Baldwin Street - An Eclectic Gathering of Ethnic Cuisine

Have a craving for ethnic food but can't quite decide what exactly you're in the mood for? You can delay your decision by heading down to Baldwin Street, just a few blocks NW from the St. Patrick subway station. For a stretch of about 3 short blocks, Baldwin Street is the Mecca for ethnic dining.

You will find about 10 different types of Chinese eating establishments, from traditional restaurants, ones specializing in seafood, a Hot Pot restaurant, to a bakery serving pastries and Dim Sum.

My current favourite Chinese restaurant on Baldwin Street is called Eating Garden. We randomly picked it late one evening after being out since 7pm participating in Nuit Blanche, the only criteria being that it was still open, we were starving and needing to rest our weary feet. We ordered a steaming bowl of wonton soup, a plate of lemon chicken with rice and a plate of fried rice noodles with beef and vegetables. The food was delicious and we devoured it quickly. The lemon chicken was lightly breaded to perfection and the lemon sauce burst with flavour on every bite. The only word of warning is, that if attempting to stay awake all night for Nuit Blanche, eating a Chinese meal full of MSG is probably not the smartest thing to do.




There are also multiple French, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Continental restaurants, and at current count, one each of a Korean, Mexican, Persian, Malaysian and Vegetarian restaurant. All these different foods and cultures are interspersed and happily coexisting next to each other, within a span of about 3 city blocks. I think the United Nations could learn a lesson from the cohesiveness of this group of eateries.

And next time you're not quite sure what you want to eat, head down to this street and check out all the menus. Or just close your eyes, point your finger and spin yourself around to see where you land.