Previously on Adam Riff™:
September 2017
doma / p.g. cluck's / le gourmand / flock / p.g. cluck's / death in venice / canis / the fix / jackpot chicken rice / eative film cafe / otto's berlin döner / levetto / the fix / the black hoof / death in venice / flock / uncle mikey's / a game cafe / baro / momofuku daishō / carver / eative film cafe / rasa / wong's ice cream / foxley / the dock ellis sports bar / bake shoppe / square fish / moo frites / schmaltz appetizing / wong's ice cream / lake inez / the carbon bar / grey gardens / brothers / yogen früz / richtree natural market / tasty's caribbean
Pho Horse Carpaccio (The Black Hoof)
burnt ginger mayo, salsa verde, bean sprouts, lime
^ Raw horse meat flavoured to taste just like pho.
Surf and Turf (The Black Hoof)
tomatillo salad
^ Raw shrimp and a pig's feet croquette.
"Clam Chowder" (The Black Hoof)
pickerel cheeks, pickled clams, celery, goldfish crackers
^ A cold remix of the "Pickerel Cheek Potato Salad Thing" listed on the restaurant's website.
(YamChops) is a "plant-based butcher shop." All of the meat in its deli cases is fake.
Tuna Doshi [Donut Sushi] (Square Fish)
bottom: crispy rice with cheese; top: sushi rice, avocado, black sesame; basics: lettuce, crab meat salad, seaweed salad, edamame, sweet corn, mango, cucumber, tempura bits, tobiko, scallion, with house special spicy aioli
^ Disappointingly, not a donut topped with raw fish, but rather a difficult-to-eat stack of poke bowl ingredients. Its base is rice wrapped in cheese and deep-fried until crispy, because sure.
(Wong's Ice Cream) is my new favourite ice creamery in North America. Its cups are Chinese take-out containers.
Dark Chocolate Five-Spice Sorbet (Wong's Ice Cream)
—The richest chocolate sorbet I have ever consumed. It tastes like how a Chinese herb shop smells.
Sriracha Buttered Popcorn Ice Cream (Wong's Ice Cream)
—The sriracha manifests as an aftertaste.
Coconut Mango Sticky Rice Ice Cream (Wong's Ice Cream)
—Contains actual sticky rice.
Black Sesame Ice Cream with Salted Duck Egg (Wong's Ice Cream)
—Like a Chinese version of Baskin-Robbins' Peanut Butter 'N Chocolate Ice Cream.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Ice Cream (Wong's Ice Cream)
Blond Kinako Brown Butter Ice Cream (Wong's Ice Cream)
Pine Needle Pink Lychee Ice Cream (Wong's Ice Cream)
Pad Thai Gelato (Death in Venice)
fish sauce, soy sauce, peanuts, coriander, lime juice, milk, cinnamon, hint of chilli, ginger, and sugar
—Well balanced.
Chocolate Basil Pesto Gelato with Balsamic Reduction (Death in Venice)
Peanut Butter and Croissant Gelato (Death in Venice)
Ruffles Marshmallow Bar (Bake Shoppe)
^ I thought this was a Rice Krispies Treat coated in Ruffles, but it's actually a Rice Krispies Treat made with Ruffles instead of Rice Krispies – and it's works!
Brown Butter Nutella Cookie (Bake Shoppe)
—A chocolate chip cookie with Nutella instead of chocolate chips.
To me, (Doma) was the best of Toronto's best new restaurants of 2017 that I tried [I tried five out of seven]. Its menu changes monthly with some dishes held over.
Gochujang Ratatouille (Doma)
roasted red pepper, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, tofu steak, gochujang
^ 
Grilled Octopus (Doma)
cabbage, konyak, bell pepper, pear, seaweed, pickled mustard seeds, korean mustard dressing, cucumber granita
^ The octopus I could take or leave. Its accompaniments, however, were scrumptious.
To me, (Canis) was the worst of Toronto's best new restaurants of 2017 that I tried.
I didn't feel like I was getting my money's worth out of its tasting menu, and then this hoss arrived, as if to say, "Here's your money's worth, bitch.":
Duck, Cabbage, Pearl Onion (Canis)
^ Only the sliced half was edible, though.
OG Duck Chaufa (Baro)
duck confit, rice, edamame, egg, papi kung fu, chile, tobiko, corn
—$35 duck fried rice! Albeit with bits of socorrat. Still, $35!
Also at (Baro): $15 chips and guac!
I sought (Lake Inez) out for its Sichuan-Style Lamb Pappardelle, but alas, the dish had been dropped from its menu.
Fazoletti Verde (Lake Inez)
'handkerchief' pasta with tiger shrimp, fermented chillies, grilled veg, cashews, lime juice, fish sauce
^ A swell consolation dish.
