Toronto shopping when you’re a foodie

Thursday, 30 May, 2019

I make no secret of the fact that Toronto disappoints me in many food (when it comes to shopping) arenas. There are lots of reasons for this, and the price point is probably the least of these….maybe. But we can talk about prices – sure we can! They’ve skyrocketed.

I do expect, after being away for a while, to find prices higher. However, this time the trajectory has alarmed me. I’d say that most things are about 50% higher than I found them in 2016. So the pork tenderloin i bought for $3.75 in Chinatown this week cost me about $2.25 when last I was here. Of course, this price is pretty fantastic, no doubt of that. However, to find lettuces at $2.99, cauliflower at $6.99, asparagus at $4, bread at $4-5, chips at $4 a pack – these things do alarm me.

However, I do have to eat so here’s a bit of a pictorial essay of my shopping experiences so far. There’s enough time to document more!

Closed up Chinatown — These shops at the North West corner of Spadina and Dundas are slated to go. No idea how long they have sat there but it looks really scruffy and neglected so far. New condos on their way?

Quiet day at the Chinatown supermarket — Abnormally quiet day outside the supermarket in Chinatown. Rain keeps the crowds away and there’s been a lot of it.

Inside the Chinatown supermarket. I got a pork loin, some hot sauce, and some frozen shrimp and pork dumplings for dim sum. Oh, and these tomatoes (next photo)

Tomatoes in Chinatown — I don’t like buying the much-picked-over things in Chinatown but there were freshly placed, reasonably priced, and actually looked good. Tasted OK too!

I’m not fond of the readymade food in Toronto on the whole but there are certain things I can’t get elsewhere or they are ethnic foods that Toronto somehow does so very well.

I’ve missed this sort of readymade food – a variety of Portuguese snacks in Little Portugal – takes me back to Lisbon

One thing I did want to do is go to at least one farmers market. I’m trying to find out what happened to the big Saturday morning one at St Lawrence Market – stay tuned – but the neighbourhoods all have a small weekly one that’s interesting. The prices are very high but so is the quality. So off we went to the Trinity Bellwoods Farmers Market that begins at 3pm every Tuesday in the warmer months.

Seasonal products at Bellwoods Trinity — The stalls at Bellwoods Trnity Park Farmers Market are inevitably (smoked) fish, vegetables, seasonal fruit, cheese and baked goods. So far there are only a couple of cooked food areas and an oyster stall.

Salad turnips — This was my only purchase. The salad turnips, which intrigued me, and were delicious at $4.

We went to Roncesvalles, which is Little Poland. The small independent Polish delis are disappearing. I wish I’d known that sooner since I was looking for a certain one and passed by a few without going in. However, I did end up in Benna’s, a small Polish supermarket. It was unchanged, other than the prices, but I was saddened by a lot fewer Polish cakes! Id had in mind a baked cheesecake and passed some in a window thinking to get it here. There was none. Instead I got a massive blueberry, cheese bread – a sweet loaf stuffed with this delicious combination. I’ll never finish it all – or will I? (I need more photos!)

Meat counter at Benna's — Behind the meat counter at Benna’s – all sorts of smoked, cured, and fresh sausage on offer. I bought some double smoked, some garlic smoked, quite a lot for about $10. More than I used to pay but still a bargain and delicious!

So much choice at Benna's — So much choice at Benna’s

We travelled over to St Lawrence Market. It’s been voted the best market in the world and has been there since 1803. I can’t say if I agree that it’s the best but it does have a lot of great food on offer – fresh fish, fresh meat, cooked food, breads, cheese, vegetables and fruits, as well as spices and kitchen hardware. Too much to mention really so I’ll reserve another blog post for that when I return. Here’s a sample, and yes prices had risen!

The market hall — St Lawrence Market Hall, since 1803

I did buy Olives — I bought four kinds of olives here

Cooked food area — Mostly Buster’s Sea Cove! Fish and chips, anyone?

Fresh seafood — I always marvel at the gigantic shrimp

Loads of meat — There are so many meat counters, most with the same prices but if you look around you can find the bargains. I got a slab of peameal bacon for around $5 – enough for six or seven sandwiches.

Meat pies — The meat pies looked OK but at $6.75 for an individual size, I hesitated

I take the attitude that, if you want something, this is how much it costs. With time I’ll relax and buy the $6.99 cauliflower but for now, let me indulge my culture shock.

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