In a country as multicultural as Canada, it’s no wonder that everything gets mixed up. And the most obvious proof is the multi-cultural restaurants spread across the city.
The world knows “fusion cuisine”, but perhaps only in Canada we find the “Canada + My roots” cuisine.
In Canada, foreign flavors have found fertile ground to adapt to local cuisine, creating new versions of traditional dishes. And brunches are the best opportunity to try them.
Last Saturday it was our turn to visit Baro, by chef Steve Gonzales, a Canadian from a Colombian family who gained notoriety after participating in TopChef.
Gonzales’ menu is perfect for anyone looking for a good Downtown Toronto brunch with a dash of Latin. In fact, more than a pinch, an environment entirely dedicated to Latin culture.
The skull on the hostess’ bar already warns us as soon as we arrive that we’re about to tour for a Latin experience. And that’s what we want, si, señor!
The menu is based on a traditional brunch: eggs benedict, shakshuka, pancakes… but always with the Latin touch I mentioned.
I ordered the Huevos Benedict, which, like the original, comes with two poached eggs topped with hollandaise sauce. But instead of English muffin, comes with what they call “pan de queso”, which I even thought could be our Brazilian cheese bread, but no… it was simply one of the best culinary inventions on the face of the earth: a breaded firm cheese.
And obviously if we are in Latin America the hollandaise is not just a hollandaise, it had a touch of aji yuzu. Okay, yuzu is Japanese, but aji is a traditional Mexican pepper.
Cris ordered Chori Papa, which is also very similar to a normal American breakfast dish: sausage, eggs and potatoes. But on top of that came peppers, goat cheese, corn, chipotle aioli, and tortillas, so the dish could be eaten like tacos. More Mexican impossible.
To accompany the food we ordered Sangria Roja, made with red wine, brandy, mango, strawberry and lemon.
At the end, Baro is neither local nor Latin American, but it proves that you don’t have to be restricted to a single place to offer an authentic and tasty experience.
