Toronto has no shortage of good Italian restaurants. So, it was surprising that when Bestellen closed it’d be re-opened as … another Italian restaurant. Nevertheless, Chef Rob Rossi comes from that background and the food at Bestellen was good, so a visit to Giulietta … another pasta, pizza, and meat establishment … was a must.

My outlook improved when the burrata ($30) was set on the table. The cheese draped with thin slices of salty prosciutto, why mess with a great combination? 



Since the bread wasn’t toasted or oiled, it was a bit chewy and difficult to get a knife through, so if it was cut thinner it would be even better. The caramelized onion and fig spread on the bread was absolutely delicious and went so nicely with the milky flavourful cheese, which was served at a perfect room temperature. The staggering $30 price tag was a bit of a surprise though… note to self, always ask for prices with specials.  

Well marbled beef was used in the carne cruda di chianina ($19) and while I couldn’t taste the fried garlic mentioned on the menu, the anchovy was an interesting addition to the mix. We’re asked if we’d like a side of bread ($3) which, in my opinion, is a must. You really need something to spread the beef tartare on or it’d be way too salty and overpowering on its own. For those that are abstaining from carbs, perhaps a salad would help balance the flavourful beef.

Even one of Giulietta’s pizzas would be a great shared starter. The l'amentea ($21) has a healthy portion of spicy soppressata and tons of garlic that would give Count Dracula a scare. I love garlic so found it went nicely with the soppressata, but did drown out the fior di latte, which became more for its creamy chewy texture than flavour. The well blistered crust was coloured evenly and had a lovely chewy texture, but could be thicker in the middle as the paper-thin centre became lost amongst the sauce.

The chestnut agnolotti ($26) was not as hearty as expected, possibly due to the ricotta folded into the chestnut paste or the sheer amount of the guanciale used in the pasta, giving the dish a salty property. While it’s a good dish, I did expect more flavours. After all, it's supposed to incorporate earthy chestnuts and sweet 20-year balsamico. In reality, the most prevalent flavour was bacon, which like the garlic in the pizza, can be welcomed if you LOVE the ingredient or overpowering if you don’t.

Although the salty rosemary crust on the bracioli di maiale ($42) would have been too strong, giving the pork a slight bitter aftertaste. Once a smear of sweet fennel and apricot mostarda was added to the pork chop, the flavours gelled together and really worked, especially when mixed with a piece of fat. It’s a rather sizeable portion but arrives pre-sliced so can be shared family style.

For chocolate lovers the gianduja torta ($12) has a lovely silky texture and combines wonderfully with the salted caramel, both flavours equally balanced. It’s especially good with the crunchy toasted hazelnut pieces. Imagine having Ferrero Rocher in a tart form, to another level.

While the dinner was good, there wasn’t much that stuck out about the experience to make it memorable and proclaim it as something that makes Giulietta. For now, I'll consider it another good Italian restaurant in Toronto.

I have a love-hate relationship with Grandeur Palace: they’re one of better dim sum restaurants, in terms of taste for value, but the sheer amount of “friends and family” they let go to the front of the queue grates on the nerves while you’re waiting. Luckily, they’re quiet during dinner and with a small group we’ve just walked-in. It’s so much better when there’s no one jumping the line!

Unlike other Chinese restaurants, Grandeur doesn’t serve complimentary soup. So, if you’re used to wetting the whistle before the food arrives, plan accordingly. Their soup of the day ($9.98) is reasonably priced and sufficient for about 8-10 people. While it changes, one evening brought us a bone broth made of pork, carrots, apples, and white fungus, arriving piping hot and flavourful (not having been diluted).  

Moreover, their wrappers are a little thick and left in the steamer too long causing the top ones to dry out and crack. Nonetheless, they’re a good three-bite size ideal for making a duck taco.

