Toronto’s dining scene is constantly evolving and most recently, we’ve been taking inspiration from our neighbours down south, bringing authentic BBQ cuisine to the forefront. With inspiration from Texas, and home cooked comfort foods, we are seeing more and more smoked and grilled meats on menus across the city.
We recently had a chance to visit Real Sports Bar & Grill — Toronto’s prime destination for sports entertainment with their 39-foot HD big screen and over 199 HD TVs throughout the venue. Their menu has always been known for their award-winning wings and burgers but for the upcoming season you can expect to see some new BBQ inspired dishes.
In conversation with chef Matthew Sullivan, who is thew new chef behind the kitchen at Real Sports, and asked him about what people could expect from the new menu. His inspiration came from “cooking a lot at home and while at the cottage”. He noticed, “how much people enjoy BBQ’d foods and thought it would work great at Real Sports.”
While we were in, we tried a variety of their new menu items, including the Brisket Mac and Cheese, Corn Bread and Smoked Side Ribs with BBQ fries, which is chef Sullivan’s favourite item. “We worked so hard on the recipe and cooking method and didn’t stop until we thought we had something special and I believe we do,” said chef Sullivan. But it doesn’t stop there, they are also evolving their menu to include more vegetarian and vegan dishes too (not so common in a meat lover’s destination), including a delicious Whipped Ricotta Flatbread, massive Power bowls and even a Vegan burger (of which the patties are exclusive to only Real Sports and A&W in Canada).
Quite honestly, the food is absolutely DELICIOUS! The perfect dishes to indulge in while watching a game and sharing with a group of friends. If chef Sullivan had it his way, he said it would be paired with a “Molson Canadian that just works so well with BBQ.”
Chef Sullivan and his team at the Scotiabank Arena are also putting the finishing touches on two new concepts that will soon be available for the upcoming Leafs and Raptors season too. So expect to see more inventive and mouth-watering dishes coming from his kitchen!
Have you checked the new menu out? Don’t forget to share them with us on Instagram, tag us, and use #TorontoVIBE for a chance to be featured. Cheers!
