I’m not going to mention The Lunch Lady of Saigon’s affiliation with a chef turned TV travel host in this post. Instead, I’ll focus on Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh, the lunch lady who attracted diners to Saigon for her daily noodle soups. Sadly, she passed away earlier in May 2025 before the opening of her Toronto restaurant, so its kitchen is comprised of a brigade of men instead of a lady.

Normally, a bowl of pho is a single person affair but at The Lunch Lady their wagyu noodle soup ($36) warrants sharing unless it’s the only dish you’re eating. A large stone bowl of rice noodle, fresh herbs, and a slow poached egg arrives with thick slices of tender beef cheek, a couple hunks of ox tail, and a bone marrow protruding that we’re told to scrape into the dish and mix before eating. As if that’s not enough, a plate of thinly sliced raw wagyu accompanies that’s added tableside to make a carnivore’s heart sing.

Since so many items are added to the broth, it really needs to be hotter, ideally sizzling in the bowl is first presented. Maybe the restaurant is worried about liability issues with the tiny tables, not wanting to burn customers, but the soup is barely hot after everything’s put in.

At least the broth is tasty. The first spoon revealed a decent soup that morphs into something even better by the end as the rich oils from the bone marrow & wagyu and herbs permeate the broth. Make sure you have multiple bowls throughout the meal.

What a brilliant idea to separate the shrimp from its shell in the crispy prawns ($24) prior to deep frying. As both cook separately, the shrimp finishes quicker, and the shell becomes brittle enough to eat.

Served six to an order there’s plenty to go around and are fried to perfection so it’s crispy but still juicy. The enlarged surface area does make it a bit difficult to dip into the chili lime sauce, you’ll need to angle and squish to reach the bright condiment.

To counteract the shrimp’s heaviness, the beef carpaccio ($24) was a great companion dish. The plethora of basil, mint, perilla, crispy shallots, and crushed peanuts seemed overwhelming at first sight, but somehow the beef filet held up against the garnishes. Topped with a lime vinaigrette, it does make for a flavourful bite that cuts the greasiness of the oilier fried shrimp.

The Lunch Lady don’t skimp on crustacean in the crab fried rice ($36). A small palm full arrives on top as proof of the abundance and we’re told to mix it in before eating. To ensure the pungent XO sauce doesn’t overpower the crab, only a bit is added to the dish, while more is mixed into a soy sauce that can be used to taste.

Textures are abound in their fried rice as some grains are deep fried along with crunchy fish roe. As a person who doesn’t love having things stick to my teeth, these crispy bits were a tad annoying but the dish delicious enough that I wasn’t annoyed for long. Surprisingly, the fried rice was even better reheated the next day as the flavours meld together and the crispy bits soften.

Since the tables are small, getting the timing of serving right is so important. We visited on the third week of The Lunch Lady’s opening, and they still need to work on pacing. While a complaint during the first two weeks was the meal moved too slowly, the brigade (seriously there were almost twenty people in the kitchen) over corrected with dishes flying out at breakneck speed.

Luckily, our server provided time warnings with military precision. As the pho was presented, she noted the fried rice would arrive shortly, so we slid all the accompaniments into the bowl to clear the plates and make room for the second main.

If you’re there for a leisurely meal, it’s not the greatest. Personally, I’d recommend visiting as a table of three, you’ll get a larger table so you may not need to rush finishing dishes. Or perhaps wait before visiting The Lunch Lady as they get their timing better.

Visiting with three people will also allow you to try more as the portions are sizeable and I couldn’t even think of dessert. At least the cà phê martini ($18) worked as a dessert, an espresso martini made with aromatic Vietnamese coffee and very boozy thanks to vodka, Licor 43, and Bolivar coffee liqueur.

Toto looks like we’re not in Ho Chi Minh City anymore. And through her partners, the Tran family, may the Lunch Lady’s recipes and legacy continue forever. RIP Chef Nguyen Thi Thanh.

The Chef’s House is an interesting Toronto restaurant. I’s where the hospitality and culinary arts students from George Brown hone their skills (under supervision) to get real life experience at working in a restaurant. As a customer, you benefit from reasonable Financial District price points and unhurried sitting times.

