On our first day, we walked the streets of Dundas Street West and coincidentally we came across Do West Fest. Many gathered on a hot summer day to enjoy the festivity with an array of shopping, food, art and music. As well, we saw flocks of people proudly wearing Portugal football jerseys and waving the nation’s flags as they celebrated Portugal Day.

At Do West Fest, I was utterly surprise to see rows and rows of vendors selling consignment fashion. I am always on the lookout for summer dresses, vintage tees and trench coats but I didn’t come across any to my liking. My only purchase was a beautiful embroidered crop top with fringe details from an Indonesian vendor. The crop top was around $25 dollars which wasn’t too bad. There were many food vendors and trucks along the streets selling all kinds of delicious food. I saw a massive line-up for lamb and jumbo octopus tentacle skewers so I had to try it. I can’t believe two skewers cost me $30! It was good but in the future, I don’t think I would pay that much for skewers. To avoid the extreme heat, we settled on a Thai restaurant for some refreshing cold beers and cocktails to quench our thirst. We picked the spot because they had a live DJ playing old school R&B and Hip Hop which was definitely our kind of vibe.

With the diversity and amplitude of cultures found in the 6ix, the city is not short of amazing restaurants. I got to enjoy $2.50 Jamaican patties on Kensington, delicious Korean BBQ on a rainy evening, Neapolitan pizza for takeout, to modern Japanese snacks while listening to hip hop music. So many great coffee shops with stellar decor serving delicious coffee. Toronto is not short of things to enjoy and see. Don’t be shock but this is my first time in Toronto! And it’s definitely not my last.

Take a peak of the things I enjoyed in the 614. Please note, no sign of Drake. Sad vibes for my boyfriend who loves Drake more than me!

Restaurants To Visit

Daldongnae Korean BBQ (Christie)

Address: 658 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1K9

Website: www.daldongnaebbq.com

A forecast of heavy rain when we touched down in Koreatown for delicious Korean Table BBQ at Daldongnae Korean BBQ. The place was packed! As I believe everyone was in-sync and desired to satisfy their grilled meat and soju cravings.

At Daldongnae, the barbeque requires a minimum order of two servings of meats accompany with free service of corn cheese, egg, lettuce, soybean stew and banjan (side dishes). The highlight for me at any Korean bbq joint is when the server comes out with the many banjans. We were served pickled cucumbers, bean sprouts, mung bean jelly, mash potatoes and seaweed salad with our meal. I can’t believe the corn cheese and soybean stew were free. The corn cheese had to be the best corn cheese I ever had and the soybean stew was delicious!

We ordered two servings of meat which included the classic samgyeopsal (pork belly) and beef chuck steak. To accompany our grilled meats we ordered a spicy cold noodle salad. The spicy cold noodle salad was refreshing and the toppings were plentiful. Crisp apple, lettuce, red cabbage, cucumber, white cabbage, red and yellow peppers. I really enjoyed the dish and it was plated beautifully.

Overall, I enjoyed our food experience at Daldongnae. Not only that but the lively atmosphere, the bustling of fellow patrons clinking their beer glasses and the Korean music blasting throughout the restaurant. Rain or shine, it’s always a good time for Korean bbq!

What we ordered: Pork Belly, Beef Chuck Steak and Spicy Cold Noodle Salad

Hanmoto

Address: 2 Lakeview Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 3B1

Instagram: @hanm0t0

Hanmoto is a quaint izakaya spot which gives off a Japanese alleyway vibe where all the cool kids go for modern Japanese snacks and drinks. Already we knew the place would be a hot spot for dinner as there was a waiting list to get in. As you enter Hanmoto, you are welcome with flea market decor, friendly staff and lively hip hop music.

We ordered five dishes to share amongst us three. My favourite item had to be the Hot Hot Tofu. I really enjoyed the texture and flavour of the dish. It had a mixture of sweet, sour and spicy. The dish included cold silken tofu, cucumbers, chili oil, nori, cilantro, arare (Japanese crackers) and pickled chilis.

What we ordered: Hot Hot Tofu, Oysters, Salmon Aburi, Nasu Dengaku and Dyno Wings

Pizzeria Libretto

Address: 221 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Z8

Website: www.pizzerialibretto.com

Pizzeria Libretto has five locations in Toronto serving authentic Neapolitan pizza. They source local ingredients and the pizza doughs are sourdough base which are fermented for 72 hours, cooked at 850° in a brick oven to achieve a charred and blistered crust.

