“At Epoch, we nod to the food and beverage trends of the past and re-imagine them. We are inspired by the gastropub movement that shook the culinary world in the 90s. Our concept re-defines pub culture and pays homage to traditional British dining.” How could we refuse that description? If “paying homage to traditional British […]
I heard about a new British eaterie at Bloor Street West and Royal York Road called Bramble Gastropub so perused the menu. Scotch Egg with Lamb Sausage? Check. Sausage and Mashed? Check. Finchley Fish and Chips? Check. Poutine with Pheasant Confit? Check. All looked amazing, but thought I’d plump for the traditional Sunday British roast […]
We work hard at Brits in Toronto to scour the city and find the best curry so when we saw that Chunky — a pretty good brand — had deemed it necessary … some would say essential … to put Butter Chicken and vegetables into a soup version, we just had to try it. The […]
Let’s start this completely biased review by saying one thing: no curry sauce in a bottle, tin or packet WILL EVER be as good as being freshly prepared from scratch in an Indian restaurant. But …. some come quite close and do the job when you don’t want to go out or feel like something […]
I always have a little giggle — or sometimes, a guffaw — when I read in the Brits in Toronto groups that expats miss the cheese from back home. Having been here 20 years, I can attest to the fact that there are some really good ones here, but you have to search them out. […]
There’s a great little no-frills curry place up by Finch and the 404 called Mistaan Sweets but you wouldn’t notice it if you drove by as it’s tucked away in an industrial area, hence this review. You’re welcome. As the name implies their specialty is sweet goods and they sell a ton of those, but […]
This blog was set up in part for Brits in Toronto to find the best curries in the city. That includes restaurants and the kind you can cook yourself at home. But which are NEVER as good as the restaurants. (Ping us if you know different, we’re all ears …) Spotted The Spice Tailor on […]
Brits in Toronto has been searching the city for nigh on 19 years and counting for the quintessential proper authentic “British curry” and has — thus far — come up short. And we’ve been to a LOT of curry houses in and around the GTA. (A couple have come close if you look back at […]
Was wandering around Loblaws at the weekend looking for the organic alfalfa sprouts section when I spotted two words on a tin that shouted BUY ME! Butter Chicken … soup. With veggies thrown in to make it a balanced meal. Sold! Noticing that this soup was part of the famed Chunky range I hoped that […]
It’s time for another totally biased review and we have an aged cheddar cheese called Dorset Drum on the podium today. Wandering around Loblaws, our eye was immediately drawn to the Union Jack on the packaging, a sure sign of potential quality. Unfortunately, we were a bit let down in this instance. The Brits in […]
Took one for the team last week and went for yet another curry, just so I could review the place. You’re welcome. Steps away from Curry Twist in The Junction, my place of choice was North Of Bombay. Having checked the menu online beforehand, I was very excited to see a rare sighting of Bombay […]
Dreaded tackling the last-minute (like me!) Christmas shoppers today so just had to have a British-style brunch to set me up for the parking battles ahead. And what better place than the New Toronto location of Kitchen On Sixth? I normally wait a few days before posting my totally biased product reviews, but this one has […]
I really, REALLY wanted to like Curry Twist. The website looks appealing … the reviews are glowing … even bloody Susur Lee has eaten there it seems! And it’s a rare totally biased product review by me where I’ve gone, not liked it — and gone back to give it a second chance. That second […]
We first heard about Black Cow Cheddar at the British Beverage Showcase in the summer. Luckily able to try the recently imported Black Cow Vodka (made with milk!) with some cheese, the product of choice was … of course, ha! … the accompanying Black Cow Cheddar. As you can see from the stylishly shot, balancing-on-the-plastic-towel-rail-in-the-bathroom […]
Where do you go when you need a beautiful table ornament made out of gold paint-sprayed pine cones, holly and twigs? A fetching turquoise blue glass jar? A plaid cushion that you’re proud to show guests? You got it — HomeSense! Where do you go when you need a vindaloo sauce? You got it — […]
I recently had the opportunity to dine at The Queen and Beaver Public House. It’s been on my to-do list for ages, but I happened to be staying in the vicinity so took advantage of an unseasonably balmy night to grab a patio seat and went to town. First up as my starter was the […]
We must have walked past this product a million times in our local Walmart, but often been tempted by a Hungry-Man Salisbury Steak or ready-made ham sandwich instead. “Sod it,” we mused. “Let’s give it a go. How bad can it be? What does ‘finest’ actually mean?” We grabbed a box and headed off. It […]
