Chiado

864 College Street
Toronto, ON

416-538-1910

In her opinion:
My husband had a lot to do with this meal...he had simply asked why we were doing only two Summerlicious events. He was right! Why only two? We had had a beautiful dinner at Bent and then the perfect anniversary dinner at Canoe, why not go for a third?

After checking to see what was still available on such short notice, I was lucky enough to book a table for three (we brought our non-foodie child with us) at Chiado on a Friday afternoon for lunch on Sunday, the last day of Summerlicious! We have had many good meals here and Portuguese food is still my favourite, so why not indulge at a fraction of the price!

When we arrived at Chiado, we were shown to our table in the Senhor Antonio section of the restaurant. We got a table near the bar. This section of the restaurant wasn't too full and that was actually nice as we felt we got great service from our waiter, Stanislav. 

Stanislav filled our water glasses right away, while another waiter brought us Portuguese corn and white bread, beautiful black olives and filled our tiny side bowls with excellent olive oil. They also brought out some butter for our picky eater. Stanislav then took our drink orders, I started with a glass of Alandra White. This was a lovely wine full of fruit and floral aromas. It tasted clean, fresh and well balanced. It was perfect for my seafood heavy meal.

For my appetizer, I ordered the "Grilled Sardines with lemon, garlic, extra virgin olive oil."

This was just so good. I love bbq sardines as any good Portuguese person would and these did not disappoint. I received two beautiful, de-boned sardines on a lovely lemony salad of fennel. I really enjoyed this appetizer which was a refined version of something that can be quite homey!

For my main, I ordered the "Filet of Seabream" (dourada) with a warm salad of green beans"

This was half a seabream, filleted and beheaded which was perfectly cooked. It was seasoned just right. The warm salad had green beans and gorgeous beets in a light vinaigrette. I really enjoyed this component of the dish. Beets are quite underrated and actually when prepared correctly can make any dish magic, much like they did on this plate.

For dessert, I picked the "White chocolate Flan". It was served to us by the Executive Sous Chef at Chiado, Sergio Abrunho. A young chef from Madeira who we follow on Twitter. Sergio also brought out a lovely plate of cookies (Ethan appreciated this gesture very much and grabbed one before the camera could even capture it). The flan was served with lovely berries and a berry coulis. This was a delectable light dessert. I thought it was the perfect ending to our meal.

Overall, I would say that this was an excellent lunch. The service was excellent, the food was delicious and the overall experience was very good. I wouldn't hesitate to return to Chiado.


In his opinion:
For those of you unfamiliar with Chiado, (there shouldn't be any of you) this restaurant has been a staple in the fine dining scene in Toronto for many years. It is my favourite Portuguese restaurant in Canada but not only because the ratings say so. It consistently delivers great food, amazing ambiance and service that is unparalleled in this city.

I admit that I struggle to contain any bias I may have when I describe this restaurant but considering that in most of my experiences at Chiado happen with me surrounded by non-Portuguese, then somehow any feelings of patriotism that may come through are dissipated by the authenticity of the food.

The restaurant, properly divided into 2 main rooms is elegant without being stuffy, some might even describe it as having an "Old World Ambiance". Throw away the pretentiousness and the desperate need to be hip, found in most TO restaurants and you'll find Chiado, a lovely dining room with timeless elegance that is so uncool that it is actually pretty cool.

I started off with a glass of red wine while feeling torn between choosing what item of the menu I wanted as appetizer and the idea that I could not sample it all as I so deeply wanted. Everything sounded amazing and my choice became arduous. I finally had to chose one, so I did,  the "Tartar of Salmon" served with avocado mousse and fresh apple.

This had to be some of the best Salmon tartar that I have ever had, if not the best. The salmon tasted unbelievably fresh, fluffy, cut into perfectly cubed pieces with a faint hint of citrus and involving tiny pieces of fresh apple. The avocado mousse was a perfect contrast to the faintly salt and peppered pieces of fish. Truly delicious and leaving me wanting more.

For my entree, I ordered the "Pan Seared Skate Fish" on lemon coriander risotto. This restaurant is mostly known for its fish, seafood and great wine selections but that doesn't mean that they can't make some outstanding meat dishes. Nevertheless, fish becomes my choice nearly every time I dine here just because it is that fresh and good...and I love it obviously.

The skate was tender, flaky and moist on the inside but with a slightly crispy skin on top. Great contrast of flavour and texture even before you bite into the coriander risotto that was perfectly cooked. This combination is a winning one in my books and a perfect display of amazing risotto in a non-Italian restaurant.

