Taste of Toronto Preview: Our Top 5 Dishes Of 2015

For the second year in a row, the Taste of Toronto food festival returns to wow the many foodies living in our city. With some of the best restaurants and chefs participating this is a festival you don’t want to miss. Vv Magazine’s Alida di Placido was the lucky chosen one to preview some of the dishes that will be featured at this year’s big event.

When the highly-respected 3-star Michelin Chef Heston Blumenthal makes the statement, “Taste is the most serious, indulgent, and exciting worldwide food festival,” you know that serious foodie heaven is about to be had. An International food festival that launched in Toronto last year, Taste of Toronto returns this July and is the one summer festival you do not want to miss. As the only North American city to host the Taste festival, Toronto has the privilege of joining a roster of established food cities, like Milan, Paris, and London, just to name a few.

For Taste of Toronto 2015, some of the best culinary masters our city has to offer will set up shop for three days at the Fort York National Historic Site from July 2 to July 5. The event will feature chef demonstration theaters, cookery master classes, book signings, and much more. You can expect to see a mix of celebrity and world-class chefs from the local Toronto and Southern Ontario scene, infused with a hint of international star power. Get your autograph book out and camera ready, and prepare to be starstruck by Mark McEwan, Michael Bonacini, and many more.

Although we are still two months away from the festival, Vv Magazine got an exclusive sneak peak to some of the stunning dishes that will be offered at Taste of Toronto 2015. I was the lucky one to conduct this *tough* research at the recent #TasteSafari event, indulging my way through dishes proposed by six of the participating eateries: THR&Co, Splendido, Rasa, Montecito, Drake One Fifty and America.

To get you in the mood for the food festival, here are my top 5 dishes at Taste of Toronto 2015, which I’ll be daydreaming about for the next two months.

THR&Co

The Dish: Sashimi grade albacore tuna kinilaw made with coconut, lime, sweet & hot pepper, cilantro, and cassava chips. The richness of the tuna combined with the creaminess of the coconut milk cut the acidic lime and hot peppers for a perfect pairing with the cassava chips. I’m craving this this right now.

Splendido

The Dish: Salmon sashimi, Korean fried daikon and tamari emulsion. This may have been my favourite dish of the night. Every element of the plate was carefully thought out. The fatty texture of the locally-sourced salmon from the Bay of Fundy was a perfect match for the Korean-fried daikon.

Rasa

The Dish: Truffle gnudi, mushrooms, portobello soil, pickled shimenji and walnut pesto. This is another dish that I could eat a bucket of. The gnudi was light in texture and elegant. The moment I bit into it, a burst of flavour entered my mouth and made me hungry for more.

Montecito

Dish: Polenta with meatballs and tomato sugo. First off, who doesn’t love a meatball, especially one that is done right? The simple, creamy, yet light polenta held a hearty meatball in a tasty tomato sauce. You really can’t go wrong.

Drake One Fifty

Dish: Lamb ribs and charred onion sour cream. I am big fan of lamb ribs, and these were seasoned to perfection, and paired with a sauce that brought them to another level.

Honorable Mention

Dish: Crispy clams, spicy tartar sauce and old bay seasoning. A food festival would not be complete without fried goodies. This dish was previewed at the Drake One Fifty and is off the menu at the brand-new Fish Camp Food Truck by the Drake, a roving food truck themed like a low-country boil up that will be popping up around the city this summer.

Tickets to Taste of Toronto are now available so get them before they sell out. Buy them before April 30th and you’ll receive $5 off any one session!

Will you be attending this year’s Taste of Toronto festival? Let us know what restaurants and their dishes are you most excited to try in the comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @ViewTheVibe.