I had a photoshoot scheduled with my buddy, Gregg so my boyfriend went to pick up Neapolitan pizza at Pizzeria Libretto. I picked this spot because it had really good ratings online and it was a close walk from our Airbnb.

The Margherita Con Prosciutto came with san marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil, arugula, parma prosciutto, and parmigiano-reggiano. The Pepperoni pizza contained cup & char pepperoni, fior di latte mozzarella, san marzano tomato, and fresh basil. The two Neapolitan pizzas were devoured in seconds! I was very impressed and would love to come back again.

What we ordered: Margherita Con Prosciutto & Arugula and Pepperoni

Golden Patty

Address: 187 Baldwin St, Toronto, ON M5T 1L8

It was only right to visit at least one spot for Jamaican patties especially, when there is a large Jamaican population in Ontario. We made our way to Kensington Market and searched for Golden Patty. FYI, Golden Patty was featured on “About To Eat” YouTube channel with guest, Simu Liu, Toronto raised actor. Golden Patty was one of his top restaurant picks to visit when you are in the city.

The Jamaican patties were inexpensive and there were so many types to choose from. My favourite had to be the spicy beef. It was savoury and I enjoyed the little kick. I was surprise that 4 patties cost me only $10. The stuffing is not a lot but for $2.50 each, it’s a perfect snack to enjoy while walking around the area and enjoying Kensington Market.

What we ordered: 1 Spicy Beef, 2 Jerk Chicken and 1 Jerk Pork

Pho Tien Thanh

Address: 57 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Y9

No frill restaurant recognized on the Michelin Guide serving classic Vietnamese fare such as hearty bowls of pho, broken rice and vermicelli bowls. We came here on our first and last day. On our first day it was the weekend so the place was pretty packed but we were fortunate we didn’t have to wait too long. Make sure to bring cash on the weekend as they do not take any cards but there is an ATM available. I tried the classic, Pho Dac Biet and it was pretty good. The broth was flavourful. Slightly oil and sweet. The only thing we were surprise about were the noodles were soft compared to what we are use to back home. It may be the different type of noodles used but we preferred the noodles to have more chew. Overall, great spot to get your pho fixing!

What we ordered: Pho Dac Biet (House Special Beef Noodle Soup), Pho Tai Sach (Rare Beef & Tripe Noodle Soup) and Bun Nem Nuong Thit Nuong (Meatball, BBQ Pork and Meatball Vermicelli)

Ramen Isshin

Address: 609 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 2B7

Website: www.ramenisshin.com

A nice bowl of ramen on a beautiful sunny day calls for a cold glass of Asahi beer to accompany. I ordered the roasted garlic shoyu ramen while my sister and boyfriend ordered their classic shoyu. Overall it was pretty solid. Nice rich, flavourful broth, chewy noodles and tender chashu.

What we ordered:自家製麻油でガーリック醤油らーめん - ROASTED GARLIC SHOYU and ガッツリこってり醤油らーめん - KOTTERI RICH SHOYU

Juicy Dumpling

Address: 280 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5T 0A1

Website: www.juicydumpling.ca

We were already full from our lunch but we couldn’t miss out on a staple restaurant located in Chinatown serving inexpensive Shanghai-style dumplings, pan-fried dumplings and deep fried chicken. We shared six pieces of xiao long baos which cost us $2.99. What a bargain!

What we ordered: 6 Pieces of Steamed Mini Soup Dumpling (Pork)

Coffee Spots

Coffee spots in Toronto are pretty dope. Such beautiful spaces in their own unique style serving amazing coffee and speciality drinks. I enjoyed my fair share of Cold Brews with extra ice; my boyfriend had two ice lattes a day; and, my sister was the adventurous one with her specialty drinks. She tried the Hojicha Latte from Rooms Coffee, Ice Matcha Latte from Woolshed, and Sesame Seed Latte from Forget Me Not. She enjoyed all the different lattes but the one that stood out for her was the latte from Founds Coffee.

Toronto is not short of cool coffee shops to discover to get your caffeine fix!