Alma — Restaurant in Toronto

The squid fried rice ($31) needs rebranding – it’s not fried rice, rather an Asian paella. When I think of fried rice, I imagine a dish that emits wok hay (a fragrant, reach into your gut aroma) with individual grains tossed with vegetable and proteins. Alma’s rice was too saucy, the romesco clumping the rice and drowning out the squid. And don’t even get me started on the cashews… an annoying garnish that must be picked out. Drier and nut free, this may resemble fried rice.

I was expecting mouth numbing spice with the Szechuan spiced lamb belly roast ($44) but not prepared for the grainy rub that covered the tongue and meat flavours. What a shame, as the lamb was cooked beautifully and after scraping off the rub it was delicious, especially with a dollop of the salty Chinese olive paste.

With the chopped Chinese olive, the dish reminds me of braised pork belly with preserved vegetables (muy choy coaw yok). I would have preferred the lamb belly to have flavour profiles closer to this traditional dish, enhanced with a bit of Szechuan heat and a roasted crust.

While the black pepper soy sauce in the pork wonton and noodles ($29) was too heavy handed, the noodles were incredible, having a lovely chew that would impress a pastaia. Sadly, this expertise didn’t shift into the wonton’s wrappers, which were too thick. At least the wontons were nice and plump, filled with a generous amount of pork filling (this could benefit from finely chopped vegetables to add moisture). Using scallions in the filling and reducing the amount of garnish would better balance the dish.

Chef Chen’s take on Peking duck ($58), a special for the evening, needs a permanent place on the menu. While the skin wasn’t as crispy as Peking duck, it did have that lovely salty roasted taste and the meat cooked to a medium rare. The well crusted roasted turnips and the creamy foie gras sauce were great complements and left us wanting more.

In fairness, Alma nailed the small plates. The parmesan tapioca fritters ($10 for 2; $5 for additional piece) were crispy, creamy, and captured a depth of flavours that beat out most arancini I’ve had. The tapioca also added a glutinous chewiness that would make a mochi lover swoon.

One look at the beautiful caramel crust on the bao ($17 for 2; $6 for additional piece) and I could why the dish is so popular. Break the bao open and the dough is fluffy and moist… the consistency so perfect that I didn’t even mind that the bun had no filling. Just give more of the stracciatella cheese and eggplant fenugreek dip as the tablespoon portions were too scant to share amongst three buns. I could have used all the eggplant spread on my bun alone it was so good.

Diners may find the chili bean beef tartare ($26) salty, but anyone that’s had chili bean sauce should know it’s sodium laden. Our table loved the finely chopped beef mixture on the thin rice cracker, just handle it delicately to avoid it crumbling.

Eating at Alma is like a rollercoaster… a series of highs and lows. We finished downhill with the coconut flan ($12), the syrup incorporated a strong flavour that just didn’t work - it’s hard to decipher but reminds me of the herbal pei pa kao mixed with white rabbit candy. It overpowered the flan’s egg custard flavour, and the wild blueberries didn’t...

Visited on a Thursday, ~5:30PM with a family member. It was empty, only one other table seated. We reserved through OpenTable, but for some reason the system didn't have availability from 6-8:30, but it wasn't busy, and it seemed many visitors were doing walk-ins...

It's cozy and dimly-lit inside, with 2-person tables lined up along each wall and high seating at & beside their little bar. Perfect for dates & dining alone.

The staff were very friendly and helpful, offering recommendations of dishes and helped us figure out how much might be a good amount to order.

We ordered: Parmesan Tapioca Fritters $9: literally seems to be boiled tapioca mixed with melted parmesan into a ball/cube, breaded, and fried. My mind was blown and I definitely will be trying to make this. It was just a teensy bit too salty though. It might've been the parmesan's fault.

Bao with stracciatella cheese & eggplant fenugreek dip $17: I thought it'd have a filling, and was slightly disappointed to see it didn't but then I took that back immediately. It reminded me of a freshly made soft pretzel (the outer of the bun is lightly toasted and sprinkled with salt), with creamy dips on the side. SO GOOD. It only came with 2 though...I could've and would've eaten a whole basket if that was a thing.

Radish cake, plum, garlic chive $15: the flavour & texture reminded me of boiled plantains. It was slightly sweet.

Potato dumplings, maitake mushroom, truffle oil $27: i love potato infused food so this was a must try, and the way it was so soft and melty in my mouth was a dream come true.

Char Siu pork steak, turnips, caramelized rice wine kasu $36: this does not taste like a traditional char Siu. Actually, it reminded me of Filipino ham for the flavour (Filipino ham is one of my favourite holiday foods to eat) but the texture – it was so tender and juicy, and you could really tell a lot of time and attention is put into the preparation of this.

Coconut flan, wild blueberries $12: I really liked that it wasn't too sweet, because most flans tend to be that way.

Clementine sorbet, kosho $12: the clementine flavour was very strong, maybe a little took much...but the candied peel & kosho were a great touch to balance out the texture and flavour.

The server mentioned that all plates are meant for sharing, with some plates being considered "small" and "large". Between 2 people, she mentioned we could get by with 1 small & 1 large per person. Based on my experience, it might be best, especially if hungry, to get an extra small/large to get a filling meal, or order some drinks on the side, as the portions are on the smaller size.

Overall, I would highly recommend others check this place out. You can really taste the dedication & passion that goes into...

To say I was impressed with Alma is an absurd understatement. Even if I'd stopped eating after the flatbread I'd have been utterly content. Like everything we were served, the bread was not only delicious, it had an uncommon texture and taste that made me want to close my eyes and savour every bite. Adding the rapini sunflower seed dip took it to the next level, and spooning on the creamy straciatella virtually sent me to heaven. The rest of the meal followed the same dazzling standards. Sometimes I'd never heard of the food: straciatella, rapini, ciccoria, branzino, ajo blanco. But by the end of the evening, Anna Chen, the talented, inventive chef and co-owner, had kindly educated me about these tasty offerings and how she draws out their unique qualities. Everything is made from scratch at Alma, right down to the plum sauce. And everything is exceptional. We had a small starter of three different kinds of handmade pork salami; each were exquisite. The ciccoria salad with chilli vinaigrette and grano padano really surprised me because I'd never eaten ciccoria (crisp greens with a crunchy white base) before. It turned out to be a delightful twist on caesar salad. The cabbage dumplings in plum sauce are a must—they taste so much more interesting than they sound. And another small dish you don't want to miss is the artichoke with ajo blanco: mouth-watering to the last bite. For a main dish I had the branzino, a European sea bass, and it was as delicate and succulent as you could possibly want. The green goddess dressing was divine, and I loved the crunchy miniature turnips. Dessert was a shared bowl of popcorn ice cream with salted caramel. I had to try it to believe it. Anna somehow infuses the taste of popcorn into her homemade ice cream—and it works! The salted caramel sauce is the ideal accompaniment. All I can say is there wasn't a drop left in the bowl when we were finished. Alma is a gem of a restaurant. Not only are the foods unique and lovingly prepared—the staff is enthusiastic and prompt, the atmosphere, cheerful and calm, and the decor, uncluttered and fresh. I'm so glad we...