The Delicious Food Show took place this past weekend in Toronto at the Direct Energy Centre, running from Friday Oct 17th to Sunday October 19th.
This event was a haven for foodies and pretty much anyone who likes eating or discovering new products. With a convention centre filled with food vendors, presentations and even a celebrity food network stage, there was a lot of ground to cover.. and eat.
We ventured to the show not anticipating the vastness of options and diverse activities to take part in. Needless to say we were a little overwhelmed, in the best foodie way possible.
Working our way through the convention center, we tried several delicious dishes and eternities of samples from a wide range of food vendors. We also got a chance to listen to a presentation from Food Network`s hilarious Nadia G.
First up is Arielle’s favourite dishes of the day!
Tablue Toronto
Tablue is a well established Middle Eastern restaurant with two locations in Toronto. At the food show we heard people raving about their hummus from across the convention centre so went over and joined the crowds of people eager to try samples of their famous pita and hummus and hearty lentil soup. The hummus was most definitely rave worthy.
After tasting these delicious bites we knew we had to get the falafel dish they were serving up. The crunchy chickpea balls were accompanied by a fresh tablue salad (served with hand chopped parsley, whole wheat bulgur, tomatoes, onions and a hint of mint tossed in a light lemon & olive oil dressing), and some extremely flavorful flash fried cauliflower with tahini- to quote Robin when he took a bite “Cauliflower, is that you?”
Head to one of their Toronto restaurant locations to try these dishes for yourself! http://tabule.ca/ @TabuleToronto
Me.n.u
With a slogan like “You gotta taste our balls” this was a stop that we couldn’t ignore. Me.n.u is a food truck that I have seen at pretty much every single foodie event that I’ve attended, always a lineup surrounding their station and mouthwatering aroma’s wafting from their location.
At this event we finally got a chance to try some of their delicious balls. We got one of their signature fried rice balls, the Angry Bird with Singaporean Chicken, Shitaki Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers and Caramelized Onions and one of their new creations The Viet-Nom.Nom.Nom with lemongrass beef, caramelized onions, mushrooms, fish sauce and garlic rice.
Two of the most delicious bites that I’ve eaten.
Visit their website for more details http://menutdot.com/ And follow their truck at @meNuFoodTruck
Milagro Cantinas
This traditional Mexican eatery located in downtown Toronto was serving up some of their classic dishes at the show.
We got to try their guacamole bowl. Yes that’s right, this was a bowl made out of tortilla chips filled with fresh creamy guacamole.
http://milagrorestaurant.com/ @Milagro_Cantina
Holy Cannoli
Before we even got to the show I had heard buzz about these homemade authentic Italian cannolis so when we spotted their booth we knew it was a must try. Made with fresh, creamy ricotta filling piped into a perfectly crunchy shell, you can tell this is a product that was created with love.
Next up is Robin, who actually became overwhelmed by all the food available.
Fidel Gastros
I’m normally not the type of person to be attracted to a vendor because of their name, but this time, we made an exception.
What choice did I have? They’re called “Fidel Gastros”, that’s just brilliant in so many ways.
To add to their genius brand name, is one of the most tender pork sandwiches I have ever had in my life.
Let’s just take a moment to appreciate these delicious beauties pictured below. The best part? They tasted a few hundred times better than they looked.
With succulent pork pieces falling out as you took your first bite, the saddest part of the experience was when we took our last.
If you want to check out their extensive menu as well as their extended dining experience through their second restaurant “Lisa Marie”, check them out: http://fidelgastro.ca/
They also have Twitter in case you want to carry around a picture of their food on your phone (don’t be shy, we all do): @fidelgastros
Penny Lou Lou
“Bubble cake with Nutella, Lou Lou sauce (ducle de leche with citrus), fresh berries and vanilla ice cream.”
If that sentence didn’t make you jump out of your chair (or whatever you’re sitting on) screaming out dramatically “where? where?!” then I really don’t think you like dessert.
The charming duo bring the unique Hong Kong style dessert to the Greater Toronto Area, and because of these delicious bubble cake’s, our area sure does seem a lot greater.
Just look at that picture below, how insanely delicious does this look? The best part is, it’s even better tasting than it’s beautiful presentation.
This was easily one of the highlights of the show for me. The amount of regret I have for no grabbing another one, or six.
Don’t believe us? Check out our reactions on their instagram!
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A few of our customers digging into their Bubble cakes at the Delicious Food Show! @deliciousfoodshow #dfs14 #dfs2014 #delicioushotspot #hotspot #to #toronto #tdot #theex #directenergycentre #yyz #delicious #food #foodie #foodporn #foodgasm #customers #yummy #dessert
You can check out more of their quirky desserts on their main website. They even have a dessert called “A Penny for your Thoughts”.
It was our destiny to eat there.
Santo Pecado Catering
In my experience, you really can’t go to a food expo of any sort without trying some tacos.
Not that you have to, for me anyway it just seems like tradition (also because taco’s are the equivalent of true love).
Santo Pecado catering brought out a variety of tacos, including the two we tried.
The first was the mexican adabe brisket taco, and then the cod in mexican oregano and tomatillo sauce.
We only had one each, which was unfortunate since they had a three for $10 deal.
We were this close to have six. Oh well.
For more on their delicious catering, check out their main website.
VON Doughnuts
What’s circular, covered in sugary goodness and horrible for you but you don’t care because they’re impossible to say no to?
The answer is doughnuts of course!
With our greatest weakness in mind, VON doughnuts brought out their finest gourmet doughnuts for people to try, including the butter tart doughnut.
The delicious raised doughnut, butter tart filling, browned butter frosting, caramelized walnut all comes together to form their most popular item. Just look at that picture below, it’s easy to tell why it’s a favourite.
I gave Arielle a larger piece because my stomach was exploding by this point. I regret it greatly since it was ridiculously delicious.
For more of their wonderful doughnuts, check out their main site.
The only way to describe how badly I wanted another doughnut, is through a video on a doughnut expert.
This was our first time at the delicious food show both as bloggers, and as regular foodies.
We have to give our highest recommendations for this: you have to go next year.
Even if you didn’t end up buying any food, the samples alone as one patron told us would be “enough to fill you up for a while”.
And boy was he right.
There were literally samples everywhere! Think Costco, times a hundred.
Bonus Round! Check out some of the sights from the show!
A Penne For Your Thought 