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Foodism Toronto - Patois is serving the Best Fried Chicken in Toronto
“At Dundas West's Patois, chef-owner Craig Wong combines his Chinese-Jamaican background with his culinary prowess to create some of the best food in the city. “
Toronto Life - The 100 Best Toronto Restaurants
If you’re dining solo at Patois or with one other companion, you may be invited to sit at the bar and “join the party.” It does feel like a celebration here, with the music cranked and tropical cocktails in things like inflatable flamingos and flaming pineapples—the scent of extinguished sparklers mingles with jerk spice. This is the second incarnation of Craig Wong’s Asian-Caribbean kitchen, one of the city’s most unique spots. The original closed after the store next door caught fire, only to rise from the ashes like a charcoal-grilled phoenix—or, in this case, a chicken, fried and served with pickled watermelon and sweet sriracha. And the Dirty Fried Rice—a pile of rice chock full of egg, veggies, sweet lap cheong and Hong Kong–style red sausages—is a must. A recent visit involved a free shot—a mouthful of gin, chased with Ting. Join the party indeed.
Bon Appetit
GO HERE: for Asian-Caribbean hybrid cuisine from chef and owner Craig Wong. While Patois was closed, Wong kept busy with Jackpot Chicken Rice, a raucous room in Toronto’s Chinatown specializing in his interpretation of Hainanese chicken rice: boneless, boiled, amazingly flavorful soft poached chicken served over schmaltzy rice. But Patois is his flagship, and its return means more time for teapots of strong rum punch and bourbon lemonade and Wong’s spicy culinary mashups.
ORDER THE: jerk chicken, either in the chow mein or as a whole bird, where it’s served with a creamy garlic “shawarma” sauce laced with throat-scorching Scotch bonnet peppers. The Jamaican patty double-down seems like a gimmick borrowed from 2010, but the concept is delicious all the same, with two beefy patties sandwiching strips of bacon and oozing Swiss cheese fondue and Sriracha. And the jaw-dropping Prosperity Jerk Lobster, a whole chopped-up lobster tossed around in a wok with more of that sweat-inducing jerk seasoning.
THE VIBE IS: low-key with a solid groove, backed by lots of small groups who come in for the order-the-full-menu option (designed to feed parties of four) and the communal teapot cocktails.
Food & Wine
Patois - One of the 10 Must-Visit Toronto Restaurants That Are Reinventing Fusion Cuisine
Featured on Elle Canada
A signature cocktail seemed like a good idea when you pinned it to your “holiday house party” board – not so much when there’s a lineup down the hall for drinks and you’re trapped in the kitchen trying to pull off your best Coyote Ugly impression.
The solution? Punch, says Tyler Newsome, bar director for Jamaican-Chinese restaurant Patois in Toronto. Click for more...
BON APPeTIT - JERK CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
Chef Craig Wong is third generation Chinese-Jamaican. At his restaurant Patois, he cooks some of the best curries, doubles, and Chinese noodles in Toronto. Jerk chicken chow mein is his signature dish.
SONAR TFO
SONAR TFO
Chef Craig Wong : De la Jamaïque à la Chine
À l'image de Toronto, Craig Wong est un chef cuisinier aux cultures multiples. D'origine chinoise et jamaïcaine, il est né ici à Toronto, mais a aussi étudié aux côtés du grand chef français Alain Ducasse. Dans sa famille, on ne parle pas le mandarin mais plutôt le patois, d'où le nom de son restaurant Patois qui se spécialise en cuisine fusion. Situé à quelques pas du quartier chinois et du marché Kensington, Craig Wong n'a pas à se rendre très loin pour trouver l'inspiration! Un reportage d'Andréanne Baribeau.
April issue of WestJet Magazine features Patois shrimp balls with Cplus gastrique
April issue of WestJet Magazine featured our shrimp balls with Cplus gastrique in the latest soda pop craze.