Albert’s Real Jamaican Foods
Albert’s has been open for at least three decades – and Trinidad-born Mooking has been eating there for about half that. “I see the same people working there as when I first started going 15 years ago. You still see Albert in the store, walking up and down and saying hi to the old and new customers – the old customers now have kids.” It’s Mooking’s favourite spot for Jamaican classics, including oxtail, fried escovitch fish topped with pickled veggies and golden-fried festival dumplings.
542 St. Clair West, at Vaughan, 416-658-9445, albertsrealjamaicanfoods.com
Ali’s Roti Shop
Mooking’s first stop for roti is Parkdale, where Ali Aligour serves big, messy dhalpuri and paratha roti stuffed with a host of fillings in his namesake restaurant. “That, to me, is one of the most authentic Trinidadian rotis you’ll find in the GTA.” If you’re not in the mood for a hearty brick of curry and sauce, the oxtail soup, doubles (fried-dough sandwiches stuffed with chickpeas) and pholourie (spiced, fried dough balls) all have a special place in Mooking’s heart.
1446 Queen West, at Close, 416-532-7701, alisroti.ca
Charlie’s Caribbean Cuisine
By Mooking’s reckoning, the roti at this Mississauga spot almost rivals Ali’s – though they don’t stop there. “He’s got a grocery right next to the restaurant, and a butchery. He sells pig tail and cow heel and all the stuff they use in Trinidad. He makes one of the best roti in the GTA that I’ve had, for sure. They have really good stewed chicken, and also they do a really good pholourie.”
3055 Hurontario (Mississauga), at Agnes, 905-949-0663, charliescaribbeancuisine.com
Luleta Brown, Personal chef, My Secret Chef
Rasta Pasta
Brown grew up eating jerk in Jamaica, so she admits she may be a bit of a snob when it comes to the island’s most popular street food. “I have my own Jamaican and jerk recipes, my own spices, from scratch,” she explains. But she was wowed by the chicken at this Kensington shop, which also features Italian-fusion eats like coconut-milk pasta alongside more traditional curries, ackee and saltfish. On her last visit, Brown brought a friend’s son, who was in town from Quebec and had never eaten jerk before. “He actually sucked the chicken off the bone.”
61 Kensington, at St. Andrew, 647-501-4505, fb.me/EatRastaPastaJamaicanTakeOut
Natalia Manzocco
Rasta Pasta’s Jerk Chicken.
Mitzie’s Jerk
Brown stumbled on this family-run Etobicoke joint by chance and was as taken by the convivial vibe and steady population of regulars as she was with the heartily spiced jerk chicken, coleslaw and rice and peas. (If you can’t decide between the stew chicken, curry goat or oxtail, just pick up a Mitzie’s Mix Up surprise platter.)
3337 Bloor West, at Lothian, 647-345-0077, mitziesjerk.ca
Lily Pottinger (on right), Co-owner, the Real Jerk
Allan’s Pastry Shop
Pottinger doesn’t get out to eat much – a natural side effect of running two cult-hit restaurants – but the Jamaican patties at this Peanut Plaza bakery are a favourite treat. “I don’t really get goat patties anywhere else but there, you know? They’re the only place I know of that’s making them.” Between the goat, chicken and beef versions, those flaky, tender pastries have been successfully quelling Torontonians’ hunger pangs for decades.
3056 Don Mills East, at Deerford, 416-494-5438, allanspastry.webs.com
Bashir Munye, Chef, My Little Dumplings
Drupatis
“I have a particular affinity for Caribbean food, though I’m not a product of the Caribbean,” says Munye, who is married to a Bajan woman but hails from Somalia. His catering company’s geography-bending lineup of steam buns even features a chickpea curry rendition inspired by Trinidadian doubles. Of the many Trini roti options at this GTA-wide mini-chain, Munye’s two faves are conch and pachownie, aka goat tripe. “That’s something you never hear as a Caribbean menu item unless you go to some grandma’s house,” he says. “I love to try a little bit of everything. So when you say intestine, tripe, I’m just gonna get excited.”
2038 Yonge, at Lola, 416-487-7684, and others, drupatis.com
One Love Vegetarian
Munye adores Ikeila Wright’s veggie-friendly riff on Caribbean cuisine (as does every herbivore in Toronto). “It’s Jamaican, but a different take – local food, very low sodium, that’s what makes it special,” says Munye. The corn soup, which fuelled One Love’s origins as a kiosk at Harbourfront, remains a restaurant trademark, but veggie roti stuffed with fresh pumpkin, TVP curry or classic chickpeas and potatoes are a highlight.
854 Bathurst, at London, 416-535-5683, oneloveveg.tel
Ali’s Fish Shack
The owner of this farmers’ market fixture is related to Munye’s wife. But personal bias aside, he admits he’s a big fan of Ali’s Bajan cooking. “The thing I really like is that he uses farm-fresh ingredients. That makes it really special.” Along with roti and fish fritters, Ali’s lineup of pescatarian-friendly dishes includes harder-to-find items like conkie (sweet potato and raisins wrapped in a banana leaf).
Various locations, 647-778-4341
Craig Wong, Chef, Patois
Nicey’s Take-out
Wong grew up visiting Nicey’s in Scarborough and recalls looking up to owner Vincent Lai, who died earlier this year, as an example of a Jamaican-Chinese business owner who made a strong community impact. “You’ll see a lot of patty shops, a lot of the Jamaican supermarkets – it’s Chinese people behind them,” Wong said. That stuck with him and eventually fuelled his own experimentation with Chinese and Jamaican culinary traditions at Patois. The food market adjoining Nicey’s has since closed, but the take-away counter soldiers on. Wong still has praise for their “solid” curry goat, ackee and saltfish breakfasts and other traditional dishes.
54 Morecambe Gate, at Chester Le, 416-499-9500, niceystakeout.com
Caribbean Corner
When Wong’s is in need of some specialty Caribbean ingredients downtown, he pops into this Kensington Market food shop, a favourite of expats in search of spices, produce and imported pantry items. “(Owners) Mikey and Yvonne, they’re great people. I’d say it’s the best place in the downtown core to pick up stuff.”
171 Baldwin, at Kensington, 416-593-0008