For dessert, I ordered the "Pecan Tart". It was simple, sweet and served with fresh berries. Not as exciting as the rest of the meal but a definite winner.

The Good: Perfectly cooked fish, amazing service and a hard to find way to keep Portuguese dishes traditional but with a "haute" touch.
The Bad: It is a special occasion restaurant after all and not wallet friendly for everyday visits, but well worth it.
The Verdict: What can we say that hasn't already been said? Elegance, poise, serving the best fish/seafood in town and making it look effortlessly. The service is legendary and ranks up there with the best in town as well. We were even quite impressed by our waiters knowledge of Portuguese cuisine, especially not being Portuguese himself. Try the octopus and the scabbard fish which are legendary at this venue.

I give it 4 out of 5 Olives as rating

Sunday Brunch at The Cambridge Mill

130 Water Street North
Cambridge, Ontario

519-624-1828

In her opinion:
Friends of ours suggested getting together for Sunday Brunch at the Cambridge Mill...at first I wasn't sure given the fact that our little man doesn't really like food (a foodie mom's nightmare) and they charge $19 per child. However, avo came to the rescue and volunteered to watch him (I can't justify paying that much for a child when he would have only bread), we agreed! I was actually pretty excited. After all, the Cambridge Mill is the venue that started this Tips Are Included! blog. 

Fighting a pretty bad cold, I went in with a good attitude. Our waiter Joey brought us coffee as we waited for our friends to arrive. The coffee was delicious. We also ordered a couple of mimosas (these along with Bloody Marys and Caesars are included in the $41 cost per person).

The Sunday Brunch buffet is split up in several rooms with one section containing hot entree and breakfast items and the other rooms containing salads, dessert and seafood.  This is what I ate and drank:

-prime rib
-lime and chili corn
-perogies with sauted onions and sour cream
-peameal bacon
-charcuterie 
-eggs Benedict with Hollandaise
-smoked salmon
-mussels
-oysters with traditional accompainments with Grey Goose Vodka
-different cheeses and crackers
-Alaskan king crab legs
-strawberry croissant bread pudding
-coconut cream tarts
-key lime pie
-a cappucino
-a mimosa
-a Caesar (extra spicy)

What she ate and drank.

I would be lying if I didn't say the Cambridge Mill has a beautiful Sunday Brunch spread. The food that I had was very good. It was perfectly seasoned and delicious. I'm sending a huge shout out to whoever makes their perogies (one of the only items not made in-house). These were delectable little pillows of goodness. I also want to say that their "Strawberry and White Chocolate Bread Pudding" topped with Creme Anglais was one of the highlights of my brunch experience. So so good. 

Having said this, I will say that I too was a little disappointed. Not in the food or the service. The service was excellent...Joey was an excellent waiter. The food, like a said before was very good. However, the thing that I find disappointing is the value of the experience. It was $82 for two of us plus tax and tip...for the amount of food and drinks that I ate and drank, I can't help but think that it was pretty pretentious. And let's not forget that it costs $19 per child. It is a good special occasion brunch but not realistic as a regular Sunday outing for an average family.

In his opinion:
This was our first time here for brunch, having been for dinner a couple other times and blogged about it. 

This brunch experience is a treat for Cambridge, there is nothing else like it in the city and allows people to experience good food in a brunch setting, something that has been lacking for many years in this city. Well, we do have Langdon Hall's brunch down the street but that's a whole different level, at least for most people in Cambridge. Let's not forget that this is the city where people populate restaurants like "The Keg" thinking it's a fine dining establishment.

The brunch served is quite extensive, there is food spread out in 3 different rooms with a mix of cold and hot plates and everything in between. In the main hall room you can find the "breakfast portion" of the brunch with the usual suspects like eggs benedict, sausage, bacon, etc..  Beside these hot and ready dishes you can find a couple of ready to order breakfast stations. In these stations you can have made for you on the spot crepes, omelets or eggs any way.

In the next room you can find a good selection of desserts, coffee/cappuccino/latte stations, freshly squeezed juices, some mostly cold seafood and even an oyster bar. Adding to the selection and to please adults and children alike there is also a chocolate fountain and plenty of fresh fruit to dip in it. There is also some charcuterie, a sushi station, breads, cheeses and smoked salmon to name only a few. Like I previously stated, the selection is extensive and for the most part, of great quality.

Armed with my mimosa (included in the brunch price) and some great quality coffee I started doing my rounds, sampling as much as possible and savouring some good dishes. I will attempt to give you the "skinny" on what I loved and/or what I didn't like so much about all that I tried.

