Tinuno
Where? Tinuno (St James Town, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Map Menu
When? Thursday July 14, 2022
Who? Marc
Food Style? Filipino Kamayan
My friend from Catalonia is here to visit and I’ve taken him to one of Toronto’s most famous Filipino restaurants, Tinuno. A few metres away from Sherbourne station, Tinuno is known for their kamayan, which is Tagalog for eating with the hands, but also refers to a big communal meal splayed out on the table with a myriad of delicious barbequed foods and honestly, one of the most impressive looking meals you’ll ever see in front of you. Kamayan has its origins before the Spanish colonisation of the Philippines, and the particular technique of scooping with your fingers is something I've seen at Indian meals, but never mastered. In typical Asian fashion, food brings people together in Filipino culture, and this meal is designed to be shared with many others.
Mains
Kamayan: milkfish, tilapia, squid, shrimp, mussel, pork belly, pork skewer, okra, eggplant, mango salad and garlic rice
I love this visual. The food smells amazing and that wonderful smoky aroma of the barbecue is evident. I go straight for the pork skewer, because it’s right in front of me. It’s succulent and tasty, the best of the meats on the table. The rice is cooked with garlic and is so delicious. I use the green lipped mussels, obviously from New Zealand, as spoons to scoop up all the food. Everything is incredibly flavoursome and appetising. The banana leaf is important for imparting that extra bit of flavour; it releases a subtle fragrant oil when grilled over an open flame.
Though this does work with only two people, you'll ideally want a group of six or more; my best experience here was with the Ubisoft Toronto Foodies where there were ten of us (and I got to eat more than my share because some people got full really quickly).
Very satisfying and always a good atmosphere here, but make sure you book.
It's a hot summer's day in July, and even though we've stuffed ourselves with a Filipino feast, we're off to Yorkville for ice cream at Summer's and drinks at Hemingways.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:18pm on Saturday January 28, 2023 :: 0 comments :: 