Sometimes Loblaws delights us as it did the other day when we mooched around our local branch. We went in specifically looking for some good, strong cheddar and this is what we found: Great British Reserve Cheddar. Vacuum-sealed in the same material that NASA uses in its space missions, the packaging certainly caught our eye. […]
We finally did it. Been on our to-do list for a loooonnngggg time but we never got around to it. Now we have. Yes — we went to The Caledonian, hoots mon! And was it worth it. First things first … the Toronto crowd love their Scottishness. The place was packed and we wished that […]
Out on the lash Friday night so the Brits in Toronto crew popped into Kothur Indian Cuisine, on Yonge Street just below the Duke of Gloucester. We needed to get a base first. Once the prerequisite trio of pickled carrots, mint sauce and tamarind sauce came out, we dived into the main events. I had the […]
Really silly busy day running around in the warm sun (luv it!) and picking out our pubs for the Champions League and Blue Jays. Didn’t have time to cook up a proper lunch, so decided to give Chef Bombay Beef Vindaloo that we picked up in Loblaws a try. Yuugggeee mistake! The photo above is […]
The Brits in Toronto crew love to cook. OK, it’s easy to head to the nearest curry house for a Ruby Murray, but it’s also good to buy the ingredients ourselves, get a sauce and hope for the best. So we jumped in the motor and headed to one of our favourite British shops A […]
We actually knew this fun fact about the origins of the Scotch egg — it was a question on University Challenge once — but just had to double-check it: “The London department store Fortnum & Mason claims to have invented Scotch eggs in 1738.” For those who don’t know, a Scotch egg consists of a hard-boiled […]
The Brits in Toronto crew treated ourselves the other week to some proper British grub at The Borough over on the Danforth. That’s in the Greek manor. We’d heard some good things so wanted to check the place out. The Borough bills itself as an, “English-style gastro pub, which specializes in local sustainable food, beer […]
When Nancy — our Brits in Toronto office accountant — heard that we were testing out something “rugged” and “mature” she got a little flustered. A tad disappointed when she found out it was just a “hunk” of cheese. Nancy tutted a few times and went back to cutting and pasting our Thank God It’s Friday, Let’s […]
Last weekend the Brits in Toronto crew hugged our families, made sure the survival gear was stashed in the motor, grabbed our passports and headed off to Mississauga. We had one mission in mind: curry sauce. Our destination was A Bit Of Home … and you can also order online, which is handy. Rummaging through […]
Bit of confusion in the Brits in Toronto office this morning. The crew were settling down to catch up on the EastEnders omnibus — and we hadn’t even got past the dramatic opening credits drum intro — when there was a knock on the door. A bloke walked in and said, “He’s gonna step on […]
We were feeling a tad peckish in the Brits in Toronto Yorkville office the other day, so sent out Dave our new intern on a food run. He didn’t disappoint. Nestled in between the Monster Munch and pork pies we spied a hefty chunk of cheese … namely English Blue Stilton from Pusateri’s Fine Foods. […]
The Brits in Toronto crew are always keeping our eyes peeled for those little bits of home we find around the city. Today was a great discovery: Cricketers Mature Cheddar. Now, there’s certain cheeses that label themselves as “mature” but actually taste like the rubbery black block that your swimming teacher at school used to throw […]
As we’ve mentioned before on this website, we find it tricky to find a Brits in Toronto staple favourite: Bombay Potatoes. So it was with utter glee — and Keith the office intern looking at the floor, squinting eyes like he’d scored, pumping his fist, shouting, “Yes! YES!!” — that we stumbled across Longo’s Bombay […]
We haven’t done a totally biased product review for a while, so it’s time. Why did we wait so long, you ask? Well, unlike the bloody big deal, the Brits in Toronto crew wanted to make sure that the bloody good pies were going to be around longer than a year. Yes, we finally get […]
So, a few weeks ago we decided to finally get out to try Spitfire Kitchen, the restaurant opened by the owners of one of Brits in Toronto’s favourite food trucks — The Feisty Jack. It was a chilly day so the crew jumped in the motor and sped off to Etobicoke, about 15 minutes’ drive […]
Bangers ‘n’ mash. Technically, sausages and potatoes. Meat and starch. BANGERS ‘N’ MASH! Say it loud and say it proud. A pure British treat, and none better (hmmmm, maybe there is, readers?) than what the Brits in Toronto crew had at the Elephant & Castle pub on King Street West recently. First off the E&C […]
