Review: Francobollo Posto Italiano

Francobollo Posto Italiano is a modern Italian restaurant, just north of downtown Toronto. They have been open for 1 year and are the newest restaurant introduced by Substance Food Group. I had a great time reviewing Terra, Substance Food Group’s flagship restaurant, so I came into this meal with high expectations. We reserved a table with fellow food lovers Clara and Monica from The Food Sisterhood so that we could share and try more dishes! Francobollo Posto Italiano is located in the upscale Avenue Road neighbourhood. The restaurant’s decor is very sheek and has a clean, modern feel throughout the narrow building that also gives it a homely ambiance. They have a nice selection of wines that are proudly displayed on the wall, which is where we started the night. There was a wide variety of menu items including some classic Italian dishes and lots of great seafood! 

For appetizers, we ordered the Calamari Fritti, Buratta “Oscar”, Polipo Sottovuoto and the Cuori d’Anatra. Gotta love the Italian menu names! The Calamari Fritti was a crispy fried calamari with horseradish and sea salt. The Burrata “Oscar” was delicious and consisted of a giant piece of domestic Burrata cheese dressed up with charred asparagus, snow crab, roasted lobster bisque, dried tomato and almond pesto. The Polipo Sottovuoto was another favourite at our table- a 75° octopus dish with quinoa, butter lettuce, orange-red-onion-caper-mint salsa, all plated beautifully on a red endive. Duck hearts are rarely seen on Toronto menus, so we had to try the Cuori d’Anatra. This dish used pan seared free range duck hearts, roasted Brussels sprouts, guanciale and 10 year old balsamic. 

We decided to try more seafood for the mains, as a Grilled Whole Seabream and Filet of Mediterranean Sea Bass were both available as daily specials. Both were tasty, however the seabream was especially impressive as a whole fish dish. Very fresh flavours as both fish were well seasoned and were accompanied with local veggies. Francobollo has a wide selection of pasta, and we decided to try the Linguini Vongole, an Italian classic made with manila clams, fresh tomatoes, parsley, white wine and aglio olio e peperoncino. Again, fresh ingredients stood out in each bite. We also ordered the 8 oz Grilled Angus Beef Tenderloin Steak with Bone Marrow and Wild mushrooms. This was a really nice cut of beef with a big chunk of roasted Bone Marrow. 

If you like desserts, Francobollo does not disappoint. Their selection of desserts changes daily, so we had to try all the featured desserts. I really enjoyed the house made Tiramisu and the fresh baked Apple Turnover. There was also a Pistachio Cheesecake and 2 types of Tartufo- double chocolate and salted caramel. If you find dessert choices difficult, sometimes you just have to order them all. Treat yourself. 

Since we were dining with fellow bloggers from The Food Sisterhood, our cameras were out in full force! I couldn’t have gotten these bright shots without some creative lighting help from Clara. It’s always more fun to eat with friends, especially when exploring Francobollo’s extensive menu. Francobollo Posto Italiano is a great choice for all occasions, with top notch service and impressive modern Italian dishes, heavy on seafood.

Francobollo Posto Italiano 

1959 Avenue Rd 

North York, ON M5M 2M5 

(416) 481-3888

Cactus Club Cafe- First Toronto Location

Written by Rayanne Y. aka @goodfoodscarborough (Good Food Toronto guest writer)

I had the opportunity to get a sneak peak of the Cactus Club Cafe Toronto located at 777 Adelaide Street West during their media event this past October. Cactus Club Cafe is a well established restaurant in Western Canada so I was very excited to see what they had in store for Toronto. 

As I entered the restaurant, I was warmly welcomed by the hostesses. I was then ushered to the glass elevators that took me upstairs to the second floor. As the elevator doors opened, you can see that the area was tastefully decorated. The vibe is upscale, yet relaxed enough for a drink with friends or an after work visit with coworkers.

The friendly bartenders served the Cactus Club's signature cocktails which were thoroughly enjoyed by the guests. Their bellinis were delicious and on point. They served samples dishes from their menu that were created by Canadian Celebrity Chef Rob Feenie.

If you crave a lighter fare, the Tuna Tayaki is an excellent option. Seared Albacore Tuna, papaya slaw, pine nuts, yuzu vinaigrette and cilantro. The fresh ingredients really makes this dish very refreshing.

Rob's Crispy Chicken Sandwich was really tasty. Perfectly fried panko-crusted chicken with swiss cheese, sambal mayo, lettuce, tomato and onion. This was my favorite item I tasted that evening.

After sampling the food and drinks I went to check out the third floor of the restaurant. This floor had a rooftop restaurant feel and an amazing retractable roof which will be prefect for patio season. The lower floor had a classy sports bar feel and would be a great place to watch games with friends. I had a great evening at the Cactus Club Cafe.

My overall impression of this establishment was that it is conveniently located in the heart of the Toronto financial district and is a great place to relax, mingle and grab a few drinks and food after work or on the weekends. They offer exceptional customer service along with a great selection of food and drinks. Thanks for a great experience Cactus Club Cafe Toronto, I will be back for that chicken sandwich.

