My all-time favourite Thai restaurant in the city is Salad King. I started eating here well over 20 years ago when it was a tiny kitchen with two tables, mismatched chairs and counter service. Still going strong and always packed, the food here is still exceptionally delicious and affordable. What has changed is the crowd: no longer devoted exclusively to university students, it now caters to young professionals, families, and drop-in fans from across the city. Don’t let the line up scare you, be patient – it’s well worth it.
The restaurant is full of energy and may be a bit louder than the usual resto, but this is all part of the experience. Seating is at communal tables and you can even ask your server for items not on the menu, which has a spice scale from mild to 20 chilis. I once ate next to a fellow who was eating his green curry with 11 chilis and he couldn’t stop crying. My spice scale is 4 chilis.

www.saladking.com
340 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1R8
+ 1 416 593 0333
Google map: bit.ly/zmFLe5

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Winterlicious, and it’s cousin Summerlicious, are two extremely popular food festivals held yearly in Toronto. This year, Winterlicious runs from Friday, January 27 until Thursday, February 9.
During the event, major restaurants from across the city offer a special three-course fixed price menu, some at very large discounts from their usual pricing. Ranging from $15, $20 or $30 for lunch and $25, $35, and $45 for dinner, the meal includes a starter, an entrée and dessert, with drinks and gratuity extra.
This event has grown from 35 restaurants participating in its inaugural year 10 years ago, to 175 participating this year. Reservations are accepted beginning January 12 – make them early to avoid disappointment. In fact, be armed with three or four restaurant choices as you may not get your first pick.
Depending on which reservations you choose, this event can be a great value, as some of the restaurants participating have starters costing near $25. My favourites – for food and value – are Auberge du Pommier, Canoe, Kultura, and Mistura.

wx.toronto.ca/inter/se/restaurants.nsf/Winterlicious

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Toronto’s downtown core has an underground tunnel system that links over 50 buildings and office towers, five subway stations, six hotels, parking garages and major attractions in the city, all with underground passageways full of places to shop.
According to the Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex linking 28 km (17 miles) with over 1,000 shops and services. Once a year, the PATH hosts the world’s largest underground sidewalk sale. The underground system also provides a great haven from the elements, with heating in winter and air conditioning in summer.
I love taking the PATH in the cold, winter months, where I can walk without a coat for miles
at a time. I must admit, it can be a bit confusing getting around, but that’s all part of the fun.
Wandering around, not really knowing where I’m going on a lazy day, browsing shops, sitting in a café, it’s all great fun when the weather outside is dreadful.
To help you get around easier, each letter in the PATH is a different colour and represents a
direction: P is red and represents south, orange, A, directs pedestrians to the west, blue, T,
directs them to the north, and the H is yellow and points to the east.

www.toronto.ca/path/pdf/path_brochure.pdf

* Giulia is our Been there local for Toronto. You can see her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/places/canada/toronto/index.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/GiuliaFalsetti

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Stop for a lunchtime sandwich at Mustachio, known throughout the city for its famous Italian-style sandwiches: generous portions of veal drenched in tomato sauce and parmiggiano reggiano, with layers of crispy, breaded and fried eggplant, fried onions and roasted peppers on warm foccacia bread. Mustachio also offers pasta dishes, soup and salads.

South Market, Lower Level B34
93 Front Street East
+1 416 367 VEAL (8325)
Google map: bit.ly/o8uT3m

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Rawlicious is Toronto's only raw food restaurant where nothing is cooked above 118 F so that all of the enzymes, vitamins and minerals remain in their original state. Sceptics take note: this is not just a pile of cold vegetables on a plate; this is truly delicious food. I love my meat, don’t get me wrong, but I try to visit Rawlicious at least once a week; whether it’s dine-in or take-out.
The recipes in this vegan organic restaurant contain no gluten, meat, dairy or refined sugar, but they are anything but boring. I’m actually hoping they will come out with a cookbook soon.
Some of my favourites are the Pad Thai, containing kelp and zucchini noodles with lettuce, peppers, carrots, onions and cashews, all coated with a lovely thai sesame sauce, making this a lighter and cooler version of the pad thai everyone is familiar with; the Pasta Bolognese, a great spin on the classic dish, is also very good: also made from long strands of spiralled zucchini, along with a fresh tomato marinara sauce and “neat balls,” a mix of nuts, seeds and vegetables, all packed into tight little balls of delicious goodness.

www.rawlicious.ca
20 Cumberland Street, ON M4W 1J5, Canada
+1416 646 0705
Google map: bit.ly/jD8fqt

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This is a great place to grab a drink before heading out to dinner - it’s quiet and low-key and has none of the pretension that most Yorkville bars have. The rooftop lounge has a balcony that has a great view of the city; on a clear day, you can see for miles. With old-style service, this venue is perfect for a first date.

Park Hyatt Hotel
4 Avenue Road, ON M5R 2E8
+1 416 925 1234
Google map: bit.ly/lfDiTc

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Taking the vegetarian restaurant theme a step further this is a vegan restaurant that doesn’t cook any of its food with two locations in Toronto; the original in the up and coming Junction neighbourhood and a new location in the swanky ‘Yorkville’ area; home to the stars when they are visiting for the film festival. Skeptics (as I once was) approach the restaurant with a certain level of trepidation however turn into converts to this new way of eating. The menu is varied offering lighter lunchtime fare such as salads and wraps through to the more substantial entrees including Pad Thai, Pasta and Pizza all of which are filling and warming even on the coldest Toronto winter’s day in spite of them not being the images of steamy plates of food which such dishes conjure up. The real treat is the end of the meal – a selection of organic teas which are served with ‘traditional’ desserts such as ‘chocolate brownie’ or ‘cheesecake’. Quality food which appears to have been made with thought and care with absolutely no compromise on taste makes this a real hidden gem.

www.rawlicious.ca
Junction - 3092 Dundas Street West, Toronto +1 (416) 519-7150
Google map: bit.ly/fgipKL
Yorkville – 20 Cumberland Ave, Toronto
+1 (416) 6460705
Google map: bit.ly/eABXvp

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Brilliant Vietnamese restaurant. The noodle soup dish - Pho - is amazing.

On Spadina at St Andrews street - near Kensington Market. I think it is next to the flagpole which has the cat at the top of it!

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The Spaghetti Factory is a quirky restaurant that is excellent value for money - a loaf of freshly baked sour dough bread, free refill soft drinks, starter, ice cream and tea and coffee, are included with the price of your main course. Fantastic for feeding a whole family!

The restaurant itself is a treasure trove of Tiffany glass panels and lights, mismatched furniture means you may be seated on a grand wooden throne or inside a reclaimed streetcar, and should you glance up check out the many artefacts and trinkets that adds to the family atmosphere.

#54 The Esplanade
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1A6

(416) 864-9761

Parking available; Meter & pay parking

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