The Good Stuff: Very good quality coffee and included mimosa/champagne (well sparkling wine) were a great way to start things. There were also juices and milkshakes but I wouldn't know it since sparkling wine is a much closer friend of mine, almost BFF like.

Of the breakfast food section, the crepes were well executed, the eggs benedict were great and the omelets I must say were excellent. The fresh berries and perogies were also highlights of that section, the rest was good not great.

in the opposite room the fresh Alaskan Crab (even though it was cold) was very tasty and so were the mussels and gravlox. I was excited to have some oysters and they were good especially with the addition of Grey Goose Vodka as a topping. The selection of cheeses, breads and especially desserts was good, with lots of choices of tasty treats with a bit to please every discerning taste. 

Lastly. the fresh fruit selection was also quite good. The service also deserves an honourable mention with my coffee cup only awaiting filling once in the whole time there. The cappuccino was also a highlight.

The Stuff That Wasn't As Good: The sushi was extremely disappointing. I know I shouldn't expect much from a brunch selection of sushi but it pails in comparison to the other selections. The oyster station never had more than 3 Oysters available to be taken, not sure if this was from the inefficiency of the shucker or the constant line up of people waiting for them. Overall, not much more to report on this, as the food does speak for itself in most ways.

I deliberately spent my review focusing on the quality of the food and not mentioning the $41 price of the brunch buffet. Although the price is steep, the food is plentiful and one can argue that mimosas, Caesars and sparkling wine included in the price can easily tip the scales on to a positive side.

I'm still unsure if a typical family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children would justify going to eat brunch here regularly at the tune of $120 plus tax and tip (roughly $155-$160). It is certainly a great experience and the gorgeous setting has to account for something after all. Comparing it to its sister brunch at Spencer's On The Waterfront, it has more but feels less satisfying.

My overall opinion is that if you haven't tried it yet, you should! It's a great experience and the satisfaction chances are very high!

Farmhouse Tavern

1627 Dupont Street
Toronto, ON

416-561-9114

In her opinion:
I first heard about Farmhouse Tavern when I laid eyes on it this summer on our way to our last Summerlicious lunch at Chiado...it looked like a happening place, so I did a little research. This convinced me that I should add it to my list of restaurant to visit. I should have known that it was a happening place, after all, it was featured in Toronto Life's "Where to Eat Now, 2013" issue. It's actually number 5 on the list.

I can totally see why. Darcy MacDonell has a little gem in the Junction. Chef Alex Molitz creates wonderful fresh farm to table cuisine. I knew I was going to enjoy our brunch just based on the buzz that this restaurant was getting but I ended up having a truly amazing meal.

We decided to forgo the patio for indoor seating instead. The decor is rustic...farmhouse chic is how I would describe it. 

Our server Alex brought over glasses of ice water and told us what they had on tap. I decided to go with Junction Craft Brewery's Shacklands Farmhouse Wheat beer. And I am so glad I did. This is easily the best wheat beer I have ever had. It had the best nose I have ever had in a wheat beer. The flavour was even better. Sorry Rickard's White and Hoegaarden. This was exceptional!

We decided to get a couple of things off the brunch menu and share them family style. After asking Alex about a few of things on the menu, we decided to go with "Farmhouse Poutine" and the "Mother and Child Reunion with Foie Gras". Farmhouse Poutine consisted of a potato hash with rabbit rillette, Thunder Oak gouda and braised leaks. (I know I probably messed that up!) The Mother and Child Reunion consisted of a salad made of heirloom carrots, radishes and 100 kilometer greens, two duck eggs coated in panko crumbs and deep fried, duck prosciutto, honey, toasted house made bread and for an extra $9 we got a slice of foie gras placed on top of the prosciutto. (It's incredible how a slice of foie gras can make a man happy or at least my man!)

Okay, where to start...it was heavenly! I think that is the best way to describe it. It was really amazing. I think the fact that we were having such ingredients as rabbit rillette and duck prosciutto, duck eggs and foie gras only heightened the experience to a whole other foodie level. The farmhouse poutine was so so good. The hash was excellent, the rabbit rillette delectable and the Thunder Oak gouda brought everything together perfectly. The mother and child reunion is known as "the threesome" on the dinner menu with the slice of the foie gras. It was my perfect idea of a threesome...it felt almost sinful having these incredible ingredients served on a butcher block! Salty, sweet and savory. A true threesome of deliciousness!