Things are “old school” as we’re treated to a fulsome complimentary breadbasket containing a decent sourdough, dry whole wheat bun, and crackers. Served with citrusy whipped butter and a porcini purée it tides us over until the appetizers arrive.

I found the dressing on their charred broccolini salad ($14) too heavy, especially since it’s served on a bed of cauliflower purée that already adds tons of flavour to the greens. Still, it’s an ideal winter salad since the charred broccolini and cauliflower are warm and adds a hearty touch to the radicchio, baby kale, and pumpkin seeds.

When ordering the sea bream grenobloise ($26) you’ll need an appetizer as it’s a light main. The fish was cooked well – the ideal flakey flesh and crispy skin combination. And while the Swiss chard was too salty on its own, it worked when combined with the neutral potato. If anything, I wish there was more than one roasted fondant potato as it was creamy and delicious.

The sauce in the sticky toffee pudding ($12) had a slight boozy taste to me but seemed lost on the rest of the table. And while it’s a satisfying rendition of the dessert, it’d be better if the cake incorporated more dates so it’s stickier and the sauce a touch thicker.

In a city of $20 cocktails, the Chef’s House $10 price point makes it a great place for drinks. They offer 8 classic cocktails and glasses of wine ranging from $8 to $11 so you really don’t need to worry about visiting during happy hour. Just be mindful of the time of the year as the restaurant closes during school holidays and breaks. A small risk to take for an establishment tied to a college. 

It was an excellent idea to start off the evening in Evangeline, the Ace Hotel’s rooftop patio, as it created a casual beginning. A tray of cava awaited as I exited the elevator and while mingling in a room of strangers, it felt like I was there for a dinner party.

Trays of canapés flowed throughout including a delicious rabbit croquette wrapped in a green goddess salad leaf. The pea and strawberry tart was sweet, tangy, and savoury but a bit too floral so the jamon Iberico became lost. Many dashed for the oysters topped with caviar and crème fraiche, alas once I got one mine was gritty. Yet, I was so chill and relaxed that I didn’t care nor wanted to take photos… at last, I ate first.

Drinks were flowing with more cava and two Herradura tequila cocktails available around the hour. The strawberry and shisho Cointreau mix sounded refreshing but was too sweet for my taste. As was the “cabana cocktail”, a concoction of tequila, cacao bitters, vanilla, coconut oil, toasted coconut, and wildflower honey.

But at least it got everyone buzzing. By the time the Herradura rep explain their logo, an inverted horseshoe, represented pouring out the last drop of luck for their customers, I felt like Don Draper was in the room.

Dinner was served downstairs in Alder and soon generous pours of Pearl Morissette wines came by. It made my evening hearing they were supplying the drinks as the limited bottles rarely circulate outside their winery aside from some Toronto restaurants.

Alder’s first dish was a hit. The Hokkaido sea scallop and sea urchin featured two barely cooked through poached scallops, shaved in half and served with smoked buttermilk that had a tartness that’s like adding lemon to seafood but finishes with a rich creamy touch. The uni was flown out the day before for the dinner, balancing the dish with sweetness.

Fat Rabbit’s beef tartare included honey and golden raisins, which gave it a sugary taste. The addition of pickled vegetables helped bring out some acidity, but it was the mint and cilantro blossoms that added a brightness that impressed.

I can see why they left the tartare less salted as the breaded and deep-fried Guernsey Girl cheese it sat on top was savoury. It was just a waste as it wasn’t hot, so the dairy felt hard and rubbery. A great idea to feature local ingredients from the Upper Canada Cheese Company, just not showcasing it at its best. 

Alder’s lobster raviolo was so good. The bisque-like sauce was bit salty, but the pasta was cooked to perfection and stuffed with large chunks of lobster, each bite bursting with flavour.

While the roasted pork collar was meaty and almost like a pork loin, it was a tad tough and likely would be better cooked as slices rather than a huge steak. Perhaps Fat Rabbit wanted something that would hold up against the spicy aji amarillo sauce? We all agreed the pancetta wrapped shrimp stole the show and would have been happy with two of these served with more vegetables.

A generous slice of coconut cream pie finished the meal; its crust made from toasted coconut meringue so it’s crumbly and a bit nutty. Despite not being able to finish my pork, I happily consumed the entire slice.

