Toronto is a dynamic and multifaceted city, standing as Canada’s largest urban centre and a prominent global hub for business, finance, technology, entertainment, and culture. Situated in Southeastern Canada on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, it serves as the capital of the province of Ontario. The city is known for its incredible multiculturalism, with its motto being “Diversity Our Strength.” It’s often cited as one of the most diverse cities in the world, with over half of its population born outside of Canada and representing a multitude of ethnic groups and languages.

I just spent a few nights in Toronto and these were the restaurants that I dined at.

A wonderful Thai dinner at Same Same Thai but Different (303 King Street West, Toronto, on instagram @samesamethaito ) that recently opened in the theatre district with chef Warakorn Suriyawong leading the kitchen (formerly of Song in Vancouver). The large dining room is bright and welcoming, there is a full lineup of cocktails and mocktails as well as wines, beer and more! My longtime friend Rochelle joined me and we indulged in several flavourful dishes.

The Citrus salad was a stunner with citrus fruits, peanuts, toasted coconut, fried shallot, and a rhubarb tamarind sauce. Crispy Rice Shrimp Toast on brioche with shrimp, kao mao, peanut sauce and cucumber relish, reminded me of Chef Warakorn’s similar dish at Song that I longed for. Pan-seared BC Sablefish, a beauty, melt in your mouth fish, in a tasty ginger-tamarind broth with palm sugar, shiitake, scallions served with jasmine Riceberry. Same Same Pad Thai, a classic, delicious as always. The next dish was the Ontario Beef Cheeks with a Massaman curry glacé, potatoes pave, heirloom carrots, with jasmine Riceberry.

We then shared a couple of their desserts, the Butterfly Pea Flower Sorbet with lychee, kaffir like, palm sugar and honey comb was a refreshing dessert. Lastly the, Pandanas Kaya Toasted Brioche with Caramelized coconut, pandan curd, young coconut, khee Lo coconut crumble, was rich and perfect for sharing.

It is all about Japanese fine dining at Miku located at (10 Bay Street, #105 in downtown Toronto and on instagram @mikutoronto ). I have dined at their Vancouver location many times over the years and this time around I visited the Toronto location for dinner.

My friend Debbie and I started off with a couple of warm bowls of Miso Soup and the outstanding Hamachi Crudo. Then we had their Japanese crispy chicken and the very good Crispy brussel sprouts which we had without the bacon. The Kyoto Saikyo miso sablefish was split as we were sharing and the presentation was beautiful for the tender fish in the wasabi sauce.

As they are known for their Flame-seared sushi, we had both the Salmon oshi sushi and the Saba Oshi sushi and they were delicious. We also had a Garden roll to get some vegetables into the mix. Next we had a selection of their Nigiri which included the Sake, Hamachi, Kanpachi, Hokkaido Scallop, and O-toro / fatty tuna belly.

Finished the outstanding meal with a couple of desserts, the Yuzu Lemon Mousse for Debbie and the Matcha Bar for me.

Enjoyed an exceptional dinner at Harbour 60 (60 Harbour Street in downtown Toronto and on instagram @harboursixty) at this recently reopened iconic fine dining steakhouse that followed after a 10 month long renovation.

The dining room is a stunner, with comfortable seating, everything is made in house and they have their own butchery that features dry-aging on site. My friend Rochelle joined me and we started off with some of their house-baked focaccia and soft rolls that came with an exquisite spread topped with feta.

We then indulged in a trio of their crudos; our favorite was the Japanese Madai with its Coconut Curry Foam, Young Coconut, Celtuce. Radish, Lemon Balm; followed by the beautiful King Salmon and then the Hawaiian Kanpachi.

The H60 Wedge Salad followed which was a great salad to share with Bleu d’Auvergne, Smoked Buttermilk, Scallion, Red Onion, Gremolata, Dill and we got the bacon on the side. We then shared two of the outstanding entrees; the Roasted Black Cod that was tender and flavourful as well as the Big Glory Bay Salmon. Plus a couple of sides that included the Broccolini with Chili Crisp, Marcona Almond, Lemon; and the Brussels Sprouts with XO, Parmesan Toasted Breadcrumbs.

We both had a WOW moment when the popular house-made Baked Alaska was served, it is huge and can ultimately feed 4 people; it is truly glorious and a must order when dining here. The Baked Alaska dessert is indulgent with Hazelnut Basio, Dark Chocolate, Flourless Brownie, Meringue then flamed at the table with Brandy.

They offer complimentary valet parking in the back which adds to the incredible dining experience.

This year after an over 1 year of extensive renovations to the building the owners of the Harbour 60 restaurant took over the rest of the building which was formerly home to the Harbour Commission. They then opened an Italian restaurant Arianna, also beautiful with a great vibe and a dj. They also opened Estelle, the building also features a couple of bars, a selection of private event spaces and rooms, a truly one of a kind wine cellar, an in-house butchery and a few kitchens.

Stay tuned for more restaurants that I visit in my travels.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: The restaurants provided us with complimentary meals. As always, all opinions and photos are my own.