Overall, an amazing experience. The food was outstanding. The service was perfect and the ambiance relaxed and comfortable. I really enjoyed our brunch at Farmhouse Tavern and want to return for dinner.

~

"Mother and Child Reunion with Foie Gras" or "the Threesome"

"Farmhouse Poutine" or "Hangover Poutine"

~

In his opinion:

At the Junction in Toronto, where the street signs coincidentally say "Rua Da Madeira" (Madeira being the island of my birth) there is a not so secret gem in the city's food scene. At first, it may be easy to miss given its location a stone's throw away from Dundas Street, but I would advise you to look for it. Don't just drive by! Stop, park and make sure that you can cross this off your "foodie places to try" list because you won't be disappointed.

As you approach the Farmhouse Tavern you will notice the patio that surrounds the front of the building and a great alternative to the indoor seating options, even if you are not in the " be seen" neighbourhoods of downtown. The decor offers a rustic meets hippie approach with some stuffed animals in the mixture. Garage sale type mismatched glasses and country flea market furniture pieces complete the look.

The stars of this oasis of retro rustic chic are definitely the dishes. The food is unapologetic in its composition and the names of the dishes bring an aura of mystery, keeping you guessing what "Mother and Child Reunion", "Threesome" and "Cover Girl" actually means. The chalkboards on the wall give you the menus and the undecipherable dish names but a quick talk with your server and the mystery of the dishes goes away easily.

It was very hard to stay away from some of their overly bogged and talked about signature dishes like "The Barnyard Burger" ($20) or The Ploughman's Platter ($24) but we decided instead to share a couple of different dishes, giving us a closer insight into the local farm driven food that they so proudly advertise. I decided to start with a pint of the seasonal Beau's All Natural Brewing Company beer, which was the perfect way to start the meal.

We opted to share 2 dishes family style and when given the option to throw foie gras into the mix for an additional $9, we obviously agreed. The dishes we chose were the "Farmhouse Poutine" and the oddly named "Mother and Child Reunion.

The "Mother and Child Reunion" consisted of breaded deep fried duck eggs, duck prosciutto, honey, a heirloom salad and a slab of Foie Gras in the mix makes it a dish called "Threesome" in the dinner menu. The duck eggs were fantastic, some of the freshest and best tasting I have ever had and the seared foie gras was definitely a great addition to this plate. This is a curious concept of adding foie gras to most dishes for an additional $9 (recently increased to $10) but it seems to work very well.

The "Farmhouse Poutine" was outstanding and dare I say, one of the best I have ever had. The fresh cut cubed fries are coated with Gouda (Thunder Oak) rabbit rillete and braised leaks. Normally that description would be enough to sell this dish to any food loving person in this world but I will add that the topping are generous and extremely fresh, making this dish a must have for any poutine/rabbit fan out there.

The Good: Farm driven food is the theme and it actually works. The freshness of the ingredients, the locally sourced food really takes on a new level in this restaurant.
The Bad: At peak times it is hard to get a seat in this place, so reserve, reserve reserve. The prices are in line with a much fancier and better located place in the downtown core but still well worth it in my books.
The Verdict: Chef Alexander Molitz and owner Darcy MacDonell (of Le Societe fame) have a winning concept in this great restaurant. The food is superb and the service was outstanding. The buzz has been high and mighty since it opened and for a change it's nice to see a restaurant deliver on it's fame and reputation.

I give it 4 out of 5 Olives as rating

Savour Stratford - Toronto Star Culinary Stage

Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival
Stratford, ON

September 21, 2013

Property of Savour Stratford

The Toronto Star Culinary Stage is an important part of the Savour Stratford experience. It provides an opportunity for festival goers to watch a cooking demonstration and ask questions of some pretty awesome talent in the culinary world. This year we had the opportunity to attend four of these demonstrations. They focused on four different world cuisines keeping in mind this year's theme of "globally inspired, locally grown". We attended the local chefs, Burmese, Brazilian and finally Trinidadian demonstrations.

All of the demonstrations were fascinating, informative but most of all fun and engaging. We really enjoyed Chef Larsen and Chef Collins' local chef spotlight which focused on local ingredients and suppliers. Naomi Duguid presented from her recent cookbook, Burma: Rivers of Flavours. Demonstrating the complexity of this often overlooked cuisine. Chef Mara Salles from Brazil was endearing and sweet. She presented as a nervous English speaker during her demonstration of uses for manioc or cassava but her English was lovely. And finally, we watched Food Network's own, Roger Mooking and his demonstration on Trinidadian cuisine. Roger was extremely fun and worked his audience like the entertainer he is.

