Director of Pixar hits dishes up her top Toronto restaurants
Toronto director Domee Shi is a well-documented lover of the city, and she stopped by to share her favourite restaurants in town.
While her latest film, Disney Pixar's Elio, doesn't take place in Toronto, Shi's filmography proves adequate evidence of her love for the city she grew up in, particularly seen in her last major feature, Turning Red, which was set in Toronto.
Despite the broadening of Shi's cinematic horizons, Toronto maintains a tender spot in the director's heart, and on a recent visit to the city to promote Elio, she sat down to share some of her favourite places to eat when she's back home.
The fact that dim sum is the first cuisine Shi seeks out in the city comes as little surprise, given the director's proclivity for depicting Chinese cuisine and culture in her films (hello, have you seen Bao?). She explains that Chinatown's Rol San is her ultimate go-to.
But in a city where nearly every type of cuisine under the sun is available at almost any time of day, it's impossible to limit your favourites to just one type of regional cuisine, and Shi is the first to admit that a good, old-fashioned greasy spoon like The Lakeview Diner always hits the spot, "because it's 24 hours!"
Of course, growing up and living in Toronto means you're legally obligated to be in love with Jamaican patties. Ok, that may not be entirely true, but Shi isn't immune to the love for the quintessential subway station snacks that seems to be imprinted on each of the city's residents at birth.
Her top pick in Toronto? Kensington Market's Golden Patty.
A more unique — though still valid — pick, Shi lists the Pacific Mall food court among her favourite restaurants in the city. Boasting an extensive collection of Cantonese, Hong Kong, Japanese, and Korean food vendors (to name only a few), the Markham mall is certainly among the best places in and around Toronto to score top-notch Asian cuisine at good prices.
Speaking of affordable, Shi also lists Scarborough stalwart Johnny's Hamburgers as one of her Toronto staples. With menu prices that are almost as untouched by time as its retro interiors, the iconic burger joint, which has been open for nearly 60 years, deserves all of Shi's praise and then some.
"This is all just late-night junk food, I'm sorry," she jokes.
Tai Er Sichuan Cuisine in Markham rounds out Shi's recommendations, earning points from the director for their "really authentic" Sichuan boiled fish that she promises is "really, really" good.
Spoken like a true Toronto resident, Domee Shi!
@dishedtoronto