The Brits in Toronto crew have been looking around for ages for a decent mug that holds a good-sized amount of tea, and we think this is it. From HomeSense. $3.99. The first plus point in our book is that the Union Jack design covers the whole mug. They certainly didn’t skimp on the red […]
“A painfully hot, hallucination inducing, mind altering curry.” Those words alone are enough to entice any self-respecting Brit — “Yeah mate, yeah … give us the ‘ottest ruby ya got!” — to wander along to The Bristol Yard for dinner. First impressions: NOT a pub. Stylish bar. Dark wood. Nice. Not Jazz Club nice … […]
Ahhh, The Duke of Gloucester. The Duke. Or just simply, “That British pub on Yonge between Bloor Street and Wellesley that is upstairs and has the flags flying outside. Opposite The Church of Scientology. Along by the strip club. Yeah — that one.” One of the best. Brit HQ for the short-lived World Cup 2014 […]
I love Toronto. I love curry. The two mix well. But one dish I find hard to source is Bombay Potatoes. So, I jumped in my bright orange 2-litre Ford Capri with go-fast spoiler and racing wheels and roared off (within the legal speed limit) on the hunt for Bombay Potatoes I could cook in the Brits […]
The Brits in Toronto crew were a bit stumped for a snack the other day, so went wandering to Whole Foods. And what did we find? Scottish bacon-flavoured crisps! Hoots mon! So before Scotland possibly becomes an independent country based on what happens this coming September 2014, let’s get in there quick and review these crisps […]
When you get that curry craving and don’t mind grabbing the passport, jumping in the motor and heading to Mississauga, there’s a place for you to scratch that spicy itch and raise the heat levels a little. Apni Havelly is located by Dundas Street East and Dixie Road and is worth the drive, I believe. Because […]
Is roast beef and Yorkshire pudding or fish and chips the national dish of Great Britain? The Brits in Toronto crew did a highly scientific and well-planned test to find out: we Googled it. As you can see from the results, these two dishes feature very prominently, with some curry in there too. The jury […]
Still one of the best Indian restaurants in Toronto is, in my totally biased product review opinion, Kama on King Street West. You may walk straight past it the first time as it’s located downstairs. Persevere though — pretend you didn’t make a mistake, turn around nonchalantly, walk back a few paces, look down, take […]
The Brits in Toronto crew were missing home a little over the Christmas holidays. There’s nothing quite like going to a fine British establishment for some copious imbibing, good cheer and snacks. Unfortunately, flights home were too expensive this year — and we still don’t have a major corporate beer, dental chain or Indian food […]
A few weeks ago the Brits in Toronto crew set out into the cold night to prove that good — no, great — British grub DOES exist in Toronto. You just have to know where to find it. Having heard positive things about The Oxley from other less-well-read blogs as ours, we decided to give […]
Got time for a curry quickie? Good. This item caught my eye as I was looking for an alternative side dish for tonight’s dinner. I think it was the combination of the words “cheese,” “spicy” and “spinach.” It’s also vegetarian, which is nice. I balanced it with a pork chop in a BBQ sauce and […]
Disclaimer: Guinness is my favourite pint at the pub. Nothing beats it for originality, looks, taste and pouring time. So, imagine my excitement as a co-worker gave me a free bag of Guinness crisps to try. My trembling hand accepted the offering, and I scurried them away behind my Brits in Toronto PR, communications and […]
Picture the scenario. It’s been a tough day. Work was hectic, someone stole your pork pie lunch from the communal fridge and the commute home on the TTC doesn’t go as planned. You finally get in, slump in your armchair and put on your slippers. But before you turn on the goggle box for Corrie […]
My mate told me about The Feisty Jack British food truck, and I just had to check it out for a review. At lunchtime on Friday, I left the Brits in Toronto HQ, strolled two blocks south, a couple of blocks west, crossed the traffic lights, ran across a busy road … and there it […]
As I perused the shelves of my favourite British goods shop, my eye happened upon this enticing item. Shepherd’s pie. IN A CAN. Had to try it for lunch today. I was pleased to see that when you open the can, the mash part of the pie is, indeed, separated from the meaty part. It […]
Stuck again all day in the Brits in Toronto office cubicle. It’s such a buzzing place, full of action and ringing phones, that I didn’t get a chance to grab some lunch. No worries — Phil from accounts had left his Walmart Butter Chicken in the office fridge, so I borrowed that instead. It wasn’t […]
Us Brits love our meat and potatoes, so thought I’d let you know about a nice place to get a good piece of steak. The chain is called The Keg and is equivalent to the Beefeater Grill back home in the U.K. The Keg has at least 10 choices of steak, which is suitable for […]
Brits In Toronto 