Below, we have provided a section on each of the demonstration we attended where you can see the different chefs in action and get their recipes (we've even included a couple of extra celebrity recipes). Enjoy.

1. Local Chef Spotlight - Tim Larsen and Sean Collins

Chef Larsen and Chef Collins presented "A Bloody, Hearty Breakfast". Here is the recipe. Even if you don't want to make the blood pudding or the cured pig's heart (I totally understand - even though it was delicious), give the biscuits and Hollandaise a try.
 
2. Naomi Duguid presents Burmese Cuisine

Naomi presented several different salad recipes from her new book, Burma, A Rivers of Flavour. She supplied the "Chicken Salad, Burmese Style" recipe. Find it here.

3. Mara Salles presents Brazilian Cuisine

Chef Salles of Tordesilhas (a top restaurant in Brazil) presented different uses for manioc and prepared farofa and a crepe like dish. However, we were not able to obtain her recipes. We have however, found a recipe for farofa similar to how Chef Salles prepared it if you are adventurous enough to try.


4. Roger Mooking presents Trinidadian Cuisine

Roger Mooking presented his recipe for "Cashew Spiced Chicken" and "Broccoli Dust". Find the recipes here. We also found a great blog post about Roger at Savour Stratford in the Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/26/roger-mooking_n_3991211.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Also enjoy these recipes by Toronto Star Culinary Stage presenters:

Vikram Vij's - "Vij's Family Chicken Curry"

Elizabeth Rivasplata's - "Humitas or Steamed Corn Cakes"

Jordan Lassaline's  - "Egg Hoppers, Sri Lakan Pickled Eggplant and Pupusas"

Savour Stratford - A Quick Overview

Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival
Stratford, ON

September 20 - 22, 2013

Property of VisitStratford.ca

In her opinion:
How would I describe my experiences at this year's Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival? In a word...AWESOME! It helped reinforce my belief that we are indeed a global community and the world of food and drink is innovative, exciting and of course, delectable. Savour Stratford's theme this year of "globally inspired, locally grown" proved that any culture's cuisine can be made using locally grown products.

The Fanshawe College opening night highlighted cuisine from Latin America, Europe, Jamaica, Canada and Vietnam using local ingredients. This was executed wonderfully. The college, the chefs and the culinary students did an amazing job.

The celebrity chef factor was just right at this year's Savour Stratford...big names like Vikram Vij, Roger Mooking, Naomi Duguid, Mara Salles graced the Toronto Star Culinary Stage along with local favourites Tim Larsen and Sean Collins (their modernist Hollandaise was truly impressive as was their cured pig heart). Throughout the weekend different chefs gave different cooking demonstration about the many different flavours of this world including Burma, Trinidad, India, Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Asian.

The farmer's market provided excellent locally grown produce, foods like pickled items and fresh breads, crafts and delicious eats. We managed to find some amazing walnut sourdough bread from Downie Street Bake House and awesome plums in the rain.

The Taste of Ontario Artisan Alley provided 10 VQA wines, 10 craft beers, 10 artisan cheese with 5 cask beers to sample. This was a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon of sampling.

Vikram Vij graced the City Hall Learning Centre with his expertise on "Hot Food, Cold Wine". Once told that you could never pair wine correctly with Indian food, Vikram went on to pass his sommelier exam and successfully pair wine with his absolutely delicious Indian cuisine. Guests were treated to Vij's food and two excellent choices of wine from Chateau des Charmes.

Unfortunately, a personal issue kept us from attending Savour Stratford's Sunday events but Edgar has provided a detailed account of the day below.

Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival is a great foodie/craft beer/wine lover venue. It provides a plethora of events for every taste. I was honoured to have been asked to cover this fabulous event and would like to thank Susan Willemsen and Renee Lalonde of the Siren Group and Cathy Rehberg of Stratford Tourism for the opportunity and all their help.


In his opinion:
First of all, let me get his out of the way...I love Stratford! It is a city that caters to many likes and desires, mixing the arts, culture with an ever-growing outstanding culinary scene. Even though my visits are mainly to the Theatre for my fix of live performances, I do once in a while take advantage of the fabulous food scene in Stratford. I have even blogged about a couple of restaurants, with so many other great ones still to try.

Savour Stratford makes total sense as a food event in our area and its growth in popularity and magnitude attest to that fact. This year was bigger and better than ever and I was very excited to be able to cover it and somewhat be a part of it.

