Love Travelling Blog

Food tour of Chinatown and Kensington Market

What better way to explore Toronto’s Chinatown and Kensington Market districts than by joining one of Culinary Adventures award winning food tours. We were advised to come along hungry so we restrained ourselves at breakfast in readiness for meeting up with our tour guide Morgan at 11.00 a.m. Our arranged meeting point was to be beneath the cat standing on a kitchen chair sculpture on the corner of Spadina Avenue and St. Andrew Street in the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown. After Morgan introduced herself she explained the significance of the sculpture above our heads. Entitled “Home Again, Home Again” the chair evokes the comforts of home while the cat represents its significant role in the district as generations of felines have been constant residents of the community.

The sun had been shining for us on all our previous days in Toronto but typically because we were embarking on a three hour walking tour it decided to start raining. Fortunately, we only had a short distance to walk to our first destination which was to the Rol San, an authentic Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant.

Everything was well organised with a pre-booked circular table for the ten of us to enjoy a generous multi course Dim Sum feast. Amongst the delicacies it was the first time that I’d sampled lightly fried calamari tentacles and chicken feet. I doubt I would have dared to order chicken feet but they were actually very tender and not dissimilar in taste to small chicken wings.

Whilst waiting for the dishes to be prepared we sipped green tea and introduced ourselves to the other people on that morning’s tour. Joining us were a family of three from Ottawa, two from Wisconsin and two from the greater Toronto area who were on the lookout for new dining options. We rounded off our meal with sweet potato and pumpkin cake which was absolutely delicious.

After spending about an hour in the Cantonese restaurant we then moved on to explore a nearby Asian greengrocer / fish market, where we were offered some fresh fruit samples.

Next, we were taken to a Vietnamese restaurant where we were each handed a delicious spring roll that was really big with a crispy case and tasty filling. A slightly longer walk followed to the Kensington Market district, a vibrant and diverse bohemian neighbourhood. The market is full of vintage clothing boutiques, bakeries, spice and dry goods stores, coffee shops and ethnic restaurants. From a Jamaican takeaway we tucked into warm beef patties which tasted good and something I hadn’t tried before.

Moving on again we were led into a wonderful deli where ready and waiting for us were charcuterie platters comprising ham, two types of cheese, salami and pickles. All the items were of high quality with the roasted ham being extremely flavoursome.

We then ended our food tour at a vegan bakery where we tucked into chocolate and marshmallow s’mores which was a perfect end to our walking tour. I’d definitely recommend signing up for one of these walking food tours as it was a great way to explore the area and sample some local cuisine and street food. Do come hungry as there’s lots of food on offer. Both the Jamaican patty and spring roll came in bags so if you don’t feel like eating everything on the tour you can keep some of it for later. More details can be found here.

Arcadia Earth

It was then a subway trip across town to an upscale leisure and shopping mall called ‘The Well’. which is a nod to its location bordering on Wellington Street. The main reason for visiting was to experience Arcadia Earth. Entry to this multi-sensory art installation is by timed ticket.

This immersive experience showcases the beauty of our planet and the impact of human actions on the environment. To get the most out of the experience we downloaded an app which enabled us to interact with the floor to ceiling projections. The immersive journey took us through ten zones using projections and up-cycled materials such as a throne made out of over 3,000 pounds of electronic waste.

We then popped into the Indigo bookstore which was located next door for a look around. It was our first visit to a branch of Canada’s largest bookstore and if time had allowed I could have spent ages there as it was impressively laid out with a vast range of books, stationery and gifts.

Returning to Pearson International Airport from the city centre

All good things come to an end and after enjoying 10 days split equally between Montreal and Toronto it was time to head home. As we’d arrived into Toronto by train we were yet to experience Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Getting there by public transport was very easy as after collecting our luggage from the Holiday Inn Downtown we only had to walk a short distance to the nearest subway station at College, where we boarded an underground train to Union Station.

From there we transferred onto the UP Express to the airport which runs every 15 minutes with single fares CAD$12.35 (£6.35). On arrival at the airport we swiftly checked-in for our KLM flight back home and once airside enjoyed hot drinks in a branch of Tim Horton’s which are to be found on almost every street corner in the city.

The end of a wonderful trip, our first to Canada in 10 years of the Love Travelling Blog but it definitely won’t be the last as we enjoyed every minute of our time there.

Our visit was supported by Tourism Montreal and Destination Toronto and as always all views and opinions are entirely my own.

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