Torontos Best New Restaurants: Jackpot Chicken

Whenever I felt a cold coming on this winter, I’d head to Craig Wong’s new Chinatown restaurant—his comeback after Patois, his Chinese-Jamaican fusion spot, was destroyed in a block fire. His chicken, poached Hainanese-style in a winter melon broth and served on a bed of schmaltz-fried rice along with a bowl of chicken broth and (more) winter melon soup, is the closest thing to a curative.

The off-menu High Rolla ramen, with shrimp, Chinese sausage and pickled egg.

Less healthful, but well worth it, are appetizers like deep-fried tempura broccoli dressed with Kewpie mayo, shrimp potstickers enhanced with Japanese curry paste, and chips of crisped chicken skin painted with house-dehydrated sriracha sauce.

The Chinese-Jamaican fusion spot is Craig Wong’s post-Patois comeback.

Jackpot Chicken, 318 Spadina Ave., 416-792-8628, jackpotchickenrice.com