647 351 1200  |   $12-$17 Pizza & Pasta

Haven’t heard of Strada241? Neither had I ten minutes before I decided to go check it out. The Rubino brothers, of Rain and Ame, opened this spot up in the center of Chinatown last week, and I happened to spot it on Toronto Life. It was close to work and I was in the mood for pizza, so naturally I walked over with a couple coworkers to sample the menu.

Photo Credit: blogTO

Food

Simple tends to be very revealing and the menu here is very straightforward: antipasti, salads, a good pizza selection, a few pastas and some salumi/cheese options. You can’t hide behind a lot of these dishes, either you get them right or you have a super mediocre restaurant on your hands.

First up, selected the zucchini fritti served with fresh parsley salsa verde. Presentation here was awesome, with each slice spiked on it’s own nail coming out of the board. It tasted great too: the light crispy breading with perfectly done cuts of zucchini and that bright, savoury sauce worked well.

Both my friends ordered paninis and really enjoyed them, but oddly, they seem to have been removed from the most recent menu posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page. In case they make a return appearance, the pollo cacciatore sandwich (above) is delicious, hearty, and highly recommended.

The other panini we ordered, a mozzarella, tomato, lettuce, and pesto sandwich is clean yet satisfying as well. Just look at that bread. There’s a bakery on site that also serves a number of goods out front, which you might have guessed anyways on the basis of the bread alone.

The final main had to be pizza. I went with the Zia Rita, topped with a beautiful tomato sauce (so delicious when done this well), great spicy salami nduja, roasted onion, rapini, parmigiano, and mint. The crust was pretty tasty as well, and had a good mix of chewy and crispy.

We also ordered a side of cold rapini with a lemon vincotto dressing and some frisee. I’d never had cold rapini, but that lemon kept it real bright and I found myself coming back for more. That said, thought it could have used something else to contrast the level of bitterness just a bit more.

After a great meal, it only made sense to go with dessert. My choice was the ‘Limone’, a cold lemon custard of sorts topped with an almond crumble, ribbons of fennel and a touch of fennel frond on top. The pairing of fennel and perfectly balanced sweet/tart lemon was terrific. Throw in the textural contrast of the biscotti-like almond crumble, and this was one hell of a dessert. Highly recommend it.

Service and Ambience

Insulated from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, you’re more or less transported when you walk in. High ceilings, tons of brick and wood, and a very open concept make this a great space. The front area with coffee and sweets kind of reminds me of Dark Horse just down the street actually.

Our server was also good given the newness of the restaurant and the changing menu. Our waters were always full, she happily offered her recommendations, and was really cheery throughout.

The Reco?

I was so impressed by this place and will definitely be back. There’s a bunch of dishes I’d re-order and I also can’t wait to try the baked goods up front and the ongoing changes to the menu. It’s not the most ambitious food in the world, but it’s hard to find it all executed this well.

Other Reviews? 
 blogTO   |    dine.TO

 Posted by: Jacob, Visited Oct 9, 2012

info@banhmiboys.com   |    $5 - $8 sandwiches

I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard someone mention Banh Mi Boys over the last month or so. It opened in December 2011, but has been closed for the past couple months for renovations. Post-reopening, lines have characterized the lunch hour here at Spadina and Queen West as people hustle to get their hands on some long-awaited banh mi. 

Food

The menu is composed of ten banh mi (BM) sandwiches, five tacos and five steamed baos (SB). Popular fillings include pork belly (BM/SB), squid (BM/taco), beef cheek(BM/SB) and duck confit (BM only). There’s also kimchi covered fries and and a yummy jicama papaya slaw offered as sides.

As a big fan of baos and banh mi, I decided I’d have one of each. I started with the five spice pork belly bao (above for $3.49). The belly was tender, maybe not quite as fatty as you might expect and the spice didn’t really stand out; nice pickled veggies and a room-temp steamed bun completed the snack. I wouldn’t rave, but I just love open-face baos so much that I’d easily eat this again.

Next I ordered the kalbi beef banh mi ($5.99, zoomed in above). The beef and accompanying sweet sauce had some decent flavour and a bit of a tang. The baguette wasn’t too thick, fluffy soft, and crusty on the outside - all good things. It’s also a nice size overall and would satisfy many people for lunch. 

I’d heard great things about the duck confit ($7.49, picture above), so I recommended it to my vietnamese friend who came along. She claimed it was banh mi ‘done right’. I had a bite too. Sometimes duck confit doesn’t really taste like duck and is kind of dry, but this was both moist and supremely duck-y. The onion chutney added some sweetness to contrast the pickled veggies and bunches of cilantro (in all BMs offered on the menu). 

I didn’t have the kimchi fries, but I’ve heard rave reviews from people I trust so I’d recommend it for sure.

Another side note: apparently banh mi often has pâté in it. I didn’t know this before my friend told me, but I hope that shows up on the menu at some point as an add-on. I’d take them up on it in a second.

Service and Ambience

The redesign has made the restaurant ‘nicer’, but with limited seating and lots of take out orders, it’s not a highlight. I think the real reason this place is popular is the unique concept, good execution and value. The prices are very competitive with a lot of take out options in the area and the food is clearly better quality.

One thing I’ll comment on service-wise is the speed. We showed up 11:45am on a Wednesday and ended up waiting about 20 minutes from lining up through to receiving food. Around 12:15pm, people just saw the line and left because they knew they’d be there forever. It’s worth the wait if you beat most people to the line, but I’m not so sure it’s worth 30+ mins unless you’re REALLY craving it.

The Reco?

As I said, the unique concept and value make this place a success. It’s niche food done pretty well, and there are enough options to keep you coming back without getting bored. It’s like if your favourite shawarma place had 20 legitimately interesting options. You’d go back too. 

Other reviews:
  NOW Toronto    |      blogTO 

 Posted by: Jacob, Visited Apr 4, 2012