Ford X Actinolite Sustainability Feast

Written by Anderson Leung (Good Food Toronto guest writer)

I was invited to a Sustainability Feast hosted by Ford (the motor company) and Toronto based restaurant Actinolite. At first these two could not be any more different from the outside. Actinolite is a restaurant that features freshness, seasonal, local, and sustainable food. Current ingredients available are what causes the menu to change weekly and seasonally. When I think Ford I see big inefficient American Cars that scream pollution. As the night progressed, I learned why this event was taking place and how these two came to collaborate. Ford has been using and is researching more natural ingredients to use in the vehicles. Whether it be the fibers to use in a seatbelt or foam materials in a car seat, Ford can reduce weight and costs by using readily available materials straight from nature. 

A 7 course meal showcased a certain ingredient per course. Chef Justin Cournoyer of Actinolite and a Ford representative in the research side explained what each ingredient themed course meant to them. The ingredients were, and in order, Tomato, Wheat, Soy, Bamboo, Corn, Rice, Cane Sugar, Birch, and Coconut. Each dish being simple and straight to the point with each ingredient. Nothing fancy, just raw taste and focus. 

Tomato|Algae 
This appetizer was Tomato three ways. One of them was dusted in algae (also another ingredient Ford is researching) and the tomato flavour. There wasn’t an explanation of this dish until later but it was overall really good. 

Soy|Milk 
Everything in this dish was Soy based. The Soy Custard on the bottom, covered fried soy crumb, topped off with soy foam. All the different textures of the dish was best enjoyed in one bite. Soy is used in the foam materials in cars. 

Wheat|Beer 
This was an interesting dish. In a mini La Creuset pot came a tiny loaf of bread for two to share. The chef explained how he used the spent wheat from Burdock Brewery (Toronto) and created something edible. The whey butter that went with this dish was unreal, but the bread itself I was definitely not used to. 

Bamboo|Shiitake|Kelp 
Showcasing Bamboo, the chef used mushrooms and kelp to make a dashi like broth that intensified the natural flavours of each ingredient. The broth was quite oily, but If you like kelp and shiitake, it’s like a flavour punch to the face. 

Corn|Crab|Tarragon 
Probably my favourite dish of the night, the layers and textures of this stack just worked perfectly. Starting from the bottom with hot stewed corn, to a soft crab salad, a room temperature crunchy corn crisp, topped with a cold scoop of corn sorbet and tarragon. The intensity of the corn flavour off of this was amazing and the different textures and temperatures of this stack just made the dish more interesting. 

Rice| Barley| Parsley 
At the top was popped wild rice, a turnip and kelp flake, and pickled seaweed, over a bed of barley in parsley juice. This dish was surprisingly acidic and contrary to the presentation, kind of boring. It didn’t work for me.

Cane Sugar|Beef|Broccoli|Garlic 
All local ingredients but the cane sugar, the caramel glazed organic and local beef short-rib was extremely tasty. The chef kept saying the word “beefy” to describe the flavour. There was no other word to describe it. I’ve never had beef taste so natural and intense ever. There was local broccoli and garlic on the side which were both also extremely flavourful. It was so simple, not much was added, but the taste was so amazing. This dish would convince people to go organic and locally sourced.

Birch|Pear|Chocolate 
First dessert came out topped with a leaf you would see in any fall neighbourhood in Ontario. The story behind this is what made the dish so special. The leaves were from the chef’s childhood planted tree, where he dried and candied them for the dessert. From the bottom was pebble looking chocolate crumble, roasted pear in birch leaves, pear sorbet, and then the candied birch leaf. I tried the birch leaf first and it tasted a bit bitter but full of tea flavour. The dessert just looked so natural and was tasty from top to bottom. 

Coconut|Lichen 
I’m not sure what lichen should taste like so I couldn’t exactly find if it made this dish better or not. These were a white chocolate fudge ball dusted in coconut and reindeer lichen. The fudge was not too sweet, very creamy, and full of white chocolate flavour. Actinolite was a great experience where I personally learned more about ingredients than I think I would through just eating. Ford’s science behind using natural ingredients were interesting and looks like they’re stepping in a positive direction for vehicles in the future. The dishes showcased each ingredient extremely well and I would go back if I had the chance to see what Actinolite has each season.

Krispy Kreme- Day of Dozens Deal

Here is a pretty sweet BOGO deal for Krispy Kreme doughnuts! In the world of Krispy Kreme, December 12 is known as Day of the Dozens (12-12), an annual holiday celebration of doughnuts that began on December 12, 2012 (12-12-12).  On Day of the Dozens, when you purchase one dozen Original Glazed dougnuts, you get a second dozen free! Just show the coupon in this post at any Krispy Kreme Canada location this coming Saturday (Dec. 12) to get the deal. They also have some holiday flavours available right now including a chocolate filled santa doughnut, a red velvet cream cheese doughnut and a holiday sprinkles doughnut.  The holiday doughnuts are nice but the original Krispy Kremes will always be my favourite. Check out the coupon below with a super cool and tasty barcode! #dayofthedozens

GTA Locations:

Toronto  – 164 McCaul St. And 215 Harbord St.

Mississauga – 5920 Mavis Rd.