You will spend more on other dishes – even a simple vegetable dish is above $15. However, Grandeur doesn’t skimp on quality or portion sizes. The sweet and sour pork ($16.80) is made with pork tenderloin, so even older family members could bite through the meat, and there was enough sauce for flavour. Sadly, the large chip is prettier to look at than eat: thinking it was a gigantic shrimp chip, I was disappointed to be greeted with the taste of Styrofoam.

The salt and pepper pork chop ($16.80) is a substantial dish. Again, the kitchen ensures it remains tender while creating a crispy crust, it just needs to be spicier.

While it’s common in Chinese restaurants, the actual seafood in the tofu, vegetable, and seafood in hot pot ($18.80) has little flavour given it’s quickly blanched before cooking. Most tables order the hot pot for the sauce over the natural shrimp, scallop, and squid flavours.

If you’ve never had bamboo fungus, it has an interesting crunchy spongy texture that I love. At Grandeur, you’ll find the ingredient in the stir-fried vegetables with bamboo fungus ($15.80), topping broccoli and mixed with black and white fungus.

The baby bok choy with salted and preserved egg ($13.80) isn’t my favourite dish as the grainy texture of the salted egg yolk is strange against the vegetable. However, it’s simple and relatively healthy feeling for those wanting a lighter option.

At $19.98 a pound, it doesn’t sound expensive for a large lobster, but when you’re greeted with a behemoth 6-pound dish ($119.88), it adds up. Best for big tables, large lobsters aren’t always as sweet as their younger counterparts but there’s more meat, especially in the claws and legs. The traditional stir-fried lobster with green onions and ginger was done well, chopped into large enough pieces so it didn’t become overcooked.

The braised grouper ($48) is another dish for larger tables – a platter with a big slab of meaty fish topped with tons of tofu and surrounded with vegetables and mushrooms (these sides alone enough to count as its own dish). The thick grouper was just cooked through and there was sufficient oyster sauce to keep everything flavoured.

Whoever chopped the deep fried whole chicken ($33.60) did so in a haphazard manner, it arrived disheveled looking. Nonetheless, it was well flavoured, the skin crispy, and the meat cooked through but not tough. Perhaps it was cut while it was still hot - if it’s between presentation or temperature, I choose temperature any day.

Although the restaurant doesn’t provide soup, customers do leave with a sweet ending. The customary green bean soup with tapioca was hot and sweet and on a weeknight dinner there were also bite-sized mango pudding and cookies.

While dining at Grandeur Palace doesn’t make you feel like royalty (even on quiet nights it’s hard to get a staff member’s attention), their dishes are decent interpretations of Cantonese cuisine. Just go in a table of six or more; they don’t skimp on portion size.

As much as I love airy opulent dining rooms, there’s something about a small mom-and-pop shop that brings comfort. A feeling that soon I’ll be nourished with something hearty and I’m really supporting someone (not a massive corporation) in the process. Hence, when South China Noodles Delight came on the radar, a two-person team in a 20-seat restaurant, I bee lined there as soon as it opened and found it mercifully had no line.  

Despite furnishing the place with the narrowest tables I’ve ever seen (construction workers may mistake the thing for a work bench), the dishes are substantial – for a table of three we ordered two large bowls with a side of boiled vegetables ($4) and it was enough to satisfy. Small versions are available for $2 less.

The ox tail vermicelli in soup ($13) is the perfect combination of bites of tender beef augmented with bits of sticky chewy tendon. It arrives steaming and with all the bones and cartilage, the soup base was certainly hearty – a bit salty on its own, but goes wonderfully with the neutral noodles.

Without a doubt, the pork chop ($9) vermicelli is a great deal: incorporating at least two large lightly dusted deep fried pork chops, made fresh to order. For this, we tried the dry option, which still uses a layer of soy sauce broth at the bottom but is then also topped with pickled preserved vegetables. For me, it’s a little bland, but with a couple of drops of fragrant chili oil became tastier.

