One of the most memorable events that happened last year was meeting the one-and-only Top Chef judge, restauranteur and culinary icon Chef Mark McEwan. Chef McEwan was in Vancouver to promote his new venture with Johnsonville Sausage as their celebrity pitchman. At the event, I got to hear about not only his role with Johnsonville Sausage but also about new and exciting things that were happening with his restaurants in Toronto. So, when I visited Toronto last month, it was a honour to be able to finally dine at one of Chef McEwan’s restaurants that I had heard about. On this occasion, my friend and I were hosted at One Restaurant which is Chef McEwan’s contemporary Yorkville restaurant. Restaurants like this should encourage all aspiring restaurant owners to follow their dreams in the restaurant business. Of course, it is important to see this site if you’re choosing to follow these ambitions so that you’re fully aware of the financial options you have at your disposal.

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Low Light & Chic Interior

Located within The Hazelton Hotel, One Restaurant exudes a modern interior that was warm and inviting. The low light, textured walls juxtaposed with gold and dark tones created a more intimate dining environment.

What We Tried

For brunch, we enjoyed the following:

• Jerk Chicken Burger ($22)
• Los Todos Mexicanos ($28)
• Lobster Spoons ($34)

The Jerk Chicken Burger was a mouthful of flavour explosion. It had grilled pineapple, avocado, Jamaican-style coleslaw, chicken patty, crispy plantain, garlic aioli and toasted bamboo charcoal bun. The charcoal bun itself does not have a flavour but the other layers had smoky, spicy and tangy flavours. Really delicious and I recommend it.

The other brunch entree we tried was the Los Todos Mexicanos. Made with fried eggs, sweet chorizo, refried beans, chili rellenos, house made tortilla, guacamole and salsa ranchera. I thought it was a very interesting Mexican-inspired brunch option that was hearty and not too heavy. I enjoyed the chorizo sausages which were sweet and spicy. I would recommend this dish to those who want eggs and sausages for brunch but with some more exciting flavours.

We also enjoyed the Lobster Spoons with lobster tail and vermouth butter. This is a signature Mark McEwan dish that has delighted customers since the beginning. Buttery, tender, bite-sized delights. A must-try when dining at One restaurant.

Overall Impression

It was a delightful and delicious visit to Chef McEwan’s One restaurant in Yorkville. I hope to try more of One or his other restaurants on my next visit to Toronto. To find out the latest on the McEwan Group, follow @chefmarkmcewan and @themcewangroup.

Platito Filipino Soul Food Restaurant is a place that I came to know about after seeing a viral Insider Dessert video about them.  They were labelled as a Toronto restaurant that was a “gold mine for purple desserts” as they served ube-inspired dishes.  I’m a bit fascinated with the ube food trend having tried some ube cookies and cheesecake in Seattle.  However, the trend hasn’t really caught on here in Vancouver.  So when I visited Toronto last month, I thought it would be a fun adventure to visit Platito for some ube overload.  Since my last visit, Platito has closed for an indefinite amount of time due to a fire in the neighbourhood.  Here’s a lookback at how things were last month when I went there.

Relaxed, Inviting Vibe

From the exterior, it’s hard to see that Platito is a restaurant as it appeared more like a two-storey residential home.

Our party of three sat on the second level which featured a floor-to-ceiling mural.

The upstairs dining area is rather dimly lit and has tables of various sizes.  Good for group dining or intimate dates.

What We Ordered

For brunch, we tried the following ube-inspired dishes:

• Bok Bok Chicken & Ube Waffles ($16)
• Ube Waffle ($12)
• Ube Milkshake ($7)

Starting with the Bok Bok Chicken & Ube Waffles, I liked the mix of sweet and salty flavours.  The chicken, which was cooked sous vide, had a nicely crisp exterior and juicy, tender meat.  The coleslaw on top of the chicken lightened up the taste.  The waffle was not too sweet and didn’t taste too starchy.  In terms of price, I’m thinking $16 is a bit much given the portions.  I’d expect more chicken for that price.

The Ube Waffle was definitely a sweet dessert and was topped with ube ice cream, macapuno (soft jelly-like coconut flesh), drizzle of vema sauce, and Stick-O brand wafers.  Lots of interesting textures in this dish – crispy, crunchy, gelatinous, creamy and saucy.  It’s a fun dessert that is better to be shared with friends otherwise it might really be ube overload.  Again, I thought that $12 was a bit much for a waffle and some ice cream.

The Ube Milkshake was less sweet than I expected.  Smooth, creamy but still had that ube taste.

Service 

The servers at Platito seemed friendly and relaxed.  They were attentive and the timing of our dishes from order to arrival was also reasonable.

Overall Impression

I thought the ube-centric dining experience at Platito was fun, Instagram-worthy and interesting though prices seemed a bit high for what you get.  I probably wouldn’t order all the ube dishes at once again.  Having more savoury dishes would balance out the sweetness of the ube-inspired ones.  Hopefully, the restaurant will recover soon from the fire incident.  Rating: 3.5/5

Website: platitotoronto.com