Nearly 20 years ago, Michelin-starred chef Vicky Cheng left his hometown of Toronto for New York, where he worked under Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel. In 2010, he returned to Hong Kong, where he was born. He stayed there for two and a half years, cooking his borderless take on Chinese cuisine.
Since then, Cheng has opened several acclaimed restaurants in Hong Kong and Bangkok, the most notable of which are Michelin-starred Vea and its sister restaurant, Wing, which was ranked 11th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year.
*Related: [Where Jerome Robinson, the Heartbreak Chef, eats in Parkdale](https://torontolife.com/food/where-jerome-ro…
Nearly 20 years ago, Michelin-starred chef Vicky Cheng left his hometown of Toronto for New York, where he worked under Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel. In 2010, he returned to Hong Kong, where he was born. He stayed there for two and a half years, cooking his borderless take on Chinese cuisine.
Since then, Cheng has opened several acclaimed restaurants in Hong Kong and Bangkok, the most notable of which are Michelin-starred Vea and its sister restaurant, Wing, which was ranked 11th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list this year.
Related: Where Jerome Robinson, the Heartbreak Chef, eats in Parkdale
Cheng recently returned to Toronto to tour the neighbourhoods and restaurants that shaped him. “I haven’t been here in seven years,” he says. “Being so far away, it’s easy to forget how much you miss a city until you come back to it—the big kitchens, the outdoor space.”
“One of the things I miss most about Toronto is the diversity of its food scene. There is absolutely no Jamaican food in Hong Kong. When my mom comes to visit me once a year, I ask for two things: Lay’s ketchup chips and Jamaican beef patties.”
Related: Where chef Braden Chong eats Chinese food in Markham and Richmond Hill
We had Cheng take us for a tour of some of his favourite spots, from Kensington Market to Markham, and what he orders at each.
Rasta Pasta
61 Kensington Ave., eatrastapasta.ca
“I know they do Italian Jamaican fusion here, but I have to play it straight.”
Go-to dish #1: Jerk chicken
“The rice and beans, warm spices, and deep, delicious flavours of the juicy chicken really bring me back to my youth. Eating it just feels heartwarming and nostalgic. Arguably, we have some of the best chicken in Hong Kong—mostly in fine-dining establishments—but it’s never heavily spiced, and it’s usually simply steamed. Sometimes I just want a mom-and-pop moment: food that feels like it’s coming from the soul. This feels exciting to me.”
Go-to drink: D&G Pineapple Soda
“In my book, this drink only exists when I eat Jamaican food. It’s super sweet, tastes nothing like pineapple and has absolutely no acid in it. It’s perfect and delicious in every wrong way. It’s the stuff of childhood.”
Cheng Du Street Food
405 Dundas St. W., chengdustreetfood.ca
“When I was a kid, I used to come to Chinatown with my mom every couple of weeks. We’d buy banh mi from Vietnamese ladies who were selling them on the street for $1.50 each. We’d buy 10 and have them for lunch every day for the next week. For a kid growing up with a single mom who didn’t have much money, they were a real treat. This area of the city brings back so many memories, and I love checking out the offerings when I’m back. There’s a saying we have in Chinese that translates to, ‘You miss the flavour of home so much.’ That’s what I get when I’m here. ”
Go-to dish #1: Mapo tofu and pig blood with minced beef
“A lot of the dishes here are done in a style of quick cooking—street food style— instead of slow braises. I’m interested in offal, like pork kidneys and gelatinous pork blood; there’s a big food culture surrounding stuff like that in Hong Kong and mainland China. I don’t cook offal that often, so that’s why I crave it. This dish is a perfect example of ingredients that require a mastery of balance. The texture of the pork blood and the tofu together in the spicy numbing sauce works very well, and the taste of the soy beans comes through. You can really taste the fermented chili paste they use too, but the main character of the dish is still the tofu—and for me, that makes it a successful dish.”
Go-to dish #2: Stir-fried pork kidney and liver with chilies
“Sichuan cuisine is very different from the Cantonese cuisine we get at home. What I’m looking for here is the aroma of the wok frying, the balance of textural elements and the umami. Dishes like this are kind of like bar food. They’re meant to be eaten with beer, and umami is important because it’s the element that makes you want more. Timing is everything here—the dish isn’t too spicy because they’ve cooked a good mix of a variety of chilies correctly. The innards are soaked and rinsed properly before they’re stir-fried, in order to get the funk out. I’m fascinated by the processes in Chinese cuisine to get a cheap cut of meat where it needs to be to make it delicious.”
Go-to dish #3: Spicy garlic tripe with celtuce
“Celtuce is the stem of an Indian lettuce that’s preserved in salt, rinsed and dried. It’s rehydrated for this dish and is a good match for the earthy flavour of the quick-blanched tripe. It also offers a good contrast in texture. The black sorghum vinegar’s distinct flavour in the vinaigrette balances everything out.”
Allwyn’s Bakery
81 Underhill Dr., allwyns-bakery.com
“I was a hungry kid who didn’t have a lot of money, so a go-to treat for me was a Jamaican beef patty from any local shop or subway station. Sometimes I would get a patty stuffed into two slices of coco bread. The carb-on-carb situation was delicious and filling.”
Go-to dish #1: Jamaican patties
“The patty itself is the thing I always think about—the spices, the flaky pastry and the gently crisp edges, almost like properly executed Chinese dim sum. Everything is correct here. It’s all so delicious and nostalgic for me.”
Go-to dish #2: Jerk chicken sandwich
“These guys are famous for these sandwiches. The sauce is spicy and super floral, and the meat is clearly marinated in all the spices properly, so it’s juicy and tender. The slaw adds some good crunch, and the pillowy coco bread soaks it all up in the right way. I could afford jerk only on special occasions growing up because meat was expensive, so this definitely feels luxurious.”
The Pho Restaurant
3150 Hwy. 7 E., unit 1, Markham, enjoy2eat.ca
“I ate Vietnamese food a lot when I was a kid because it was inexpensive and something you eat with friends. It’s also delicious and filling.”
Go-to dish #1: Pho with rare beef brisket and tendon and fresh noodle
“I like tendon in my pho because it’s gelatinous and flavourful; it adds a great textural element to the rich broth that’s already full of body and clean. They use good-quality bones and good-quality spices here, so nothing is congealing on my lips. The broth is naturally sweet from the onions, the star anise is beautifully forward and the oils coat my palate the way they should. Condiments are always on the table, but I never add any. If I have to, then there’s a problem with the pho.”
Go-to dish #2: Bun ho hue with beef tripe and beef balls
“This is a very tomatoey and spicy broth with a tremendous depth of flavour. It uses the same pho base, which makes the broth so complex. You can taste all the raw fresh herbs, beefiness and dried spices. There’s a bit of acidity and background garlic. It’s not traditional, but it’s still excellent.”