Your Eating Guide to 365 Saturday Toronto

I just moved to Vancouver last week, and it is the only reason why I will have to miss 365 Saturday in Toronto. I really wish I could have been there. After all, with so many interesting speakers coming from all over the world and sessions packed with knowledge, we all know that you will be starving at the end of the day at 4:30 PM.

I have 3 passions in life: Dynamics 365, Food and Personal Finance. I will combine all 3 today to make sure you get great meals and the most value out of your day. These restaurants are my personal favourites in Toronto.

The Yellow Chilli

111 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON, L6J 3G3

The star of the show here is the Chicken Tikka Masala, which is as close as you can get to the Chicken Tikka Masala you can find in Northern India. It is absolutely to die for and is by far the best non-vegetarian dish here. If you have vegetarian friends coming along (or you are vegetarian yourself), please order Shaam Savera (a curry made with paneer (indian cottage cheese), spinach and a generous amount of cream). It is a dish that is not on many Indian menus but should be.

California Sandwiches

Many locations across the GTA, but the closest one to Microsoft Canada is at 5950 Dixie Road, Mississauga, ON, L4W 1E9

This is by far the very finest sandwich you can find in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and should be the sandwich showcased in Tourism Toronto marketing campaigns. The portion is so massive that one sandwich at $13 lasts me 2 meals. It is a kaiser bun with tomato sauce and either of veal, chicken or eggplant parmigiana. You can also add cheese or other toppings. When I lived in Toronto, I went there almost every week. Please note that this restaurant is cash only.

Bombay Roti

2 locations in Toronto: 529 Bloor Street West (close to Bathurst Station) & 1404 Yonge Street (close to St-Clair Station)

This place is a favourite of myself and my spouse (who is Indian, so you can trust any Indian place on this list as they are truly authentic). We went there every week, if not more regularly. The rotis themselves are South Indian rotis which are thinner and softer than North Indian chapatis/rotis. The fillings are what you would find in a Northern Indian restaurant, with some exceptions. Even if you are a meat lover, do yourself a favour and try the vegetarian Malai Kofta roti. It is (almost) exactly the same as what you would get in India. It contains balls made with paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and potato in a rich tomato and cream sauce.

Mother’s Dumplings

421 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON (close to Queen’s Park Station)

This restaurant makes the best dumplings east of Vancouver. Period. However, this restaurant is also famous for having a relatively slower service. If you are with good company, you will enjoy your time there and the food as well. My personal favourites are the Pork and Chives, Juicy Pork Buns (similar to Xiao Long Bao) and the Green Onion Pancake.

Tim Horton’s

Almost every street corner. The closest one to Microsoft Canada is at 6966 Financial Drive, Mississauga, ON.

If you are coming from another country, consider this your one mandatory stop. It is not for the excellent food or coffee, but mostly to attempt to have an understanding on how these marketing geniuses were able to understand Canadian identity better than the Canadian government itself. My personal favourite donut and Timbit is the Honey Glaze.

Poutini

1112 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON

If you are going to 365 Saturday in Montreal, do yourself a favour and skip this place. There is much better Poutine in Montreal and I will be happy to provide you recommendations in a follow up blog post. However, if you are not going, this is good poutine. The only difference are that the french fries are too crispy and not enough greasy and they use beef gravy instead of chicken gravy.

I hope you will all enjoy 365 Saturday in Toronto!