Patois — Restaurant in Toronto

Update: 2nd and Last Visit

We chose Patois for our wedding anniversary after a great first experience last summer. Unfortunately, it was not good the second time around.

I made an online reservation a couple of days earlier and noted that it was for a special occasion. The restaurant notified me by email AND text stating “We will definitely do our best”. I thought that was a good sign and I looked forward to the dinner.

When we arrived we were greeted pleasantly and then seated at the WORST table in the restaurant. WTH? I told them it was special occasion dinner. The crazy thing was that when we got to the restaurant it was fairly empty: however, we were seated in a single two-seat table in the middle of the restaurant. I was not happy and that feeling remained for the entire dinner. I could have asked to be moved but I thought, I told them why we came and I figured they would have sat us in a less public spot. But I didn’t ask to be moved, so during the entire time, servers and patrons walked up and down both aisles, which made for an unpleasant and disruptive dinner. To add insult to hurt, we watched other couples arrive and be seated in 4-seat tables along the wall.

Unfortunately, the food was not much better. Actually, it was terrible. I had brussel sprouts and juicy jerk chicken. I ordered the same thing I had the first time because it was absolutely delicious. But this time the jerk chicken, which was ridiculously small, did not taste like jerk and the brussel sprouts were burnt beyond recognition. I couldn't even the taste of brussel sprouts, that's how burnt it was. It just looks like charred black balls on a bed of spinach. My spouse had Jamaican Oxtail and I could tell he wasn’t enjoying his favourite Jamaican food. He said the oxtail had little meat and no flavour.

The best thing about our experience was our server, Zach, who was friendly, personable and attentive throughout.

Sadly, after such a great experience the first time (see below), we won’t be back again. First Visit: Believe every 4 and 5 star review that has been given for this restaurant. They are all true; this restaurant is one of the best restaurants I've been to in a really long time.

The food was fantastic! The menu dishes are very creative and tasteful. But hands down, the best thing going for this restaurant is the staff. They were some of the most helpful and nicest people I've ever met in the restaurant business. A shout out to Zach, who gets lots of shot outs in other reviews and deserves each and every one of them.

We also had the opportunity to meet the owner/chef, Craig Wong, of Patois. He was very personable and friendly and seemed pleased that we wanted to meet him and to pass on feedback. He's very passionate about what he does and it is clearly evident in his dishes.

If you have the opportunity or you're in this Dundas West neighbourhood, check out this restaurant. It'll be...

honestly very pricey and varying portion sizes (super were large, some were way too small), and while all the food was pretty good, i think only a feW dishes were actually worth it.

the stand out was DEFINITELY the pineapple bun smash burger — the patties were so beefy and they weren’t dry at all, there was a delicious cold tangy oyster mayo, cold fresh tomatoes, and a very soft pineapple bun with a crispy flaky (and a bit salty!) top. all the flavours came together really well, it was the perfect balance of meaty patties and refreshing sauce / veggies, all sandwiched between a unique, airy bun.

the pork belly yakisoba was also notable — the pork belly had a good amount of fattiness to it, and it had a pleasant smoky taste. the noodles had a strong, savoury aroma cooked into it, and they were also very bouncy and QQ (great texture). there were also some REALLY GOOD sharp, tangy pickled cabbage/carrot/veggie(???) that cut the heavy smoky fragrance of the rest of the dish so well.

we also got the brisket patties — while the dough was incredibly soft and airy, there wasn’t much brisket filling. but the savoury, fragrant pastry paired well with the slightly sweet brisket, and it came with an extremely addicting garlic sauce (pro tip — dip the burger into the sauce for another tangy kick!!).

the french toast was delicious — the syrup was so sweet, maple-y, and soaked the airy spongy toast. the edges were a bit crispy too, and i liked lathering the butter all over for that rich, indulgent touch.

the fried rice was solid, but it was lacking something?? maybe the rice wasn’t as STRONG in flavour as i was expecting, but i found the fragrant freshness of the scallions nice with the savoury shrimp (with soft breading, not very crispy / crunchy) and popping tobiko. i wish the aioli had a more prominent role/taste. and also i wish it had been “eggier” — that probably would’ve given it a more distinct flavour.

i found that the jerk chicken chow mein was plain and lacking a distinct, memorable flavour (and also lacking in chicken) — definitely my least favourite.

our server was really really considerate though and we got cool sparklers for...

Taking a classic and putting a spin on things 2018 + 2021 Review

You know those plain boring Burger Buns that you buy for your summer BBQs? You’ll want to swap them out for some Chinese “Pineapple” Buns aka Bo Lo Bao!

To be honest, that’s what really intrigue me in trying this place 2 years ago. The atmosphere was electric as I walk in and got ready to feast. Though the music was a bit loud so it was a bit hard to hear each other. We order the “The Whole Shebang” (pictured below) and it was definitely a feast for the four of us. The Chinese “Pineapple” Bun Burger was the highlight for me. It was nostalgic cause I ate those a lot on its own as a kid and to see them take a classic and put their spin on it was amazing to see and taste.

I haven’t had time to go back unfortunately and that’s where we fast forward to 2021.

For me, summer officially started when night market festivities began. Unfortunately due to the pandemic were probably not going to have one till 2022 at the earliest. But don’t worry, Patois can fill that void with their “Night Market in a Cup” (pictured below). No need to stand in sweaty crowds and figure out which line was for each food stall. Patois basically did all the heavy lifting for you and some of the items you just need to reheat in the oven and cook the noodles. They give you instructions as well so you can’t mess it up. Super easy to put together. I recommend leaving it in the oven a bit longer than instructed as I like my food pipping hot but to each their own plus every oven is different.

Even after two year later, Patois just keeps innovating. Keep it up! Create more kits like these for the summer.

If you gotten this far, thanks for reading. Enjoy and keep searching for those hidden local gems...