CAFE BELONG 550 Bayview, at Pottery Rd, 416-901-8234, cafebelong.ca.
Sweet and Sticky Pork with Apples ($21)
Its opening may have been long-delayed, but Brad Long’s eponymous all-day Café in the Brick Works eco-complex has been well worth the wait, if only for his insanely rich spin on pork belly. Cured, braised, then glazed in maple syrup and apple cider vinegar, the unapologetically fatty pork tummy arrives under a halo of fresh ‘cress on a bed of sweetly roasted apple.
Order this syrupy pork with a side of scalloped sweet potatoes and a slice of creamy wild Ontario blueberry cheesecake and assemble one of the tastiest meals in town.
“Tasty and good quality is all I’m going for here,” says Long. “Everything else is icing on the cake.”
Daily from 8 am, full menu from 11 am to 10 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free.