I was doing an errand in the area so I thought I'd drop by this new place BlogTO was advertising. They do South African Boerewors and inspired burgers.
Toronto has a lot of cuisine from all over, but if you want a 'Boerie Roll' you have to make it yourself. Being an ex-pat of South Africa I had to check it out for myself.
BTW some slang translating for you Boerewors means Farmers sausage, and roll like a dinner roll or hotdog bun by another name. The boerewors is made fresh in house too, not bought from Florences Market for all you SA ex-pats.
The interesting thing is boerewors is not just another sausage, and i've had all kinds from pork to polish to oktoberfest (locally not in Germany) to the humble vienna. Boerewors is painstaking spiced just right, I just eat it I don't make it...but googling the spices to give you an example of what it includes is such:
toasted coriander seed, black pepper, nutmeg, cloves,allspice.
And to make it in house with the right amounts of spices and come out tasting the way you expect it. Almost slim to none.
So down to the meat and potatoes as they say. I was greeted by the lovely wife of the owner and she walked me through the menu. Nice cozy place with SA music blending into the background. I ordered the
classic "Boerie roll" with chips (aka fries) and a bubblegum Jones soda.
I also asked the owners wife if they had Ms Balls Chutney, which is usually a staple for a Boerie Roll. All you need is a hotdog like bun, boerewors and Ms balls chutney....simple but devine. Unfortunately she didnt have any...but they have their homemade chutney on it and surprisingly its on par with ms Balls.
I bit into the roll and I was blown away, it was basically perfect. The boerewors was cooked to perfection, i'm not exaggerating here. Somehow this mans homemade boerewors had the right ratio of fat to meat to spices to make it a delight to eat.
Again I apologize but a little history, every South African has had dry wors. Reason being there can be so much fat content in boerewors you have to cook it out a little dry to be able to enjoy it. And thats where ms balls chutney came in to rehydrate it a little bit I guess.
But what we have here is what I like to call a hybrid wors, all the satisfaction and none of the drawbacks.
The taste and texture are there, not an oily affair like classic wors and not dry at all...moisture intact. Maybe not as potent in the spices, cause remember its waaaayy less oily....and oily'ness does have a tendency to make the spices more flavorful.
Still I think if he sells this wors on the side to 'braai' (bbq) at home, he'd give Florence meats a run for their money.
The toppings complement the boerewors, and their homemade chutney is sublime...nothing needs to be added. Surprisingly the boerie roll itself reminds me of home too, where it soaks up the juices but still holds well on the outside of the bun. Smallest details like the chips/fries being lightly fried and salted just like back home in SA is a very nice touch. I find most places in Toronto burn their fries to death or overly oily.
So the quick take is eating a 'boerie roll' is like biting into a steak dinner and not being overly full after, no food coma. I was speaking with the owner Haroon (Pardon me if i'm butchering your name, I just spelt it phonetically) and how I was really impressed.
How I enjoyed his extreme attention to detail, cause I was just coming by not expecting him to succeed in such a enormous undertaking. And I will definitely be back for that Joburger, looks awesome too but now I know when I need a boerie roll where to get one.
Food is all Halal, for all of you out there it doesnt mean you need to be all religious or anything. In fact halal means they take great care in the animals state of mind when being put down. As well all the blood is drained which is very hygienic so no bacteria can be spread via the blood unlike some butchers places.
DIRECTIONS BY SUBWAY
When you get off at Royal York Subway Station, go to what I would call the back exit...it will say "Grenview Blvd", if it says "Royal York" before exiting the station go back the other way.
Once out by the Grenview Blvd opening, take a right and you should see an LCBO...across the street from that is Plan B. read more