Dear reader,

For as long as there are bored teenagers, there will be mall food courts—the two are intertwined. I don’t even want to think about how many hours of my young life (and hard-earned babysitting dollars) I wasted loitering in the shopping mall eateries of the GTA. A special shoutout to my old local, Oakville Place, where there was a Chicago Franks, a Hudson’s Bay Company brand that originally appeared in the department stores (for hot dogs and chocolate malts), and Al’s Delizioso Italian Cuisine, a no-nonsense pizza counter (for pepperoni slices and chubby bottles of Original New York Seltzer).

But the classic court is slowly being usurped by the hall, a sprawling space filled with higher-quality, typically slightly pricier fast-casual offerings. Sad gyros, soggy poutine and bowls of gloopy beef and broccoli have been replaced by creamy tonkotsu ramen, smashed-to-order burgers, hand-pulled noodles, charcuterie boards and—because these halls are often licensed—cocktails. 

The newest entrant to the city’s fancy food hall scene is Queen’s Cross, the Eaton Centre’s upscale alternative to its Urban Eatery. Fun fact: every single one of the 15 vendors is an Oliver and Bonacini operation. Scroll down to take a look around.

Also in this week’s newsletter: a chef’s food tour of Markham and Scarborough, a peek inside the home kitchen of the Craig behind Craig’s Cookies, and just in time for this summer’s first mini heatwave, a roundup of restaurant-made soft serve.

For all of our food-and-drink coverage, visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition.

We invite you to take a virtual tour of Queen’s Cross, O&B’s new eatery emporium on the lower level of the Eaton Centre. The 19,000-square-foot space comprises 15 fast-casual restaurants and one full-service bar. But it’s not without some old-school ’80s-food-court vibes—think fancy food hall meets Stranger Things’ Starcourt Mall.

Speaking of grown-up versions of childhood indulgences, the city’s trendiest new dessert is house-made soft serve. We’re talking not just chocolate and vanilla (not that there’s anything wrong with them) but creamy frozen spirals in unique flavours like soy milk and silken tofu or topped with olive oil, Maldon salt and fresh Ontario strawberries. Here, six of our favourite swirls. Warning: the ice cream truck’s jingle will never sound the same.

When Marvin Palomo isn’t busy turning out Sunday brunch at Vela, he heads to the Scarborough-Markham border to visit his mom and eat at some of his favourite restaurants. Here, his top spots for pan de sal, king crab ramen and hand-pulled noodles.

Craig Pike, Toronto’s unofficial cookie king, let us poke around his small but very stylish and well-appointed kitchen. If you’re thinking it’s full of sweets, think again—his days of home-baking cookies and biking them all over the city are over. See for yourself.

In the latest issue: our annual ranking of where to eat now. Plus, the small-town doctor who tore a community apart; confessions of a reformed shoplifter; an eye-popping history of Budweiser Stage; and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.