Ethnic Flavours Are on The Rise in Canadian Restaurants

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Canadian’s love of new ingredients, bolder flavours and traditional dishes has grown exponentially. For example, the once little-understood Filipino love of pig’s head meat is more broadly accepted today, as is a hearty bowl of Lebanese molokhia soup. According to Jill Failla, editor of Consumer Insights for Chicago-based Technomic Inc., ethnic food is on the rise in Canada, thanks in part to changing demographics and increased consumer demand for more exciting, flavourful fare. Geoff Wilson, principal at fsStrategy Inc. in Toronto, adds interest in this category is on the rise because diners are becoming more globally aware.

Wilson sees three overarching categories in the ethnic food market that are in play today across Canadian eateries. The first is what he calls “pure ethnic cuisines,” or restaurants opened by those faithful to their culinary traditions. The second is “complementary” — chefs who use ethnic culinary traditions to complement the food they make. “Think of the Pacific Coast for example, where the flavours and techniques of Japan are being used with local B.C. ingredients,” he says. The third is the “inspired” category — restaurants taking a risk with something new. This last category trickles down to the point where, Wilson says, larger chains start to implement what eventually becomes a tried-and-true favourite. He points to Milestones’ Moroccan lamb sirloin and spicy Thai noodle dishes and even McDonald’s with its addition of sweet Thai chili sauce options on wraps.

Twenty years ago, Wilson says few people had used — or even heard of — ‘chipotle’ (smoked jalapeño in an adobo sauce). “Now it’s everywhere. The time it takes people to become more familiar with foods and open to them is shortening,” he says, adding, “The average person today knows more about food than my parents’ generation. We’re not just moving away from steak and potatoes to Pad Thai. It’s [more like] moving from one version of Thai to another.”

Flavours from the Middle East, the Philippines — representing Asia — and Latin American food in general are making bold appearances in restaurants across the country as Canadians solidify their love of ethnic flavours.
Filipino Fare
Sitting neatly in Wilson’s purity category is Junior’s Filipino, a 40-seat restaurant in the heart of downtown Montreal. Failla calls Filipino cuisine “the most interesting ethnic cuisine trend I’m seeing emerge in Canada” adding that according to government data, Canada accepted approximately 50,000 immigrants from the Philippines in 2015 alone. “As a result, I’m seeing a lot of trendy Filipino cuisine pop up in urban areas. In fact, Filipino chain Jollibee opened its first store in Canada last year,” says Failla.

Junior’s co-owner and chef Dre Mejia (no relation to the author), says his food is the stuff of Filipino family gatherings, “exactly what you’d get if you visited a Filipino friend’s house.” The cuisine is a reflection of the culinary imprints left behind over centuries of Spanish, Indian, Malay, native indigenous, Chinese and American influence.

Mejia says 75 per cent of his clientele is non-Filipino, looking for flavours a bit different than what they’re accustomed to. The city’s hipsters, young professionals and anyone else looking to dip a foot into Filipino waters might start off with the house chicken adobo, a braised or stewed chicken dish made with soy, vinegar and ginger, served with the nation’s staple starch of rice ($13 for a main).

Those who want to up the ante go with the sisig, a popular and traditional way to serve a pig’s head. Here, Mejia uses diced pork belly, liver and ears, combined with red and green onions and Thai bird’s eye chile served on a sizzling hot plate, tableside. He cooks the pork belly three ways: braised, roasted and finally, pan fried just before serving to give the dish more flavour and texture. A side of rice rounds out the main ($15), one that Mejia suggests you wash down with a bottle of icy beer.

Middle-Eastern Roots
In Toronto, Diana Sideris and her husband, chef Rony Goraichy, own Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine — the wildly popular independent chain of sit-down eateries with a take-out component. Starting with one location in the city’s north end, they’ll have opened four locations throughout Toronto by year’s end, serving fresh, nutrient-dense, often naturally gluten-free and vegan dishes.

“I’d say 90 per cent of our menu is naturally gluten-free,” says Sideris, adding, “We also have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options. People love it because we offer options; if their friends or family eat meat but some in the party are vegan, there’s something to suit everyone on our menu.” Pulses, fresh produce, herbs, olive oil, grilled meats, grains and citrus feature largely in the dishes. There’s even what Wilson would call “complementary” nuances, such as replacing couscous with organic quinoa for gluten-free diners in the taboule recipe ($8 for the cold appetizer). Most of Lebanese-born chef Goraichy’s menu is traditional — selling Canadian palates on the delights of his home country is a breeze now compared to 10 years ago. Back then, he says, the “boring” cauliflower dish, which was flash fried and drizzled with tahini ($7.75 as a hot appetizer) was a no-go on menus. “I had to give samples away to get people to even give the dish a shot.” Now it’s one of its top 10, best-selling items.

As part of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance’s FeastON program, the restaurant will be audited annually to ensure a certain percentage of ingredients are sourced from Ontario-based farms and suppliers. “We use local suppliers. It means more paperwork, but it’s worth it in the end. I like to support small businesses, as I’m one myself,” Sideris says. An example of global-gone-local, the restaurant serves antibiotic-free, farm-raised Mennonite chicken in its tawuk-skewer dish, marinated for one day in a secret blend of 25 spices, served over a bed of rice with grilled vegetables, pita and pickles ($16.50).

Latin Inspiration
Canadians’ propensity for travelling to Latin America for sporting events such as Brazil’s World Cup, becomes a cultural touchstone for many, says Wilson, especially given the amped media coverage countries receive during big tournaments. Steve Fernandes, general manager and co-owner of Toronto’s independent Mata Petisco Bar agrees. “The World Cup and the summer Olympics has given Brazil international attention, making this a prime time to be at the forefront of bringing that culinary scene here.”

The food at Mata is steeped in Latin inspiration, or as Fernandes puts it, “a cross between comfort-like soul food and a trendy-fusion take on Latin dishes with high-quality dining.” They’re taking the Latin American lexicon and expanding it beyond the Brazilian “all-you-can-eat” steakhouses into dishes many previously didn’t think were restaurant-worthy. Their version of the populist picanha (top sirloin) acebolada, or steak with cachaça stewed onions served over top of cassava frites ($14 on the dinner menu), is an example of how homey foods are being served up in modern ways.

The Mata team have also taken Canadian favourites such as sliders and poutine and given them Latin flourishes. The sliders are currently a blend of beef and pork served with a guava-chipotle sauce and Brazilian smoked catupiry cheese ($11). “Dishes like this make our food more relatable to people in Toronto. But we make sure the flavours are right and quality is at the forefront,” says Fernandes.

Covering the basic bases of “burgers and fries” done Latin-style has, after two years of operation, opened doors for their menu to include items such as whiting fish ceviche ($14) and octopus and chorizo over cassava purée ($18). “Sometimes, we get groups that just want our chefs to surprise them. They say: ‘Whatever you think we’ll like.’ What we do is a little different and people are responding very well to it,” says Fernandes.

On every table there are house-made, hot chile sauces and oils on offer. The team got savvy and started selling little bottles of the bright orange condiments to diners (spiced oil jars $8/each for 100ml and $8 per 50ml hot sauce jar) out of the restaurant. “We’re thinking of possibly co-packing and retailing in future” says Fernandes, because whatever diners want, restaurateurs are more than willing to give them.

Volume 49, Number 6 
Written By Mary Luz Meija

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