Kanto by Tita Flips — Restaurant in Toronto

A friend and I were strolling along looking for a snack at Market 707. I usually satisfy myself with a basic onigiri, but he was looking to show off his fave, so we stopped at Kanto by Tita Flips. First of all, Market 707 is a collection of shipping containers retrofitted as restaurant stalls at Bathurst and Dundas. There's plenty of cultural food variety to satisfy just about anyone. Note that it's all outdoor seating though. Kanto is Filipino takeout, and apparently the first of its kind in Toronto, at least according to the owner Diona Joyce, a.k.a. Tita Flips. The restaurant is aptly named Kanto, which is "corner" in Filipino. I frankly wasn't looking to chow down, so I stuck to one heavily recommended dish; the arroz caldo. This is essentially Filipino congee. Put simply, this is the best congee I've had to date. It all starts with a wonderfully seasoned, perfectly salted congee. I've had other congees that left something to be desired in the flavour department, but this congee had a rich depth of flavour. It's dressed with green onions, fried garlic bits & pork cracklings for texture and flavour, tofu, thinly sliced boiled eggs, and a subtle but wonderfully complimentary hint of lemon. Your food is made to order, and apparently Kanto sources its ingredients fresh, which absolutely comes across in the food. I can't say personally what the rest of their food is like, but if similar care is taken, I can't wait to bring a friend over...

I don't think it's a stretch to say Tita Flips is the Godfather of the entire Filipino food awakening here in Toronto. I remember my wife and I passing by her stall on Bathurst/Dundas back in 2014 and thanking our lucky stars - it was the best and most authentic Filipino food we had had since moving to Canada. It wasn't the fanciest food and was served in the most humble of streetside settings. But that's exactly what home is like - no frills, and humbly straightforward - and so that made it perfect.

Fast forward to 2020 and there are thankfully many more Filipino food options (and foodtrepreneurs) in the city. But in this time of covid lockdowns and quarantines, I just wanted to support the OG. My wife and I ordered Kanto's kamayan kit, which is basically a boodle box filled with chicken adobo, lechon kawali (crispy pork belly), beef tapa (marinated grilled beef), fried bangus (milkfish), spring rolls, veggies, turon (sweet banana wrapped in sugar coated spring roll), and a whole lot of rice. All this is good for 4 people and just $50. There's a delivery zone (Eglinton to Lakeshore, Jane to Finch), but you can send Kanto's IG a note if you're outside it (we are, and they were kind enough to deliver it to our door). So definitely a good deal! Oh, and after all these years, Tita Flips still has the best lechon kawali. It's not the fanciest dish and is served in a humble tin box, but it tastes like...

I placed an order last Friday to be delivered by noon on Saturday. My credit card got charged on Friday and Kanto sent me an order confirmation through email. However, I had to call on Saturday morning to confirm if delivery will happen and when since there was no shipping notice or anything as of almost 11am. I was told the kamayan kit and the bangus I added will arrive between 12-12:30pm. I needed to call again by 12:40pm and I was told the driver is on his way and will arrive in 15 minutes. The driver arrived at 1:10PM and I asked him when he left the store. He said "12 minutes ago". I understand that there is a pandemic and there might be limited number of restaurant staff. I just find it unacceptable lying about delivery time and the fact that the food arrived cold. Most of the stuff are fried so lechon kawali and lumpia were no longer crunchy. The chicken adobo seemed fried, too, and very hard to eat as they were tough and kinda rubbery. I was so disappointed and my husband was complaining about the quality of food we received. Turon was delicious though. It was our first time ordering from Kanto and I don't think we'll ever buy from them again. The food sure looks good, but the service and quality are...