Toronto. The largest city in Canada, named as one of the most multicultural cities in the world. With 2.7 million inhabitants, “this city boasts 200 ethnic groups with over 140 languages spoken” says Marcelina Morfin of Culturetrip. With so many diverse cultures, it only makes sense that Toronto would have a large selection of cuisines, including restaurants that incorporate Fusion cuisine.
What’s Fusion cuisine, you ask? It’s a mix of multiple cultural foods, that gives a fresh approach to old dishes. It still stays true to the form of the original, but with a twist. Toronto has its share of top-quality, unique food fusion restaurants, and world-renowned Patois is no exception.
Opened in 2014, Patois constructed a unique combination of traditional Chinese dishes with Jamaican and Caribbean influences. One of Patois’ most memorable dish, is a Jerk Chicken Chow Mein. It sticks to the crunchy, flavourful identity of the typical Chinese dish, while adding in a Jamaican spice kick to it.
Of course, this restaurant could not have been possible without the owner Craig Wong’s experiences, and cultural background. His parents and family lived in Jamaica for many generations, before immigrating to Canada in the 1970s. He grew up in Scarborough, where he quickly found his passion of food. After high school, he went to France to a culinary school, and graduated with flying colours. He worked around Europe, then went back to Canada, with top restaurants in Toronto. There of course, he opened Patois. Patois, in France, means a varying dialect of a main language. In the restaurant setting, it means to say their food is different than the traditional Jamaican and Chinese cuisines, but it remains faithful to the root theme of the dishes.
The prices are more expensive than the average restaurant, as it is more of a high-end yet casual environment. The Juicy Jerk Chicken, or the Jerk Chicken Chow Mein are top picks, and the Jamaican Patty is a cheaper option, albeit at a smaller portion.
Another restaurant, Northern Dumpling Kitchen, serves top quality dumplings, as well as an interesting immigration story. Its owner, Ming Da Wang, previously worked in a renowned restaurant in Shenyang, China. Its chefs “learned to cook as chefs did when they prepared meals for royalty”.
He left China in 1999 to have another child, as the one-child ban was still in effect at that time. He also wanted to cook in a new country, with different culture, food, and lifestyle. He was opposed to working in the same environment as his previous job; intense, time-consuming, and long hours.
7 years later, he opened Northern Dumpling Kitchen. It delivers 10 different types of dumpling fillings such as cabbage, chicken, celery, beef, and lamb. For common, everyday dumplings, chicken and beef are very popular. For special events, such as Chinese New Year, cabbage and celery are often consumed. They symbolize good luck, wealth, and blessings for the New Year.
The origins of dumplings can be traced to northern China. During an extremely cold winter, frostbite and illnesses ravaged the ancient Chinese people. A medicinal practitioner, Zhang Zhongjing, invented the first dumpling by shredding peppers, meat, and herbs together and packing it inside dough, serving with soup. This helped combat the diseases, and proved beneficial to the population. Eventually the dumpling reached other parts of China, and of course Canada, where the Chinese community still take pride in their homemade foods.
The pricing for NDK is very affordable. Most menu dishes range from $6 to $8, so it is a good place to go for a lunch, or quick bite to eat. Combined with the amazing quality food, it serves as a solid, enjoyable experience
Whether you’re looking for traditional Chinese foods at affordable prices, or a new take on those dishes, Northern Dumpling Kitchen and Patois are sure to not disappoint!
Sources:
Patois-
http://www.chefcraigwong.com/about
https://www.tvo.org/article/how-torontos-unique-fusion-cuisine-is-going-international
Northern Dumpling Kitchen-
https://gbtimes.com/hello-china-60-dumplings
https://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_dumplings_in_toronto/
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