With the help of George Brown culinary students, four Toronto restaurants and their head chefs battled to create a meal dubbed, ‘Toronto’s Tastiest Dish’. Vv Magazine’s Libby Roach was there to capture the action.
Last Thursday, media mavens and foodies flocked to witness the Taste of Toronto culinary battle that took over the kitchens at George Brown College. Four teams worked the ranges to pull off a win – the stakes were high for bragging rights (and a few nifty prizes for the winning team). Each team was supported by a GBC culinary student, working in small groups to create a dish that honed in on what ‘Toronto’s Tastiest Dish’ is. Hosted by Franco Stalteri of Charlie’s Burgers, the event saw the chefs executing their dishes in a timed throw-down, and while there’s only one true winner, all of the dishes will be featured at Taste of Toronto when it touches down in Toronto on June 23-26th.
Team Richmond Station, led by Hayden Johnston, brought a good dose of the meat sweats to the event, with their infamous Stn. Burger. This nose-to-tail style burger features braised ribs surrounded by ground beef. The devil is in the details on this one, with Chef Hayden instructing his GBC student to grind the beef not once, but twice to achieve the perfect texture. Pan fried to start, the burgers are then finished off under the broiler, resulting in a perfectly mid-rare middle. Dressed to kill, the burgers are topped with aged white cheddar, shredded lettuce, garlic aioli, and a sweet and tangy Branston-style pickled relish. Everything is made in house, including their buttered buns. Truly a diet-busting burger, especially when matched with a side of onion rings.
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Chef Elia Herrera from Team Los Colibris channeled her Mexican roots and added a luxurious twist to a Mexican staple with the Duck Carnitas Tamal. Searing the duck breast first then coating it in milk to tenderize it before pulling the meat, the duck breast was then wrapped in a banana leaf and rested in a steam bath for an hour. Unwrapping each bundle, the team worked together to top the juicy duck with cotija cheese, salsa verde asada, shredded iceberg lettuce and crème.
Doing what they do best, Team Miku, led by Chef Kazuki Uchigoshi, busted out the blow torch; a signature technique for their Aburi style sushi. Their dish, dubbed Taste of Lobster, brought a trio of rolls, with a butter poached lobster tail serving as the base for each. Every roll was topped with a different garnish, from Wagyu Beef and pan seared fois gras to shavings of black truffle.
Sweets were a fine finish, with Greek dessert Ekmek Kataifi presented by Chef Cora James from Team Mamakas. A bundle of delicate kataifi pastry rests on the layers and levels of custard and whipped cream pastry. A dollop of strawberry jam, lemon cream and a surprising hit of oregano brought an earthy balance to the dish.
In the end, there can be only one, and judges Amy Rosen, Lucy Waverman and Mike Ward had a difficult time choosing the best dish. After carefully breaking down each dish to the individual component, Team Miku was declared the winner with their delectable lobster dish, served to each chef in a hollowed out lobster tail.
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You can catch all the dishes down at Fort York for Taste of Toronto starting June 23-26th.
RELATED LINK: What to Do in Toronto this Month: June 2016
Which dish are you most excited to try at Taste of Toronto? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
