Fusion restaurants spice up Toronto's food scene
By Rose Hetherington
Have you ever wondered what two totally different cultural foods would taste like if fused together in one dish? If you have, there’s good news. Fusion restaurants sell meals that fuse diverse dishes into one. These restaurants are scattered throughout Toronto. Taking a look at one of these eating establishments, one can quickly see why fusion restaurants are here to stay a while.
Rasta Pasta, a Jamaican-Italian fusion restaurant, is located in Kensington Market. The restaurant is run by Magnus Patterson and Mary Neglia. The business takes up two store fronts, with one section being a cramped but lively take-out area. The air smells of spices. Customers watch as their food is made and put in to-go containers.
“On this side [the take-out area], the paninis are number one, the jerk chicken and the jerk pork, and the lasagna,” Patterson says.
Many of the items on the menu have playful names that embrace Jamaican and Italian culture. A few examples of the Jamaican inspired names include Portland Jerk Pork, Dreadlock Pasta and Reggae Lasagna. Meanwhile, the paninis are named with Italian flare; The Vatican, The Tuscan and The Milano.
The dishes include classic staples from both cultures’ foods, such as jerk chicken and pasta with marinara sauce, fused into one dish. The menu items are all created by Neglia. Patterson says they liked both cuisines and decided to make a restaurant that featured both kinds of meals.
“They love it. They keep on coming back,” Patterson says about his customers.
A steady flow of regulars keeps Rasta Pasta busy.
“I found out about it from my coworkers, who really like it,” says Kirstyn Tourneur, an employee at a nearby bakery and customer of Rasta Pasta.
She usually orders chicken, rice and cole slaw, which are listed on the menu as Jamaican Mi Crazy Chicken.
The fusion restaurant trend is bringing together cultures from around the world into Toronto eateries. Brick and mortar restaurants aren’t the only ones catering to the mixed food culture. Food trucks are getting involved too. Another business which fuses food from around the world is Sushiburri. Located in a food truck in Toronto, Sushiburri is focused on Asian fusion.
The main attraction here is the sushi burrito. It is exactly what the name implies: the contents of sushi rolls wrapped into burrito form — essentially becoming big sushi rolls.
“It was delicious,” Shreya Mathur, a visitor to the Sushiburri food truck, says. “But it seemed impractical, as it broke apart after a couple of bites in.”
Despite the messy eating, she recommends her friends try it at least once for the flavourful experience. There was a line of five people when Mathur went. She is happy to see foods of different cultures being brought together in Toronto.
Different flavours of sushi burritos are available, giving buyers the chance to try it with unagi, chicken, lobster, bulgogi, shrimp and salmon. There’s a veggie sushi burrito available as well. Sushiburri also offers customers poki salad and yakitori, keeping with a more Oriental approach to ingredients and meals offered. The Asian fusion food truck brings traditional Japanese food to the modern approach of hand-held eating and bigger portion sizes.
Fusion foods are visually appealing as well as palatably appealing. Fusion restaurants are giving Torontonians the chance to try new-fangled meals and have new cultural experiences.
“I think it’s an interesting idea. I like all sorts of different cultural cuisines,” Tourneur says. “It’s beneficial in terms of getting people to try new foods.”
Toronto has a population of around 2.79 million and is known as one of the most culturally diverse cities in North America. With such a melting pot, it should come as no surprise that a sundry of cultural restaurants are around.