I was amused to discover six or seven single-use washrooms downstairs.
Gigli (Grey Gardens)
cheddar, hot sauce, paprika
^ $21 mac and cheese.
I don't understand this dish. Why is it served with hot sauce on the side? If I'm supposed to eat it with hot sauce, then it should be served with hot sauce already added. This isn't Taco Bell.
Sweetbreads, Creamed Corn (Brothers)
^ Another confusing dish.
Jalapeño and Honey Fried Chicken Sandwich (P.G. Clucks)
honey-dipped chicken, sweet pickled jalapeños, fermented jalapeño sauce, ranch sauce
^ I saw someone receive this sandwich with a honey cruller as the bun and assumed that its bun was a honey cruller. Nope. You have to request a honey cruller as its bun or you will receive it with a standard bun.
TORONTO FOOD TRENDS
ˇ VARIATIONS ON A BIG MAC
Big Cluck (P.G. Clucks)
two pieces of chicken, lettuce, pickles, onions, american cheese, mac sauce
Sir John A McDonald (Big House Pizza)
ground all-beef patties, cheddar cheese, pickles, onion, on a sesame seed crust; topped with lettuce, special sauce
ˇ ADDING CHARCOAL TO STUFF
ˇ RAW SEA BREAM
ORTS
Sea Bream Ceviche with Yuzu and Shiso (Foxley)
Bagel Bread Pudding (Schmaltz Appetizing)
—Unpalatable in both taste and texture.
Cereal Killa Prawns (Jackpot Chicken Rice)
butterflied jumbo shrimp, wheat cereal, red chilli, curry leaf, golden egg floss
Complimentary Chili Brown Butter Popcorn (Rasa)
Grasshopper (The Fix)
french mint ice cream, chocolate coating, crushed candy cane, chocolate pearls, fresh mint
Kare Trippa (Uncle Mikey's)
tripe, s&b curry, parmigiano reggiano, grilled sourdough
—A delectable tripe curry.
The Kentucky Pecan Pie (The Carbon Bar)
pecans, 72% bitter chocolate, lot 40 rye cream, pecan brittle
Milk Sorbet, Walnut, White Chocolate (Canis)
Peking Duck Pizza (Levetto)
duck, cucumber, and scallion salad; hoisin sauce, duck crackling
Sweet Ontario Corn (Uncle Mikey's)
grilled, served off the cob; kimchi duck fat, canadian feta
MISSED CONNECTIONS
Ziggy Stardust Disco Egg (La Banane)
^ A hand-painted chocolate egg filled with chocolate truffles. I trekked to (La Banane) to try one, but then learned that one costs $50.
$45 Caviar Bagel (Schmaltz Appetizing)
50 grams of american sturgeon caviar with sliced eggs and cream cheese
French Tacos (Mister Frenchy)
Burritos that contain Chow Mein Noodles instead of Rice (Chino Locos)
Mac and Cheeto Burrito (Junked Food Co.)
creamy cheddar mac and cheese, flamin' hot cheetos, lettuce, pico de gallo, cheddar, black olives, sour cream, chili sauce, and jalapeño in a tortilla wrap
Cheese Ribs (James Cheese Back Ribs)
pork back ribs slow-cooked and roasted in house korean bbq sauce; served over molten mozzarella cheese
^ Wyd, Korea?
Shrimp Toast with Laksa Sauce (Jackpot Chicken Rice)
chinese dough fritter, crab paste, coconut curry
^ Youtiao as the bread.
Charred Scallop Ceviche (Jackpot Chicken Rice)
pei scallop, watermelon, chrysanthemum, jalapeño, fried garlic, nam chim
Grilled Beef Heart with Chili Lime Salsa (Foxley)
Roasted Pig's Head Nachos (Bar Hop)
Lobster Nachos (Good Catch Boil House)
Jerk Lasagna (Rasta Pasta)
jerk chicken nestled between layers of lasagna in your choice of alfredo or rose sauce
Jerk Shawarma (Chris Jerk)
Habanero Cruller (Richmond Station)
oolong, coconut, juniper, lime, pineapple, banana mint
Cucumber and Gin (Richmond Station)
jasmine pudding, cucumber jellies, gin lime cloud, jasmine rice sherbet
Toronto Island (The Fix)
vanilla soft serve, lake blue jelly, boat and human cookies
My Little Pony: The Movie Frozen Yogurt (Yogurty's)
blue: white chocolate; pink: cotton candy
Summer Halo Halo (Lake Inez)
strawberry sorbet, coconut granita, cherries, peach gelée, stewed plums, thai basil, rice krispies
Chocolate Bourbon Skull (The Carbon Bar)
bitter chocolate, woodford reserve butter ganache, pecan
Named after Weezer's second album.
Sooo… Queens Pizzeria?
