By Lory Diaz
The Adelaide Eats market is back this summer, for a third year of delicious treats! If you haven’t found it already this hidden eatery gem is located on the second floor terrace of 150 York Street, on the north-west corner of York and Adelaide Streets in Toronto. You’ll know you’ve made it when you find the EAT sign!
The market opens at 11 a.m. Monday to Friday, and normally closes at 3 p.m., but they’re open late Thursdays and Fridays until 9 p.m.! Make sure to make this your dinner spot before heading out on those nights. You can look for delicious food from vendors such as Chimney Stax, District 28, Kaboom Chicken, The Kathi Roll Express, La Fiesta, Little Fin, Mikey’s, and our friends at Toben Food by Design (check out my review of the Toben food truck launch here)!
The terrace of 150 York Street allows for comfortable sitting and talking room, as it’s quite removed from the traffic. With the ample number of vendors, I would recommend making a couple trips throughout the summer so you don’t miss out. Keep an eye out for items like Tacos 101 pork taco: fresh tomato, onion, and grilled pork on a soft tortilla. This is a deceivingly simply taco, because the spices and flavours taste like they’re right out of an authentic Mexican kitchen. This team doesn’t skimp on filling either, so you’ll have a happy portion for lunch.
Is Thanksgiving your favourite meal? Make sure to check out the Wahlburger’s turkey burger: turkey breast, topped with orange cranberry sauce, butternut squash puree, and stuffing. You could also try their classic burger, which is pretty tasty too!
If you’re looking for a healthier option, I would recommend Fish’d by EDO’s Salmon Pok-eh bowl. This one comes with corn, edamame, kale, and fresh salmon, all on a bed of white rice. Really fantastic option for lunch that serves up some good protein, and great for hotter summer days in Toronto.
I have two clear favourites for the Adelaide Eats market, but let’s start with Cassia Northern Thai, by chef Scott Roberts. You’ll most likely miss this very unassuming booth at the market, but do your taste buds a solid and look for it! Chef Roberts is preparing beautifully vibrant restaurant quality dishes in a small booth here, and doesn’t skip using thoughtfully sourced premium ingredients. I instantly loved the spicy tuna and mango salad: salmon cured in fish sauce and palm sugar, mango chunks (green and sweet), and sawtooth coriander. The heat on this dish pairs perfectly with the sweetness from the mango, but doesn’t overpower. I cannot wait to have this again!
For desserts, I would recommend the Short & Sweet team. They have fantastic cupcakes, tarts, and cookies. My favourites are their lemon-raspberry, and their Skor cupcakes. The base itself is soft and moist, but doesn’t fall apart leaving you with a mess, while the icing is sweet and delicious. If you’re craving some junky food, but can’t decide what, try creator Ness’s Monster Bar: graham crackers, Oreo, Kit Kat, toasted coconut, sprinkles, brownies… you name it, it’s in here!
The Adelaide Eats market is open until July 28, 2017, which gives you plenty of time to run over at lunch and explore some new flavours. You could also just stick to local favourites, like Momofuku Noodle Bar’s pork and chicken buns, but I really do implore you to step towards the unknown and send your taste buds on an adventure. Hopefully I’ll see you there!