Day 1- The opening ceremonies were the highlight of this first night. Before that could take place there was already a lot happening at the Fanshawe College tent situated along the river, where culinary students were busy displaying foods from around the world. Inside the tent you could find food "stalls" from Vietnam, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Jamaica. This is where the students and chefs showcased and served world food made with local ingredients, tying this event to the overall theme of Savour Stratford of "globally inspired, locally grown".

The formal ribbon cutting ceremony was the culminating event of the evening but it didn't stop there as there were many parties and gatherings happening all over the city after the ribbon cutting. You can click HERE to read in detail our day 1 reporting post.

Day 2- This was an exciting day as there was so much going on all over the downtown area and even a bit of rain did not keep anyone away. Highlights of this day were the the "Taste of Ontario Artisan Alley" where 10 artisan cheese makers, 10 VQA wineries and 10 craft beer displayed and made available their products for some free sampling or purchased tastings. The venue spanned 3 massive tents located directly behind city hall and was very well organized and presented.

The other big events going on through out the day were the cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs. In the same tent as Friday's Fanshawe College demonstration, the Toronto Star Culinary Stage was set-up to allow the celebrity chefs to show us some tricks of their trade. Naomi Duguid, Mara Salles from Brazil, Sean Collins and the very charismatic Tim Larsen carried the "local" proverbial torch as the Stratford Chefs. Special mention to Food Network's Roger Mooking that wowed the audiences with his engaging presence. Unfortunately, there were no performances by MC Mystic, Roger's alter ego but it was all about the food anyway.

Celebrity Chef Vikram Vij held an impromptu demonstration to the attending media before he cooked and amazed 40 guests to a traditional Indian lunch at the Local Community Food Centre.

The Farmer's Market (stalls situated along the river on both sides of the road) that showcased local ingredients, growers, crafts and some local food establishments was a big hit. Crowds walked up and down the street, buying good products, trying some good food, enjoying the beer tent and listening to some music being played live by a variety of artist throughout the day.

Day 3- Sunday kicked off with 5 panelists presented Women in Food Breakfast brought to you by Chatelaine. Chef Yva Santini presented an always intriguing topic as she showcased Mozzarella, an Italian tradition done Stratford style. Chef Vikram Vij took the stage at 11 AM to showcase Indian cuisine and his take on it.

We will not comment on the performance of the Spice Girls tribute band (Wannabe) for a plethora of reasons but especially because we actually didn't witness it. 

Other main highlights of the day were the Savour Stratford Tasting presented by Scotiabank. We all know that this was the event that many people anticipated and it didn't disappoint. This year's winners were:

*Best meat dish: Awarded to Stratford’s Mercer Hall chefs, Tim Larsen and Sean Collins paired with Fred and Ingrid de Martines of Perth Pork Products to create A Taste of Wild Boar.

*Best vegetarian dish: Awarded to Canadian Grub to Go where chef Robert Rose paired with Oak Grove Cheese created Ontario grains arancini.

*Best dessert: Awarded to Your Local Market Co-op chefs Tyson Everitt and Katelyn Vere paired with local dairy products presented a Harvest moon cookie, a fall twist on the Bengali dessert rasgulla.

*Most creative dish: Awarded to Aboriginal Culinary Concepts chef, Richard Francis paired with Sheldon Berries presented a Blueberry-cured salmon with pickled blueberries on bannock toast.

*Best alcohol beverage: Awarded to Revel Caffè, where Anne Campion paired with coffee roasters, Las Chicas Del Café to create Café con piquete.

*Best beverage: Tea Leaves Tea Bar, where tea sommelier Karen Hartwick paired with local forager Peter Blush of Puck’s Plenty to brew a Digestive fire tonic.

*GE Café People’s Choice: Awarded to Molly Blooms Irish Pub chef, Chris Huggins paired with Brendon Lyoness of Caveman Crops to create a fresh peach salsa with roasted jalapeno chevre.

There were again more demonstrations with Naomi Duguid presenting Food and Markets of Bruma and Francesco Alejandri showcasing Mexican food. There were plenty of other things going on from concerts to children's activities and even wine related workshops. A jam packed day with something for everyone led to the closing of the event late into the afternoon.

Savour Stratford event excels in amazing food, craft beer, wine, music and much more. Its reach and appeal grows every year and only gets bigger and better. If by any chance there was some reason why you did not attend this event previously or this year, you MUST mark it on your calendar for next year and come discover why Stratford is so much more than Shakespeare. 
See you next year!

