City Stopover: Toronto

A quick trip to Toronto, a city whose motto is ‘diversity our strength’, offers a glimpse of Canada’s cultural mosaic.

- Ashton Kobler

Ranked as one of the world’s most multicultural cities, a trip to Toronto takes you on a journey around the world. Stroll through Chinatown through to Kensington Market and Little Italy before feasting on Spanish pintxos on College Street. Things to eat, see and do are almost endless in this city; one stopover won’t be enough.

WHERE TO EAT

MOMOFUKU KOJIN

If Momofuku is in the name, you know it’s going to be good. The famous culinary brand’s newest Canadian establishment boasts a fusion of Colombian–Canadian flavours, thanks to Colombian native chef Paula Navarette. Named after the Japanese God of Fire, the hearth and the kitchen, Momofuku Kojin appropriately boasts a wood-fire grill in the middle of its kitchen, with a menu that highlights local meats and produce cooked over an open flame.

SEVEN LIVES

If you’re looking for a quick, casual lunch, head to this little spot in Kensington Market for some of the best tacos in town. Exciting offerings like the blackened mahi-mahi and octopus with pumpkin seed mole tacos are generous in size and flavour. This Baja-style restaurant is small and popular among locals, so prepare to order your food to-go and have a wander in the markets – it’s well worth it.

DON ALFONSO 1890 TORONTO

For Italian fine-dining, head to Don Alfonso 1890 located in Old Toronto. The first North American base of chef-duo Alfonso and Ernesto Iaccarino’s Michelin-starred Don Alfonso 1890 of Italy’s Amalfi Coast is elegant and creative. The tasting menus – classic meat or contemporary vegetarian – offer an eight-course culinary experience that’s deliciously moreish and utterly artistic in execution.

BAR RAVAL