Toronto Underground Market – November Installment

By on March 22, 2011

This past Saturday we attended the third addition of the Toronto Underground Market, an event that once again brought together new and familiar faces in what was another successful celebration of our city’s amazing street food.

Having learned from the last TUM event just one month ago, we arrived early and agreed that a “divide and conquer” strategy would allow for us to sample as much food as possible.

Based on the success of the previous event, we were not surprised to walk into the Evergreen Brickworks and find the venue already packed with eager foodies ready to get their fix.

I’m not sure if it was what seemed like increased security efforts or the addition of the outdoor Chimney Court but there was definitely a bigger buzz around the venue as we walked in on Saturday night.

As anticipated, there were already lines forming everywhere so we agreed to split up and grab a bunch of different food to share together.  I grabbed my first beer, a delicious lager from Hogtown Brewers, and set up shop in line for another round of delicious tacos from our friends at La Carnita.

Early Twitter updates had the La Carnita line at 45 minutes so as I waited patiently with a growling stomach, I was very happy to see the TFT team join me in line with our first round of food.

First up were the perogies from Shinaki Co. These tasty bites were cooked perfectly and had a nice crunch and flavour from the bacon and spring onions. Next up we dove into a selection of sandwiches from Fidel Gastro, the Rebel without a kitchen.

First up was the Havana Club, a serious flavour punch consisting of cayenne and beer pulled pork with Virginia ham, caramelized onions, havarti cheese and chili aioli.  Second was the La Senorita, an intense sandwich with 5 alarm turkey chili, mozorella stuffed deep friend jalapenos and radichio slaw…it was delicious and spicy.

Having chatted previously with owner Matt Basile, we knew he was very excited to bring his Food Revolucion to the Toronto Underground Market. Judging by the echoes of OLE! throughout the evening and the fact that he sold out of all of his sandwiches by the end, it was definitely a huge success. On that note we tip our cap to Matt and the Fidel Gastro team..OLE!

After sharing some delicious food in line, we were ready for a couple rounds of tacos from La Carnita. We were happy to see the crowd favourite Voltron Fish Taco back on the menu and excited to try the Mexican Chorizo. As we approached the front of the line we were pleasantly surprised to see Chef Andrew Richmond handing out free appetizers to anxious TUMers waiting in line.

Having tasted the tacos from La Carnita on many occasions I can still say I am impressed every time. Both tacos had great flavour and taste but I think that touch of cinnamon on the Voltron Fish Taco pushed it over the top as my favourite – yet again.

After grabbing a Lug Tread Lagered Ale from Beau’s Brewery, we moved on to taste even more food. While waiting to taste the battered quail eggs from Bistro Filipino we all shared some samosas from Mama Nashi’s Indian Gourmet Fare.

Both options were very tasty but the quail eggs were one of the more interesting things we tasted all night. Lightly deep fried so as to not overcook the egg, the yolk of these bite sized appetizers exploded in your mouth as you ate them.

Although we were all feeling full, we could not leave the event without checking out Chimney Court. For the first time at TUM, an outdoor space was opened and vendors used wood-fired ovens and camp fires to pump out their dishes. We decided to try the smokey chili from the guys at Westside Beef Co.

The chili lived up to its name – smokey, delicious and a good amount of heat.

We finished off our evening with a few tasty treats from Sullivan & Bleaker which had very nice touches to their cupcakes as you can see from the pic below.

With the November TUM selling out in less than 24 hours, it is clear that these events are growing momentum in a big way and yet again the atmosphere at the Evergreen Brickworks on Saturday night is living proof. A huge thank you goes out to Hassel Aviles and her team of staff and volunteers who managed to put on an event that seemed to top their last one.

As it’s very difficult to try something from each of the vendors in attendance, we look forward to the next TUM event in the new year and more amazing food experiences from some of the most talented home cooks and professionals that our great city has to offer.

Cheers!


Some photos courtesy Kyla Zanardi

Never Miss a Food Truck Again

When it comes to food trucks, it's all about being in the right place at the right time. Make sure you never miss one coming to a corner near you by signing up for free email updates:

Please enter a valid e-mail address.

Popular Posts

Food Trucks in your Inbox

Sign up for our free email newsletter to get street food news delivered to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail address.

Download the App