An Interview with Vikram Vij on his enRoute Magazine Nomination for Vij's Railway Express

Vij's Railway Express
Location Varies
Vancouver, B.C.

(604) 639-3335

Tips Are Included's (TAI) interview with Vikram Vij (VV) on his nomination of Vij's Railway Express for Air Canada's enRoute Magazine's People Choice Award for Canada's Best New Restaurant.

Photo property of Yelp.

With the final days upon us to vote for the enRoute Magazine's "People's Choice Award for Canada's Best New Restaurant", we took a drive to Toronto to meet with Vikram Vij on the heels of Savour Stratford and discussed his food truck or what he likes to call his "mobile kitchen", Vij's Railway Express. What ensued was a passionate conversation from a very charming, intelligent and wonderful representative of all things Indian.

TAI: Congratulations on placing in the top 35 for enRoute Magazine's People's Choice Award. Why did you pick the name Vij's Railway Express?

VV: Well the name Vij's Railway Express is to denote that there are small little towns in India that get huge accolades within their own country but no one knows about the cuisine outside of India. So what I wanted to do was highlight the cuisine from these small little towns. So if you actually look at it, it's like you are in Europe for example and you go to Salzburg, Salzburg does a certain kind of cuisine. Vienna does a certain kind of cuisine. Budapest does something different. I wanted to showcase theses cuisine from these small little towns, as delicious and as flavourful as any cuisine will be. So it was very important for me to showcase that. So Vij's Railway Express is a culinary journey of my travels through India for the people of Vancouver or wherever they are from.

TAI: Why did you decide to start a food truck?

VV: I really thought the food truck would be a great angle of bringing Vij's cuisine into the home. Not everyone can come to Vij's for dinner. And to be on the street and move around from one side to the other or we do a little catering from the other side, was being able to bring Vij's quality food to your own home. And bring the awareness to the culture that I'm so proud of.

TAI: What has the general response been to your food truck and the Indian food being served on the truck?

VV: Initially the response was overwhelming, people loved it, it was a great idea. And then it  mellows out like any good thing. It slows down. People were like, yeah, we love it, we love the flavours but we'll get to it. I think our biggest challenge was the winter because it was so cold and wet that people just wouldn't venture outside. Which meant that I would still keep it open because I had committed myself that I was going to keep it open. This year we decided not to keep it open because it just didn't make sense but we decided to do pockets of catering, functions or anything else from the Vij's Railway Express. It's almost like a mobile restaurant. It is kind of an extension of Vikram Vij and his style of cooking just in a different manner.

TAI: What's the best selling item on your food truck?

VV: Initially when we first opened it was halibut cheek curry but now I think it's the "lucknow" kabobs. These are like little naans with homemade sausages wrapped up with some Indian flavours and some chutney and people enjoy that. And one thing to look at whether you are in Greece and having a sandwich that has roasted chicken in it or you are in Lebanon and you are having a falafel sandwiches. Sandwiches, people love. They love grabbing that food with their hands and the juiciness of it and the flavours. That is why the lamb kabob is the most popular dish on the menu right now.

TAI: Any plans to expand the Vij's empire to Toronto?

VV: Not at the moment. You know it's always in the back of my head because I always believe that Toronto is a great city. It's a great culinary city. I find that the chefs are doing great work in this area but not only just in Toronto but around the neighbourhoods, that's the most beautiful part of it. I go to small little towns like Stratford or anywhere else, the chefs that are there are so focused, so humble and so that I would eventually love to. I am actually coming back to Niagara next week to teach at the Niagara College and this is a first year program at the Niagara College where there will be three sections of it. One will be for the students, one will be a sit down dinner almost like a pop up restaurant sit down dinner there and then the other one will be a dinner for the chefs around the neighbourhood who just want to incorporate one or two dishes on their menus and learn something. So this is gonna happen 14, 15 and 16 at Niagara College.

TAI: And you mentioned Stratford. How was your time at Savour Stratford? What was the highlight? And would you consider coming back next year?

VV: I think my biggest love was when I got there I felt that Stratford was this little jewel on the crown of Canada! So unique, so beautiful, so different. People were so nice. When I went to the coffee shop, Revel, the passion of the people making coffee was right there. You know, when you went to Mercer Hall or some other place, the food was so generally sourced. And the small little town feel but in the end a big city on their own level. And will I ever come back, if I get asked, I will come back in a minute.

TAI: What are the main struggles in trying to make people see and believe that Indian cuisine is as good as French, Italian or Spanish?

