Across the west, and I travel to NY, London and Toronto frequently, I think COVID did such a huge number on the quality of restaurant food but also produce generally. What I've noticed in Toronto specifically is restaurants prioritising going viral and the aesthetics of the food over the taste, quality and value for money (huge emphasis on value for money - everything's so expensive!). It makes sense because the power of social media will get people through the door, so I don't blame them. Thanks for the video!! I like that you both are honest but not in an overly critical way
Thanks for the kind words! We tend to agree regarding COVID affecting everything - food and bev in particular. The degrading "value for money" factor was definitely one thing we noticed when visiting lately. Appreciate the comment :)
@@Recoveryplus kind of! We are foodie nerds and amateur chefs haha But nothing “professionally” as in owned or worked in restaurants as a profession We just love food so much so we can nerd out and get into the details 😅
@@missjoy2925 it’s so unfortunate! We all want to make money and the industry is tough, but losing the culture and quality cannot be the cost. We were disappointed because we know what Toronto is capable of. We hope when we come back, we can highlight these businesses who keep the diversity and keep them going 💪💪
Stay away from IG cuisine, all Ls. For Jamaican patties, go to When The Pig Came Home Deli, or Randy's (re-opening.) Croissants, there is always Petit Thuet, which they also sell to The Pantry Shelf Cafe. Kensington Market is now overrated, unfortunately. Their customer base is now gone Bougee without taste buds.
@mellow-jello yep! That was the same as our experience too. A little overrated but there are still good shops sprinkled throughout 🙃 added your recos to our list to try!
Toronto food scene is FULL of Ls. Once you've travelled the world, you realize that the food in the city core is super mid. Toronto food scene has become about what's instragrammable and trending. The city is essentially style over substance. There's very few restaurants that really hit the mark consistently. DaiLo is one of them - my favorite restaurant in Toronto that's consistently good. The independent mom and pop holes in the wall are being replaced by hospitality groups that create artificial branding of independent spots. If a joint is doing lots of social media branding, I tend to avoid them because I already know it's going to be an L.
@@charliep9066 we’ve noticed the instagrammable quality too! It’s important for sure, but substance needs to be there too. We need to hit DaiLo then, thank you for the recommendation and tips to sus through the noise!! 🙏 super curious about what you’d think of some stuff we have coming up soon.. 🤔 we think we have some bangers that are worth the hype
@@noshivore Please do the omakase at DaiLo with the wine pairing - it's totally worth it, I promise! All you have to do is tell them your individual likes/dislikes, and you're in for a treat. There's a few others I want to try out, but thus far, I'm often let disappointed or wanting more. I'm really curious to try Edulis, but it's so tough to get resos there.
First time catching your channel and love your reviews, honest but respectful! I see a lot of comments re: quality of food since covid. So many local gems are struggling now or continue to struggle. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to visit Yummy House (234 Jones Ave.)? I know, it's probably not on your radar but it's a really nice little mom and pop shop run by Tom and Susan. I'm a long time customer (no affiliation at all) and was so sad when they closed down during covid. They reopened last year and depend heavily on traffic from the high school across the street. July and August are a big struggle for them. If you could go visit and support, I know they would appreciate it. Nothing fancy or pretentious in the look but the place is clean and the food is authentic Cantonese style with generous portions. My faves: beef fried noodle, Cantonese fried noodle, popcorn chicken (with 5 spice hint), and bubble tea of course ($3.50 for small; $5 for a large and original milk tea is not from powder but made with actual tea!). They really need help in the summer so I hope you'll be able to visit if you're able! I go at least once a week! :)
Thanks for the awesome comment. We are currently travelling Toronto and won’t be back for many months but will try our best to take a look at them when we get back! Appreciate you looking out for your favourites and suggesting them to us. We try and go to both smaller shops as well as more established ones. Incredible that you have your own neighbourhood gem and that you’re sharing it as much as you can! :)
Every new restaurant in Toronto is awfully bad with arrogant chefs. I just love the aesthetic and atmospheres 😂 other then food is great in Asia no comparison
Haha! We do love our spots in Asia, especially in Singapore and Japan. You know what though, we do think there are still gems in Toronto but the prices have gone up crazy for what you get these days. In Asia, we can get top quality for less. Have you had an awesome experience in Toronto lately? If so, where?
We do! We love Markham and some of our favourite spots will be highlighted in some future videos, we hope you tune in! Any favourites you’d recommend @domenicpolsoni8370?
![Ice On My Teeth - ATEEZ エイティーズ 에이티즈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 241115](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-n92OgbbwA/mqdefault.jpg)
First time viewer😎🥷! Liked your honesty on your food choices. Nice vlog. 👏🏼
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the kind words :)
Same. I liked that they're not sugar coating it. Too many influencers have become politicians that sell out for money and don't keep it authentic.
@@charliep9066 thank you for your support! 🙏 we’re in it together y’know?
