Sep 25

Sep 25 Best of Toronto: Palmerston-Little Italy

This summer, I moved into the neighbourhood of Palmerston-Little Italy for a few weeks. In that short time it became one of my favourite areas in Toronto, mainly for its sense of juxtaposition. Despite sitting in the centre of one of North America’s busiest cities, it feels like a community. Nonnos and Nonnas sit on their verandas, taking in the foot traffic or watering their incredible gardens out front. However, just a few minutes south to College Street, are lively crowds, a rough-around-the-edges atmosphere and the ungentrified splendour of some of Toronto’s most experimental restaurants and shops.

The Walton

If you fancy the occasional high tea outing but are also looking for a classy bar with airs of old school New York, the Walton is at your service. It is simple and cozy, the perfect cafe to settle in for an afternoon of productive writing, reading, or catching up with friends. In the evening, it transforms into a low key bar, with lovely drinks, a wide selection of craft beers and a few locally sourced bites. There is a lovely patio out back, with tall wooden walls and old trees arched over top of the courtyard, creating a feeling of having stepped into a secret garden. In fact, there was even a little crew of insanely cute baby racoons entertaining the patio-dwellers the last time I was there (this was an unusual occurrence - don’t concern yourself with worries of health and safety codes). Besides the lovely atmosphere, there is also a true sense of hospitality and homeliness, with blankets available for the taking if you get chilly and very friendly waitstaff.

Patois

Do you have a friend who you dread entertaining only because they are so interesting and always have fantastic recommendations when it’s their turn to decide which restaurant to eat at? Try taking them to Patois and watch how fast their jaws drop. Although fusion has been a top trend in the food industry for a number of years now, Patois is one of the few to take on the flavour profiles of a Chinese-Jamaican mashup. Chinese-Jamaican food is the result of Chinese labourers’ creativity with the limited ingredients they had on hand to create traditional Chinese recipes in Jamaica. The result is a collision of East and West classics, with unexpected pairings and surprising ingredients. Do yourself a favour and order “The Whole Shebang” for the table - a chance to enjoy the entire menu for only $120. My favourites were definitely the Crunchy Chinese Salad (with napa cabbage, romaine, pineapple jalapeno dressing and wontons), the Chinese Pineapple Bun Burger, and the Jamaican Oxtail.

Monocle Shop

There’s a special place in my heart for Canadian-born innovators and entrepreneurs, especially when the output is a company as cool as Monocle. The editor-in-chief, Tyler Brûlé, is the original founder of design magazine Wallpaper and former correspondent for publications such as Vanity Fair and the BBC. Monocle is a full-circle lifestyle communications company, with brand extensions including a monthly magazine, 24-hour radio station, global coffee outposts and the Shop, to boot. Across all platforms, Monocle takes a premium yet minimalist approach to culture, travel and design, with Monocle Shop featuring the physical embodiments of these values. A carefully curated collection of products on display include fragrances, leather goods, clothing, stationary, travel packs and books. A few of my favourite products were the leather pouches, borne from collaborations with Japanese stationary brand, Delfonics, and another with avant-garde Japanese clothier, Commes des Garçons.

PG Clucks

Love Big Macs? Love fried chicken? I may have just found your gastronomic nirvana. PG Clucks is a hole in the wall, unassumingly discreet beside College St’s Royal Cinema. The menu has about 5 items tacked into an old school menu board, meaning you know it’s good and they do too. I got the Big Cluck sandwich - with chicken, lettuce, pickles, onions, American cheese, and Mac sauce. It was greasy and flavourful and big enough for three reasonable meals but I, naturally, ate it in one.

Vįt Béo

Potentially unpopular opinion: Most great cities have a gap in their culinary landscape, with limited options for quick-service, high-quality restaurants (Singapore as the exception, perhaps). In Toronto, the new Vietnamese restaurant, Vįt Béo, fills this gap. Their open air kitchen provides a chance to observe the rituals of Vietnamese cooking, while sniffing out which of the 13 dishes to order. My rule of thumb is that minimal menu options generally means maximal execution of the offerings, so you really can’t go wrong no matter what you choose. However, if you prefer a validated choice, I got the Bánh Xèo and it was amazingly flavourful, as you would hope a pork belly and prawn wrap would be.

Health Hut

Health Hut is a lovely little beauty and wellness shop on College with the most relaxing vibe. I love meandering around the store on a quiet Sunday morning, checking out the wares from local artisans and writers. Their product selection is pretty wide-ranging, with tons of local, natural beauty products, novels and recipe books, as well as some more health-oriented products like turmeric powders and vitamins. It is a great place to find little gifts for your girlfriends, moms or sisters, and an ever-better spot to gift yourself. A couple of my favourite products from Health Hut are my jade face roller and lavender incense by Province Apothecary, and the cookbook, How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry.

Empire Coffee

I believe there’s something really indicative about countries or cities with a thriving coffee culture. In my opinion, it is a strong indicator of creativity, of community values, and of a more relaxed approach to life. When I say coffee culture, I don’t mean Starbucks or Tims on every corner. I mean independent beaneries with a real connection to the neighbourhoods in which they reside. Toronto is well on its way to institutionalizing this culture and it’s cafés like Empire that are leading the way. The brew itself is top-notch, the atmosphere is eclectic at best and endearingly shabby at worst, and their chalkboard art is always clever (important for the ‘gram!). Grab a new read at the used bookstore next for and set up shop in the cozy window front corner for the perfect afternoon.