" They say Canadians are some of the nicest the great unwashed , and I see why . "
If you’re well-versed on the food side of TikTok, you probably knowKeith Lee(@keith_lee125). He gained popularity through tasting and reviewing restaurants, ranging from small restaurants to large chains.
Keith is currently embarking on a “food tour,” tasting local eats from all around a particular city. And lucky for us, his latest stop was none other than Toronto, where he’s eaten at six restaurants so far.
Of course, Keith had a lot to say about the places he tried — spanning from the west end to Scarborough (and even into Ajax!). So, without further ado, here’s a full list of the restaurants he went to, and what he thought about each item he ordered.
1.First, Keith stopped atSumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grillin Scarborough (which he hilariously called “Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada”), to try 3 kinds of shawarma: veal, chicken, and mixed.
Keith enjoyed the chicken and veal, emphasizing how flavourful they were. He rated the chicken shawarma an 8.2/10 and the veal an 8.4/10, but didn’t enjoy them as much together. Still, a win is a win!
2.For dessert, Keith stopped atBiscuits to Baskets, a bakery run out of a backyard in Ajax, a town just east of Toronto. Although he normally doesn’t visit backyard businesses, he made an exception for this one, tasting four cakes and one coffee.
To begin, Keith dubbed the Korean Sponge Toffee Latte as “unique,” and gave it an 8/10 (which is a great grade given that he doesn’t really drink coffee). Then, he and his family tried the carrot, banana, biscoff, and chocolate cakes. Although they preferred the first three because they weren’t overly sweet, all four landed positive ratings.
3.Then, Keith hit up downtown Toronto to tryAfro’s Pizza, a small but popular spot. He tasted the mac ‘n cheese and four pizzas: the Davis Jr. (one with pepperoni and one with beef), Hendrix’s Experience, and Shehnaz’s Samosa. Each was stacked with ingredients and super unique.
Normally “picky” about his mac ‘n cheese, Keith loved how flavourful this dish was, rating it an 8.5/10. As for the pizzas, Keith gave the Davis Jr. a whopping 9/10 with pepperoni, and 8.7/10 with beef. After some confusion over how he felt about the Hendrix’s Experience pizza, he rated it a 7.7/10, and the samosa pizza a 7.5/10, explaining how the last two are probably divisive amongst the public.
4.Asian-fusion brunch favouriteSisters & Co.was next. They ordered the Earl Grey pancakes, citrus mascarpone waffles, bare-naked Eggs Benedict, and a Vietnamese coffee.
Albeit a bit stingy with their bacon and simple with their options, Keith gave the bare-naked Benedict a 7.7/10. He absolutely loved the waffles, rating them a 9/10, and gave the pancakes an 8.7/10. The coffee got a 7.5/10; he said it tasted very strong (but he likes black coffee, so it was up his alley).
5.Keith went on to try Bahamian restaurantOld Nassau, located in the west end of Toronto, after the owner posted a TikTok asking Keith to add their restaurant to his food tour. He tried the banana pancakes, crack chicken, pork chops, and a fried snapper fish.
The fish was “seasoned to perfection,” and the pancake was “savoury,” “buttery,” and “dense”; he rated the combination of both a 9.6/10! He didn’t like the macaroni side dish, though, giving it a 3/10, and rated the crack chicken a 7/10. Although he doesn’t usually eat pork, he rated the pork chops a 7.9/10. So the big winners here were the pancake and fish.
6.Back in Scarborough, Keith got a request to visitNo. 1 Jerk, a takeout restaurant, for some Jamaican-Chinese food. He tried the BBQ jerk chicken sandwich, curry goat roti, and an oxtails plate.
He said the jerk chicken was dry, but the bread was soft, so the sandwich was a 6.5/10. The curry goat roti was hard to eat and the flavours were strong; but Keith still gave this a 7.5/10 and the oxtails plate a 6.5/10.
7.Finally, Keith visitedSahan Restaurantin Scarborough, where they serve Somali food. Here, he tried the Awlal (goat and rice), beef stew, t-bone and pasta, chicken stew, and a milk cake for dessert.
The goat tasted fresh, landing it an 8.2/10, and the t-bone and pasta got an 8/10 and 5/10, respectively. Next, he gave the beef stew an 8/10 and the chicken stew a 7.8/10, after noting the latter’s unique spices. The milk cake was soft and tasty, but Keith didn’t like the texture; his family, however, gave it a 9/10, adding that it would be the perfect birthday cake.
And that wraps up Keith’s food tour in Toronto! It’s safe to say we showed him how diverse (and delicious) our food scene is, and how inviting Canadians can be. I just hope he comes back for another bite sometime soon.