Since hearing about the Fat Rabbit, I’ve always wanted to try the restaurant. This Visa Infinite dinner was a nice compromise before heading out to St. Catherines. Chef Zach Smith also announced a second restaurant opening sometime in the late summer or fall. The fat rabbit becomes a warren. 

Ficoa’s 8-course tasting menu ($120 per person) aims to feature Latin American dishes with an elevated flair.  They also operate under an ethos of achieving “zero waste” in using leftovers from an ingredient within other dishes, such as in a sauce or garnish.

The meal started with a flavour bomb, a celeriac truffle soup where the root vegetable was pureed into a creamy finish and topped with an intense fermented chili that added a delicious kick. Table side, they spoon on a truffle foam that was way too salty but gave it a decadent touch.

Since the soup was so intensely flavoured the trio of small bites that followed seemed tasteless in comparison:

• I would have thought the braised short rib empanada would be rich and hearty topped with queso cotija and crema. Yet, if anything what stood out the most was the corn masa shell, which was crispy, airy, and light.
• If you like arancini you’ll love molote that takes mashed plantain and stuffs it with cheese, then deep fries the ball. It’s sweet and gooey making an interesting bite. It just needed more of the smoky salsa tatemada to bring out the savoury aspect of the canapé.
• The seabass ceviche tostada was nicely balanced, not overly acidic and incorporating creamier elements like cotija cheese and a dollop of salmon roe. In fact, I wish the tasting menu featured more seafood instead of the plethora of fowl.

It starts with the duck confit taco, which I had high hopes for as I love duck confit. Instead, the small palm sized shell made it messy to eat and the actual confit feel flat, seemingly sous vide rather than slow cooked in fat to give it richness. The habanero salsa was a good idea holding up against the fowl, if only the duck was more pronounced.

This is followed by turkey enmolada where its base seems like a rehash of the taco. The sous vide turkey didn’t taste that different from the duck, but the shell was much bigger and smothered in a fiery almendrado mole.  My advice, keep this dish and change the taco into something vegetable (cactus, mushroom, and/or corn) or seafood based instead.

Even the final main features chicken. The mishmash of an individual plate and family style dishes initially threw me off for the last savoury course. We’re each presented with a plate of flat iron wagyu that was a bit overcooked but topped with a vibrant chimichurri. Once again, the seasoning was off as all the elements on the plate were heavily salted. In comparison, the family style dishes were rather neutral; a blessing as the Mexican rice and salad helped pacify any saltiness.

Despite having my fill with fowl, the citrus chicken is a keeper. I liked that they deboned the dark meat to make a rullar. Plus, the citrus, chili, and herb seasoning created a great summery taste. And if you’re hungry, you won’t be after the main as each duo received a sizeable plate of chicken to share.

Up until this point, I haven’t mentioned their wine pairing ($80 per person), which featured a mix of lighter European wines that went nicely with the spiciness of the food. Just don’t expect a sommelier level of expertise with the pairings as the hostess also does triple duty as being a server and drink specialist. Still, despite not always knowing much about the winery itself (we were excited when told a bottle originated from the Maldives, only to find it’s from Italy) her choices for each course were solid. And knowing we weren’t a fan of sweet wines, even the dessert option was tamer having a sweet edge without becoming sugary.

The dessert wine paired particularly well with the mango sorbet palette cleanser that was whimsically made into a lollipop that you can dip into Tajin to add a savoury element.

The tres leches de café dessert was a hit; the moist milky cake incorporated a hit of coffee and chocolate pieces creating a tiramisu-like dessert. Who doesn’t like tres leches and tiramisu? 

And to end, a plate of petit fours featuring a delicious crispy bite of chocolate churro that must be enlarged, a buttery delicate alfajaro, and a moist crumbly classic cocada that’s ideal for those who love coconut.

As tasting menus go, Ficoa’s needs work to create more variety and properly ordering dishes so that intensely flavourful ones aren’t served before more neutral features. The format has already changed a couple of times since their opening in 2024, so who knows if this will be the last rendition.

The middling food aside, I appreciate Ficoa’s dedication to service. Due to miscommunications, I had to increase my reservation at the time of the meal, and they were able to accommodate. They even printed an extra copy of the customized menu for the additional guest, which was a nice touch.

Plus, its one of the first restaurants that builds the wine pairing around a guest’s preferences. A pairing without chardonnay? Muchas gracias!