Where Thai chef Nuit Regular gets takeout fried chicken, takoyaki and Detroit-style pizza
More Takeout Diaries
If there has been a silver lining of the pandemic for chef Nuit Regular, it’s that she’s been able to spend more time with her family and more time taking care of herself. “The life of a chef or restaurateur means long hours, and many of us end up dealing with various chronic pains. This year, I’ve been able to take some time and focus on myself a bit, eating healthier and working out more.”
But the pandemic has not slowed down any of Regular’s professional pursuits. She released her first cookbook last month, Kiin: Recipes and Stories from Northern Thailand, opened Pai Uptown at Yonge and Eglinton, and is drafting up ideas for private dining experiences for her catering and events company, By Chef Nuit.
Regular says that this second lockdown has hit the restaurant industry even harder. “Now that we can’t even offer patio dining, we’ve seen our revenue drop significantly.” Despite this, Regular remains hopeful. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to support the culinary community with takeout and delivery purchases to help us get through these challenging times. Any revenue we can bring in helps to pay our rent, our utilities, our taxes—these costs don’t magically go away in lockdown.” Most importantly, such revenue allows her to keep her team employed. “They’re like my extended family, so I want to make sure they’re taken care of.” These are some of Regular’s go-to takeout spots.
Joybird Fried Chicken
Stackt Market, 28 Bathurst St., 647-880-2282, highbellgroup.com/joybird/
“It’s comfort food that my whole family can enjoy, especially when we want something other than Thai food.”
Go-to item 1: The OG Taiwanese Fried Chicken Tasting notes: “This has such great texture, with that super crispy skin. It’s perfectly seasoned. And they use dark meat, which means it has better flavour and the chicken stays moist and juicy!”
Go-to item 2: Joy Oklahoma Smash Tasting notes: “It’s just a really simple smashed burger that’s well executed. You get this crispy beef patty that’s topped with lots of onions, cheese, pickles and their house-made Joy Sauce, all sandwiched between a soft potato roll.”
Kingyo Izakaya
51B Winchester St., 647-748-2121, kingyotoronto.ca
“I love the flavours of Japanese cuisine and I appreciate the attention to detail Kingyo puts into their takeout food. It comes beautifully presented and in really nice packaging, so it always feels like they’ve added a special and personal touch.”
Go-to item 1: Bara chirashi Tasting notes: “I just love how beautiful this dish looks! It comes in a pretty little box and it’s so colourful with all of the different elements: chopped sashimi, egg and fish roe. It’s a really nicely done chirashi.”
Go-to item 2: Takoyaki Tasting notes: “This is a great burst of flavour, especially with the sweet tanginess of the takoyaki sauce, and the umami from the bonito flakes.”
Go-to item 3: Miso soup Tasting notes: “I love the simplicity and clean flavours of miso soup, Kingyo makes a great version. The seasoning is well-balanced with a lot of umami. It’s just a really comforting dish.”
Descendant Pizza
1168 Queen St. E., 647-347-1168, descendantdsp.com
“My kids absolutely adore pizza, and Descendant is our go-to pizza takeout when they’re craving it. I love the deep dish-style of this pizza with its chewy crust. And I appreciate that it’s full of toppings—that’s my favourite part of pizza, all the different toppings!”
Go-to item 1: The Homenaje Tasting notes: “This is like a taco meets pizza. I love how there’s so much going on, yet it all works together: the chorizo sausage, roasted jalapeños, tangy pickled red onions, fresh cilantro and creamy cotija cheese and sour cream.”
Go-to item 2: The Truff-ghi Tasting notes: Despite the simplicity of the individual ingredients—slow-roasted garlic, cremini mushrooms, caramelized onions, bacon, white truffle sauce and grana padano—their combination delivers a luxurious flavour.”
NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY
Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.
Tiffany Leigh is an award-winning freelance journalist with degrees in business communications and education. She has a culinary background, is a recipient of the Clay Triplette James Beard Foundation scholarship award and has worked in restaurants such as Langdon Hall. In addition to Toronto Life, her pieces have been read in publications such as Forbes, Vogue, Eater, Dwell, Elle, Business Insider, Playboy, Food & Wine and Bon Appétit.
