Friday Lunch from The Chickery

Like other chefs around Toronto--and New York, David Adjey yes, that same guy of TV fame, has decided to go the fast food route.  Open just over a month, The Chickery serves, you guessed it, chicken with sides.  They are roasted and frying not just any old chicken.  This chicken is free range, antibiotic, steroid and hormone free Beretta Farms chicken.

We sampled a roasted half chicken.  Nicely browned and spiced, this chicken had no nasty clots of fat as fast food chicken often has, nor was it too salty.  It was moist but not watery.

Our two sides were fries and coleslaw.  It was hard to judge the fries.  As usual, by the time they arrived at Yorkville and Yonge, the fries had lost the crispness with which they(we hope)had started. They were less golden than one wants to see in a fry.  One of us found them slightly salty. Nothing to complain about with the coleslaw.  It was one of the most colorful we have ever seen with red cabbage, thin ribbons of yellow pepper, orange carrot shreds, green onions, and , we believe, a little fennel, under a shower of black sesame seeds. Its vinaigrette was more sweet than acidic.  The real standout was a homemade plum dipping sauce.  A beautiful shade of pink, it was both smooth and spicy, a revelation for anyone who has only tasted the thing called plum sauce served up in plastic packets.

At just under $20/00 for two, this was a meal which satisfied both our hunger and our pocketbooks.

Price:  For half a chicken with two sides, $19.21 including tax

The Chickery
Location:  130 Spadina Avenue
Phone:  (647) 347-2222

Friday Lunch from Banh Mi Boys

At long last, success.  It has been a few months since we tried to have a lunch from Banh Mi Boys.  The first time, Girl Courier went all the way down there only to find the shop closed for renovations. Then there were rumored re-openings followed by phone calls that went unanswered.  Coincidental trips to Queen Street West always revealed paper still over the windows.  Finally, our lunch became a reality.

Beef Cheek Banh Mi

Duck confit, beef cheeks, pulled pork, pork belly, we had to try them all in one form or another.  We had the duck confit  and beef cheek banh mis. Both had  signature lightly pickled carrots and cucumber  along with a generous sprinkle of coriander.  From the duck confit we got a hint of anise while the beef had a hit of chile. With a shiny but not hard crust, the bread had a fluffy interior with enough body to contain the filling.

Duck Confit Banh Mi

Kalbi Beef Taco

The taco was flaky and a little waxy as though not quite cooked enough; it was barely able to support the filling.  The Kalbi beef was pleasantly chewy without descending into actual toughness.  Red cabbage joined the carrot and cucumber for extra crunch.

Pork Belly Bao

We loved the billowy steamed  wrappers containing pulled pork and pork belly.  For novelty, we find slices of pickled golden radish.

Pulled Pork Bao

As a palate cleanser, we finished with jicama and papaya salad.   Very refreshing, we found slivers of jicama, carrots, and cucumber but nothing we could identify, either visually or by taste,as papaya.

Jicama and Papaya Salad

This is not the place to order everything on the menu at once;  it all became sort of a jumble in the mind and on the tongue.  But we will be back for one or two things at a time.

Price:  For two banh mi, two bao, a taco, and a salad:  $31.01

Location:  392 Queen Street West

Phone:  (416)363-0588