Have you ever been to the Village by the Grange food court? I love its seemingly covert location under the skyscrapers near Dundas and University, and right across from OCAD.
It feels like a bit of Chinatown spilled over into the subterranean spot, where your usual food court chain restaurants are nowhere in sight. A really diverse and authentic collection of great local lunch spots serve everything from Indian to Chinese cuisine.
The first time I ate here it felt like I accidentally stumbled across a well kept secret. Of course, this added to its charm. I definitely tend to love the feeling of having somehow ‘discovered’ a new food place. And this has that aspect built right in.
My favorite place, and likely their best known spot, is one of Mean Bao‘s earlier locations. As you may deduce from the name, they specialize in steamed bao, serving drool worthy toppings on soft and fluffy steamed buns. The best part? Just like the rest of the food court, everything is very reasonably priced. Which means you can order even mooore things to try. What’s not to like?
The pork belly bao is probably my favorite. Perfectly balanced and bursting with flavor, the meaty pork belly is offset by the fresh and crunchy texture of the slaw, cilantro and crushed peanuts. Having said that, the Enoki mushroom bao is not to be missed.
They also serve pretty good dim sum, which in my opinion, is always welcome. Try the shrimp dumplings!
I look forward to going back an trying some of the other restaurants at The Grange.
Any personal favorites I should know of?
Lazy Sunday 