So after more than a year of opening in Toronto, I’ve finally made my way to Daishō, the Momofuku restaurant located on the third floor of the complex (I went to the Noodle Bar for lunch a couple of months ago) next to the Shangri-La Hotel. For those who are unfamiliar, Daishō’s meals are meant to be shared, so my husband and I ordered two starters, a main, a side and dessert.
Burger buns
The menu is Korean-inspired, and with a great deal of meat – it’s not exactly a place to go if you’re vegetarian or vegan. Since this was our first time at Daisho, we decided to try as many items as possible, starting with two sides. The server recommended the burger buns, which are steamed buns (the kind one can get at Toronto’s Lee Chen Bistro) with two teeny-tiny patties, along with lettuce, onion and their “secret sauce.” Each order comes with two pieces and they are definitely delicious.
Rice cakes
The other starter my husband and I shared were the rice cakes (under the “etc” category of the menu). This is not the kind of “rice cake” one gets at the supermarket – you know, airy puffs of stuff with next to zero nutritional value. It’s more like a gnocchi, stir-fried with spicy pork sausage, scallion and roasted garlic. It does have a bit of a kick to it, but not super-hot to the point that it’s intolerable for those who cannot handle spice well (like me). Next time, I definitely want to try their buttermilk biscuits and pakora buns!
Hanger steak ssäm
Next up was the main. Since we ordered two starters and a side, we decided to only go with one main course, which we shared, the hanger steak ssäm, a Korean sandwich/wrap dish with lettuce, meat and sauce. At our visit, it came with a mild kimchi and a green onion sauce that is similar to what one might get with poached “white cut” chicken at Chinese restaurants and was grilled to a perfect medium (though the server did not ask how we wanted it done) and perfectly juicy without being too messy. The menu also lists chicken and secreto (pork) ssäm dishes, as well as two other beef dishes, lamb, pork and seafood. Next time, I’d love to try the fish or chicken.
Cabbage
To accompany the main, we tried the charred cabbage, which was recommended by our server. While some of the pieces were a bit over-charred for my tastes, the sauce, which was Montforte Toscano mixed with wasabi and topped with watercress, was absolutely amazing. It was savoury as well as tart, without being too overpowering, basically like a warm salad dressing. Other sides on the menu I’d love to try include the beets and Brussels sprouts.
Daisho also offers a small selection of desserts, including doughnuts, chocolate and selections of cheese. We ordered doughnuts, which that evening, was stuffed with rhubarb and served over “crème brûlée” and tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream. It came with three, golf ball (if they were perfectly round) pieces. Though it had just the right amount of sweetness and tartness for me, I would have liked to see more filling. The “crème brûlée” was also a bit difficult to eat as it wasn’t served in a traditional ramekin. Instead, the custard was torched on the plate. Crème brûlée should be mostly custard, not crunch (which is why “crème brûlée” is in quotation marks).
In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant is very well lit with natural light, with high ceilings and very modern-looking. However, I have to say that the acoustics are awful – it wasn’t always easy to hear the server!
Note that the menu does change on a regular basis, so what we had might not be the same if you go this week. Daishō also offers a large format menu for groups which can be reserved in advance.