Across the west, and I travel to NY, London and Toronto frequently, I think COVID did such a huge number on the quality of restaurant food but also produce generally. What I've noticed in Toronto specifically is restaurants prioritising going viral and the aesthetics of the food over the taste, quality and value for money (huge emphasis on value for money - everything's so expensive!). It makes sense because the power of social media will get people through the door, so I don't blame them. Thanks for the video!! I like that you both are honest but not in an overly critical way
Thanks for the kind words! We tend to agree regarding COVID affecting everything - food and bev in particular. The degrading "value for money" factor was definitely one thing we noticed when visiting lately. Appreciate the comment :)
Are either one of you a chef? You guys seem to know a lot of culinary terms.
@@Recoveryplus kind of! We are foodie nerds and amateur chefs haha
But nothing “professionally” as in owned or worked in restaurants as a profession
We just love food so much so we can nerd out and get into the details 😅
Gentrification changed Kensington Market rich people trying to kick the diverse community out .......
@@missjoy2925 it’s so unfortunate! We all want to make money and the industry is tough, but losing the culture and quality cannot be the cost. We were disappointed because we know what Toronto is capable of. We hope when we come back, we can highlight these businesses who keep the diversity and keep them going 💪💪
Stay away from IG cuisine, all Ls. For Jamaican patties, go to When The Pig Came Home Deli, or Randy's (re-opening.) Croissants, there is always Petit Thuet, which they also sell to The Pantry Shelf Cafe. Kensington Market is now overrated, unfortunately. Their customer base is now gone Bougee without taste buds.
@mellow-jello yep! That was the same as our experience too. A little overrated but there are still good shops sprinkled throughout 🙃 added your recos to our list to try!
Toronto food scene is FULL of Ls. Once you've travelled the world, you realize that the food in the city core is super mid. Toronto food scene has become about what's instragrammable and trending. The city is essentially style over substance.
There's very few restaurants that really hit the mark consistently. DaiLo is one of them - my favorite restaurant in Toronto that's consistently good. The independent mom and pop holes in the wall are being replaced by hospitality groups that create artificial branding of independent spots. If a joint is doing lots of social media branding, I tend to avoid them because I already know it's going to be an L.
@@charliep9066 we’ve noticed the instagrammable quality too! It’s important for sure, but substance needs to be there too. We need to hit DaiLo then, thank you for the recommendation and tips to sus through the noise!! 🙏 super curious about what you’d think of some stuff we have coming up soon.. 🤔 we think we have some bangers that are worth the hype
@@noshivore Please do the omakase at DaiLo with the wine pairing - it's totally worth it, I promise! All you have to do is tell them your individual likes/dislikes, and you're in for a treat.
There's a few others I want to try out, but thus far, I'm often let disappointed or wanting more. I'm really curious to try Edulis, but it's so tough to get resos there.
@@charliep9066 when we do, we’ll tell them you sent us!! 🙏
First time catching your channel and love your reviews, honest but respectful! I see a lot of comments re: quality of food since covid. So many local gems are struggling now or continue to struggle. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to visit Yummy House (234 Jones Ave.)? I know, it's probably not on your radar but it's a really nice little mom and pop shop run by Tom and Susan. I'm a long time customer (no affiliation at all) and was so sad when they closed down during covid. They reopened last year and depend heavily on traffic from the high school across the street. July and August are a big struggle for them. If you could go visit and support, I know they would appreciate it. Nothing fancy or pretentious in the look but the place is clean and the food is authentic Cantonese style with generous portions. My faves: beef fried noodle, Cantonese fried noodle, popcorn chicken (with 5 spice hint), and bubble tea of course ($3.50 for small; $5 for a large and original milk tea is not from powder but made with actual tea!). They really need help in the summer so I hope you'll be able to visit if you're able! I go at least once a week! :)
Thanks for the awesome comment. We are currently travelling Toronto and won’t be back for many months but will try our best to take a look at them when we get back! Appreciate you looking out for your favourites and suggesting them to us. We try and go to both smaller shops as well as more established ones.
Incredible that you have your own neighbourhood gem and that you’re sharing it as much as you can! :)
Every new restaurant in Toronto is awfully bad with arrogant chefs. I just love the aesthetic and atmospheres 😂 other then food is great in Asia no comparison
Haha! We do love our spots in Asia, especially in Singapore and Japan. You know what though, we do think there are still gems in Toronto but the prices have gone up crazy for what you get these days. In Asia, we can get top quality for less. Have you had an awesome experience in Toronto lately? If so, where?
So stop eating in Toronto and eat north of the city. Markham has some of the best Asian cuisine in North America, if not the best.
We do! We love Markham and some of our favourite spots will be highlighted in some future videos, we hope you tune in! Any favourites you’d recommend @domenicpolsoni8370?
@@noshivore Sounds good. Have fun!
EDIT: I'm a big fan of Ding Tai Fung at 3235 Hwy 7 #18B, Markham.
Definitely a fan of the peanut noodle soup there!