There’s no shortage of fried chicken sandwiches and smashed burgers in Toronto. Over the pandemic, people seemed to be craving handheld comfort food that’s also easy to takeout… oh how the business community responded. In fact, it was during the pandemic that Nozomi Fusion Kitchen opened and soon became a well kept secret in the Bathurst and Lawrence neighbourhood.

The hot honey inferno chicken sandwich ($11.95) was delicious: a thick piece of tender chicken breast covered with a batter that stayed crispy through a car ride home. Just get a bunch of napkins as there’s a plethora of sauces – herbed mayonnaise, chili oil, and hot honey – that gives the sandwich such a flavourful, but messy, bite. And depending on where you’re biting, the taste changes as I found it much spicier at the sandwich’s centre while the sweetness was stronger along the edges.

Instead of a brioche bun, the chicken sandwich would be better paired with something denser as the soft bun couldn’t hold up against all the sauces. Be forewarned: your fingers will be saturated with grease as the bun disintegrates. And while the sandwich incorporates pickled jalapenos, I’d recommend adding chopped onion, which provides a fresh crunchiness to help counteract the heaviness of the fried chicken.

I loved the caramelized crust of the O.G. smashed burger ($9.95) and wish I had thought to take a bite when it was freshly made as once the thin patty cools it doesn’t do the burger justice. Still, it was flavourful without being overly salty despite the liberal smear of Nozomi’s special sauce.

Aside from the sandwiches, Nozomi also offers poke bowls featuring a variety of proteins served over rice, salad, or soba noodles ranging from $10.95 for the crispy tofu to $16.95 for tuna. In fact, the salmon poke with soba is the owner’s favourite things to eat as she finds it refreshing but still substantial enough to satisfy.

Being a mom-and-pop shop, their food is made-to-order and something like a thick chicken breast can take time to prepare. Luckily, you can pre-order to pick-up for a specific time through their website; the system was a breeze to use, and my order was ready by the reserved time. The perfect balance of supporting a small business while enjoying the efficiency of fast food. So, next time you’re craving a chicken sandwich, skip the chains and go small and local instead. 

Is it me, or is everyone jumping onto the fried chicken sandwich bandwagon lately? It’s a thought that fleeted through my head, while going through Porchetta and Co.’s menu that consists of more fowl than swine.

All the choices did make it difficult to decide what we wanted, finally settling on a glutinous dinner of two sandwich combos with two pieces of fried chicken on the side. Needless to say, there was a lot of food and the fries became the casualties – arriving warm and weren’t overly crispy – relegated to being leftovers and tasting much better the next day when they were made crispy in the toaster oven.

We’re certainly not professionals who participate in eating competitions. So, after a sizeable sandwich, a less sizeable piece of fried chicken, and a handful of fries we were FULL. Yet, there wasn’t a gross disgusting feeling; surprisingly, it was a comfortable “clean” fullness despite the plethora of fried foods we just ingested.

The porchetta “house special” sandwich ($16.95 for the combo; $12.95 for just the sandwich) certainly sounds decadent: a combination of slow roasted pork, crispy pork skin crackling, truffle mayo, and parmesan. But then the soft bun is hit with a grainy mustard laced with Frank’s red hot, which cuts through the greasiness to nicely balance out the sandwich. It’s a delicious flavourful bite with the tangy mustard, soft pork, a sudden crunchy bite of skin, and a mellow truffle finish. I can see why this is the house special.

Even with the number of restaurants now serving crispy chicken sandwiches, Porchetta’s OG fried chicken sandwich ($16.95 for the combo) doesn’t disappoint. They swap the breast for a more flavourful thigh meat that’s fried until the edges are simply crunchy - to the point that if it were any crispier the roof of your mouth better watch out. Once again, the heaviness is balanced out with an herby ranch dressing and thick slices of pickles. There’s of course, Porchetta’s favourite condiment - Frank’s hot sauce – sparingly applied so that it doesn’t turn into an overly hot sandwich.

In fact, if you’re afraid of spicy foods, you won’t face with any demons at Porchetta. Even their Nashville hot chicken ($4.95 for a piece) barely registers a sting despite the oily red sauce pooling at the bottom of the container. As spicy hot fried chicken goes, it’s lighter than most, likely drained well before being dipped in the mildly hot oil.

The only disappointment was the buttermilk fried chicken ($4.95 for a piece) that arrived undercooked. Thankfully, my husband and I were sharing everything and had cut it into two, which allowed us to see the pink juices running from the dark pink bone, saving us from any food-related stomach complications later. Therefore, it’s difficult to really judge the chicken since it came sizzling hot from the oven, perhaps a tad overcooked, but yielding tons of crunch.

Putting the undercooked chicken aside, we agreed Porchetta’s sandwiches are certainly worth ordering again. Big heavenly recipes of greasy meats smartly combined with balance condiments; we’re switching from the fast-food chain variety for sure.