As a warning, the restaurant is small, so leave the strollers outside, refrain from wearing a huge jacket (it’ll reek like food anyways), and there’s nowhere to hang a purse so bringing a compact bag is key.

Nonetheless, South China Noodles Delight makes a great bowl of noodles. Not to the point that it would warrant travelling great distances for – after all, the entire meal lasts under an hour. But, if you’re hungry and in the mood for some hearty “home-cooking”, bring an appetite and your craving will be sedated.

For a person who loves food, I don’t particularly love cooking. It’s not a chore I hate and will cook about twice a week, but all the steps leading up to actually preparing the meal (grocery shopping and prep work) seems to take so much time. Meal kit delivery companies help reduce the effort, but may not be the optimal choice for people who like to create – after all, cooking is an art form combining ingredients to create something new. 

A company that delivers groceries can help save time and effort. Hence, when I was approached by Maillard, a Canadian company supplying premium meats across the country, to experience a selection of their offerings, my inner carnivore did a happy dance.

Maillard prides themselves by offering meat free of artificial colouring – those vibrantly red steaks you can see in grocery markets may not necessarily be natural. Moreover, except for the flattened chicken, everything is prepared and flash frozen in their facilities before being shipped as quickly as possible to ensure fresh products.

Meat is sent in an isotherm cooler packed with dry ice keeping products frozen for 30 hours – it’s quite a scene as you open cardboard box, lift the bags of dry ice and the smoke billows out (just take care not to touch the dry ice). Everything arrives separated and beautifully wrapped … a gift idea for any meat lover in your life.

My first dinner consisted of the flattened chicken ($21.24). Since it was fully prepared, my finishing touch was simply to marinate it in peri peri (a recipe is available on Maillard’s website, but I just used a bottle of Nando’s sauce) and bake the bird following the requisite time included on the packaging. It resulted in a lovely golden juicy chicken that cooked surprisingly fast (45 minutes) since it was flattened.

Using the trimmed boneless chicken breasts ($9.10 for pack of two), I whipped up a quick Cajun chicken for a weeknight meal. Even after fileting them (for a shorter cooking time), the chicken came out surprisingly moist.

Recipes suggest brining the Frenched bone-in pork chop ($6) prior to cooking as the meat is relatively lean and tends to dry out. Despite every intention to follow the advice, life took over and that evening I ended up slathering on an herb meat glaze and baking. Trust me, you don’t need to spend the extra time brining; the pork chop turned out succulent and one of best I’ve ever prepared.  

Since a boneless duck breast ($10.15) was included in the package, I expanded my cooking repertoire at home. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too difficult to prepare – you score the fat, slowly render skin side down in a pan, and finish off in a hot oven with a swish of maple syrup. In my haste to taste the duck I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. Next time, I’d definitely render the skin longer as there was still a bit of chewiness, but the duck meat was delicious and the quality comparable to restaurants.

Maillard’s products labelled as ‘Sélection 1913’ are their best cuts sourced from the highest grades (AAA and Prime), some are even aged 45 – 60 days to further enhance flavours. The 45-day aged boneless ribeye ($20.62) we sampled was fantastic crusted in Montreal steak spice and barbequed. The ribeye had such a lovely marbling throughout and the expected beefy taste (don’t you hate it when a steak looks great but tastes mild?)

If there are specific meats and cuts you’d like, items can be purchased on its own. For better value try their boxes containing 10-40 servings reducing the price per portion and providing variety. One like the ‘All Natural Box’ is $175 and includes steaks, ground beef, pork chop, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, chicken legs & drumsticks, and marinated chicken skewers, all together serving 40 portions.

For those who love great luxurious meats and also want to save time, having Maillard delivery a box to your house may be an ideal treat. And for those who still love to great creative - hopefully, Maillard will let out your inner ‘artist’ so you can transform ingredients and develop a beautiful and delicious dish.

As a special for Gastro World readers, Maillard is offering you 10% off orders $50+ and free shipping! Just use promo code gastro10 on their website.