VV: I don't think it's a struggle. I think we should call it bringing awareness to the cuisine. It's not a struggle. A struggle would be someone that didn't like it but awareness is "oh I didn't really know that there are so many unique flavours of Indian cooking". They were not use to it. So now when they taste it and they taste the nuances of it then they will say, "oh yes, I love it, I love it, I love it." So I don't think they are struggles more it's my job to bring the awareness of this cuisine up and keep telling people and I think that is why for me it was so important when I went to Savour Stratford and I talked to everybody and to look into everybody's eyes and say, "Just try my food, just do me a favour, just try it. you will not be disappointed". That's the angle that I ran with and that's the angle I go with everywhere. I never go in as a struggle, this is not like I am going to bang my head against the wall and say, "You must do something". My angle is "Guys do me a favour, taste the food, who cares if you don't like it or not. do me a favour and give me the chance to at least taste the food".

TAI: Do you believe that non-Indian chefs can make Indian food as well as an Indian chef?

VV: You know if you had asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have been "No, not ready!" I would have said, "No, Indian food can not be cooked by non-Indians". But now, the younger chefs coming down the pipeline, you look at them in the schools, what they are learning and how they are broadening their horizons and how multi-cultural they've become. I definitely think that a day will come when a non-Indian is gonna open up an excellent Indian restaurant and create their own style. It will still be rooted in India with the spices and everything, with the roasting and the grinding and everything else with a little modern twist to it which they will create their own style. So I do not think that only an Indian can cook Indian food. I think the time has come that the younger chefs will take the baton from me and create their own style of cuisine.

TIA: In a world mostly dominated by male chefs in the kitchen, your restaurants are known to employ predominately females. What is the reason for that decision?

VV: It was twofold. One was when we opened the restaurant up my head chef "Auntie" had said to me, "I will like you to have women work in the kitchen because it's a little bit like therapy for us. We can talk about our husbands and our mother in laws and everything else in the kitchen without feeling oh my god there's a guy listening". And I kind of like that. It was more of a love gesture for her, it was more to say "Okay "Auntie" I won't put anybody else if you don't want". But, I do think that at a certain level the style of cooking that we do, Indian women do understand this because these are not women who have gone to school or anything else. These are women who are passionate home cooks who are learning how to cook it. It's like if your mother is a great cook at home and then your aunt is a good cook and her sister is a good cook, then you don't need to bring anyone else in. There's nothing against that, I mean, I love guys in the kitchen and that's one thing about Stratford, I met a couple of guys that were so passionate about Indian food and I was impressed by that.

TAI: How do you feel about being nominated for enRoute Magazine's People's Choice Award for Best New Restaurant?

VV: To be honest with you, I am humbled and I love the fact that you know enRoute was willing to give a mobile restaurant like mine a chance. I would say it's not just a cart, I would say it's a mobile restaurant to give it a little chance to be playing in the same playing field. I always said this to everybody, " You don't always have to win but give me the chance and honour to give me the same playing field as everybody else does. I do not need to be better than anybody else, that's fine but give me the playing field. Even in Vancouver, I tell people do not categorize me as one style of restaurant, tell me that I'm a restaurant because I provide the same love and the passion that any other restaurant does.

TAI: How does it feel to be the only food truck to ever make the list? That is very impressive.

VV: Yes, it is very impressive because everyone always calls it a food truck. And I always say, for me it is my mobile restaurant. It is like if I took a part of my curry and I sat on a side street somewhere and I opened up a small little restaurant on my own. A small little shack and I sold that curry to you, that's my restaurant! Restaurants are not just a restaurant it's an extension of who I am as Vikram Vij!

TAI: And our last questions that we have for you is...with such a great profile and numerous TV appearances, do you have any plans to have you own food show? Perhaps with your wife?

VV: That's a million dollar question on its own and I'm glad that you asked me that. A few years ago I was asked by Food Television Network to go to India and talk about Indian diaspora. How Indians have moved from India to Uganda to Kenya to East Africa, to all these places and to create cuisines to see what they have done and to bring it back here. Somehow, from a marketing point of view this did not make sense for them. But would I love it, yes. Yes, I would love it because I would love to showcase my country to the world and say come and visit it once in your lifetime and see how beautiful this country is. How different it is. How unique it is. But more then that, there's a lot of love and passion behind this county and the cuisine.

Don't forget to click on the link below and vote for Vij's Railway Express for the enRoute Magazine's People's Choice Award of Canada's best new restaurant. 

http://www.eatandvote.com/en/restaurants/vij-s-railway-express