Neighbourhood Crawl: What super foodie Suresh Doss loves about Scarborough

At 12 years old, Suresh Doss emigrated with his family from Colombo, Sri Lanka, putting down roots in Scarborough to be close to its Tamil community. In 2019, after a stint downtown, he and his wife, Esther, found out they were pregnant with their son, Nolan, and decided to buy a home in Birchcliffe-Cliffside to be closer to family. Doss has built a career championing overlooked neighbourhoods and mom-and-pop kitchens, and he’s happiest when introducing his son to new ingredients. This fall, he brings his love of cuisine to CBC Gem for his Bourdain-esque series, Locals Welcome. Here, he takes us on a tour of his favourite east-end haunts.

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FOC Foods

“Toronto has become a real hot sauce nation in the past 15 years. Today, there are more than 100 local producers. Mike and Albert’s line is cool because it runs the gamut: different regional styles and levels of chunkiness, with deep, layered flavour profiles. And they usually use Ontario hot peppers—which the province has been able to grow recently because of climate change. I often toss the FOC sauces in a wok. Esther and I also love eating them as a flight with summer rolls.” 127 Manville Rd., unit 3, focfoods.com

Scarborough Spots

“This brand features fun shirts, hats and other apparel that reference Scarborough civic pride. They’ve started doing collabs with the Raptors, but they’re still a family-run operation with a nostalgic love for the city.” 70 Eglinton Sq., unit 55, scarboroughspots.com

Inner Circle Caribbean Cuisine

“Esther gets all the credit for suggesting this Guyanese spot. They make Trinidad-and-Tobago-­style doubles—and they’re the best doubles in Toronto. The owner fries the bara batter to order. They have the perfect pliability, and they’re covered in the proper tamarind-and-pepper sauce. A lot of people in Toronto don’t know that doubles are typically eaten for breakfast, but with the prism effect of immigration, they’re now available all day long.” 707 Kennedy Rd., unit 101, @innercirclecuisine

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Cafe Tea Talks

“I don’t like using the term hidden gem, but I will now because no one is talking about this restaurant, which features a tight menu of Indian food from Kerala—the best in the city. Someone will eventually write a big story on this place. I’m so glad it’s close to me.” 69 Lebovic Ave., unit D113, @cafeteatalks

City Cottage Market

“Esther and I have been frequenting this place since we moved to Scarborough. It’s the kind of bodega where it’s hard not to make friends. Nearly all of its goods are local, so spending money there feels like putting it straight back into the neighbourhood. My son and I often get Mr. Biltong jerky, which is made in the South African style by a Winnipeg company. We’ll also get a Happy Pop popsicle: I always choose a flavour Nolan would never choose, and inevitably he asks to try. It’s my way of slyly introducing him to new things.” 1666 Kingston Rd., citycottagemarket.ca

Press Vinyl

“I started visiting Press early in the pandemic when I had nothing to do. I had never owned vinyl, but soon after popping in, I bought a full set-up. The owner, Steve, has great recommendations. He helped me find records by artists that I grew up on, like the Fugees, Amy Winehouse, Metallica and Nirvana. And he introduced me to Charles Bradley and a whole new world of jazz and blues. Press is technically in Toronto, but since Steve lives in my neighbourhood, I consider the shop an honorary member of Scarborough.” 2442 Danforth Ave., vinylrecords.fyi