Inside the gigantic new T&T at Fairview Mall

Dear reader,

In this edition of Table Talk: inside North York’s sprawling new T&T supermarket (with breakfast jian bing, of course); a city-wide Slavic food tour with the chefs behind Somun Superstar; and everything to eat at Romi’s, St. Clair’s favourite place to munch on challah, falafel and chocolate chip cookies.

As part of an $80-million glow-up, Fairview Mall recently converted a former Sears into an Asian food hall complete with vendors selling soufflé pancakes, Taiwanese milk tea and Hong Kong–style baked goods. But the biggest retailer in the revitalized space is a new location of the Canadian Asian supermarket chain T&T, adding to its 10 other stores across Ontario.

Follow Alen Zukanović and Sanja Topić as they dash around Toronto, eating all the hits: burek, schnitzel, tulumba, krempita and so much more.

Tomer Markovitz’s first Toronto gig was as head chef at Parallel Brothers, the city’s unofficial hummus capital. Now, he’s back with Romi’s, a delightful new bakery on St. Clair.

After two years of takeout and home cooking, Toronto diners are keen to splurge on caviar, seafood towers and prime cuts of beef. And this is all happening at a time when chicken breasts are going for $23 a kilogram and we’re price-matching at supermarkets like it’s a blood sport. The message, in short, is that if people choose to dine out, they’re going big. In our June issue, 20 restaurants where we’re more than happy to put our money where our mouths are. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.