Story & Photography | Renée S. Suen
The past few years have taught the city and its restaurant operators much about change, with many casualties along the way. But the pandemic has also been an opportunity for others to thrive and gain confidence.
Curryish Tavern 783 Queen Street West, 416-392-7837, curryishtavern.ca
For a taste of contemporary, locally inspired Indian cuisine, step into chef/owner Miheer Shete’s Queen West restaurant that’s less fusion and more of an evolution of southern Indian cuisine.
The former chef de cuisine at Oliver & Bonacini’s Jump and firsttime restaurateur’s concept was birthed during the pandemic, with a successful, oft sold-out pop-up. Using techniques from his European culinary training, Shete’s fresh interpretations of classic Indian fare come to the table as refined share-friendly courses bursting with vibrant colours and striking a balance in terms of flavours and textures.
Artist Yesha Thakre was commissioned to create the captivating mural depicting a modern Indian woman, which can be likened to Shete’s Toronto Indian cooking.
Take a seat in the long exposed brick-clad room, either in its airy front dining space, flushed along the central space’s bar, or in warm and cozy booth seating with views of the open kitchen in the back.
Order a glass from the all-Ontario wine list, or a local craft beer, or a cocktail that draws from the Indian pantry. Try the highly quaffable rose syrup-spiked Gulabi Mood that’s made with gin, vodka and tequila. Or, there’s the Ginger Mojito sweetened with jaggery (unrefined sugar cane) and spiked with a generous amount of fresh ginger.
Food wise, there are street food-inspired bites, like a colourful Yellowfin Tuna Tartare Pani Puri. Here, squid ink-stained puffed puri shells are filled with a mix of rich yellowfin tuna and sweet Ontario peach chutney, spiked with chaat masala and finished with a drizzle of pudina jaljeera (a loose sauce made from tamarind, mint and cilantro).
The yellowfin tuna tartare tani puri is served in squid ink-stained puffed puri shells.
Unconventional Curried Stracciatella with Heirloom Tomato Salad coats homemade stracciatella with ginger tadka dressing and is served with heirloom tomatoes and crispy homemade tapioca poppadum. It’s a dish that showcases Shete’s familiarity with Italian techniques, as is the incredible Aloo Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower Curry. This is the chef’s vegan-friendly interpretation of the classic potato and cauliflower dish that serves a wedge of the tamarind-glazed cauliflower over a silky moat of coconut curry with spears of grilled romanesco and supple tadka-flavoured gnocchi.
The aloo gnocchi with roasted cauliflower curry is a must order.
There’s a stunning Coconut Vatan Stuffed Whole Branzino and Ghee Confit Duck Leg in a light and delicious Quebec foie grasmounted Maharashtrian goda masala curry. The latter is unctuous and delicious, and best mopped up with an order of Montreal-Style Bagel Paratha.
The ghee confit duck leg is served in a light and delicious Quebec foie grasmounted Maharashtrian goda masala curry
The stunning coconut vatan stuffed whole branzino is dressed tableside with a turmeric-stained lemon butter sauce.
Although many Indian desserts are frighteningly sweet, the Newfoundland Screech Rum Soaked Gulab Jamun is a delightful cardamom, cinnamon and star anise open crumb cake. Topped with whipped mascarpone cream, delicate crushed rose petals and a spiced pistachio crumble, this isn’t a dessert you’d want to share.
The cardamom, cinnamon and star anise gulab jamun open crumb cake is soaked in Newfoundland Screech rum and topped with whipped mascarpone cream, rose petals and spiced pistachio crumble.
Miss Likklemore’s 433 King Street West, 647-484-8789, misslikklemores.com
Founded by Darren Hinds of The Good Son and head chef Lonie Murdock, this partnership with Scale Hospitality is the splashy new King West home of pandemic pop-up sensation Miss Likklemore.
Serving upscale Caribbean-inspired fare, the menu showcases flavourforward dishes that are based on family recipes from the Caribbean with global flavours and spices. Surrounded by art from the island, dine at one of 64 seats in Miss
Likklemore’s rich and warm toned room, where lush leathers and velvets mingle with rattan, wicker and brass hardware. Relax with a glass from the restaurant’s carefully curated international wine list or chosen from their deep 100-plus catalogue of the Caribbean’s finest rums and beyond.
Block Plan Studios is responsible for the luxe rustic Caribbean look of Miss Likklemore’s room.
Crafted cocktails include fruity Sweet Ting that’s made with Grey Goose vodka, Pierre Ferrand curaçao, watermelon and lime juice, or the Island Frank that uses Bombay bramble gin and ting.
The family-style menu leans into Murdock’s Jamaican roots and is full of punchy flavours. Besides a tasting of homemade hot sauces that range from mild serrano to tastes-like-fire Trinidad Scorpion peppers, there are dishes injected with nostalgia, including Likkle Patties, dainty hand pies stuffed with braised oxtail and spicy beef, and served with a fermented mango hot sauce.
Likkle patties are dainty hand pies stuffed with braised oxtail and spicy beef that come with fermented mango hot sauce.
Those who love the flavours and textures of braised meats will love the refined slow braised oxtail dish that’s served with spinners (dumplings).
Meanwhile, crowd-pleasing Fried Rock Shrimp is served with Caribbean pepper aioli, a nod to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
There’s colourful and elegant Sea Bream Crudo that’s brightened up by charred pineapple and pineapple ponzu, while the Nuff Nuff Slaw is packed with 21 crisp, springy and crunchy seasonal ingredients tossed in a papaya vinaigrette. Even the sides are impressive, including a four-inch-tall Mac Pie that’s bound together with cheddar and mozzarella, and served on a creamy pepper sauce.
Fried rock shrimp comes with Caribbean pepper aioli.
The sea bream crudo takes on a tropical character with charred pineapple and pineapple ponzu.
Miss Likklemore’s fried madai snapper features meaty and sweet filets that have a light potato starch crust.
For mains, the restaurant’s Fried Madai Snapper is a deboned potato starch-crusted marvel with a side of escovitch and a citrus relish. Based on Murdock’s grandmother’s recipe, Miss Edna’s Jerk Chicken is a delightful dish that’s marinated for 48 hours before grilling. But the must-not miss is the Slow Braised Oxtail that refines the rustic and transforms the traditional dish’s use of braised butter beans as decorative dots and serves it with spinners (dumplings).
Available half or whole, Miss Edna’s jerk chicken dish is full of flavour and finished on the grill.
But save room for Miss Paula’s Carrot Cake—an item that graces every table—and is Hinds’ mother’s recipe. Served whole, the moist and tender cake is blanketed in cream cheese frosting with candied ginger and walnut crumble.
A staple on every table, Miss Paula’s carrot cake is a whole tender cake topped with ample cream cheese frosting, candied ginger and walnut crumble.
