The power of pho

Dear reader,

I have teared up over soup. The year was 2019, the place Hanoi. I was there alone on vacation, ostensibly to find myself but, in truth, to eat. Chef Dennis Tay of Dailo had recommended that I visit a place called Phở Thìn for breakfast, so I did. For something like four bucks, I was handed a masterpiece. The aroma alone made me tingle. Each of the broth’s two dozen ingredients tap-danced on my palate, one after the other. A comforting sweat formed on my brow. The dish was so tasty, clean and inspired that I made sure to enjoy it again as my last meal before flying back to Toronto.

Ironically, my time in Hanoi made me appreciate Toronto’s food scene even more. This city is home to hundreds of incredible Vietnamese restaurants that would make the motherland proud. My favourite is Phở Tiến Thành, the Ossington-strip staple that Michelin recently awarded the Bib Gourmand.

Now, pho’s slurpy spirit has made its way to the Financial District. Table Talk’s top post this week is a menu tour of Asian-Italian mash-up Sing Sing, from chef Zach Barnes. The combination of cuisines is wild. But, most importantly, it’s delicious—and in a city as diverse as Toronto, it’s welcome.

Also in today’s newsletter: everything to eat at Ramona’s, a snazzy little snack bar in West Queen West. Plus, Brodflour’s Matthew Faust takes readers on a tour of the west end’s best bakeries and pizza joints. For all our food-and-drink coverage, visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition.

Sing Sing in the Financial District celebrates the unlikely combo of Asian and Italian cuisines. Though chef Zach Barnes came up in the European tradition, one of his business partners, who is Vietnamese, proposed his grandmother’s pho recipe when conceiving the new restaurant. Barnes and the team decided to go for it, and beer and pizza (un)naturally followed. Take the tour.

Standing opposite the Great Hall is Ramona’s, a new snack bar for those seeking flavours from the California coast. Gems include tuna hot cakes, a Filipino ceviche and a tequila-coconut cocktail.

Carb connoisseur Matthew Faust of Brodflour has a serious passion for starch. Here, he shares his favourite bakeries and pizza joints west of Yonge—eating extremely well along the way.

In the latest issue: our city-wide survey of who earns what. Plus, the shooting that ruptured Leslieville, why everybody suddenly has adult ADHD, the best new patios for summer sipping, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.