Tristan holding three of the frozen meal kits.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
There's no denying that Toronto is a world-class food city with some of the tastiest and best restaurants in the country, but what if you could get a taste of those restaurants on your own schedule, without leaving home?
And what if I told you, generally, that you can whip up frozen versions of that food and get a meal that's pretty comparable to what you'd get in the restaurant?
If that sounds interesting, you might want to check out Spatula, a new food delivery company here in Toronto that is bringing flash frozen meals from some top restaurants to your home for a quick weeknight dinner, or maybe even a fancy night in.
And so, to see if they're worth the money, with prices ranging from around $12 to up to $40 (depending on the meal kit and the subscription plan you pick), I tried a bunch of their flash frozen meals to let you know what the process of making and preparing them was like.
Their biggest selling point was the fact that their meals take only a few minutes minutes to make and the only utensil you need is a spatula. Of, course, having pots and pans is a prerequisite for this, so don't expect to get by with ONLY a spatula.
So, here's what I thought of the meals I had from Spatula, and I will say I was generally positive about them!
Gia
Gia's Ricotta Gnocchi Pomodoro with Pesto.
Gia is among Toronto's best Italian restaurants located on Dundas West, where they serve up dishes that have been awarded a mention by none other than the Michelin Guide.
But do those expertly crafted meals translate to the home cook?
From Gia, I tried two of the flash-frozen dishes — the Ricotta Gnocchi Pomodoro with Pesto and the Porcini Agnolotti with Wild Mushrooms and Parmesan.
The first thing I noticed with these was the fact that they both took a little bit longer than advertised to cook. I think the biggest reason for that was the fact that both required a bit too much water to be added to the sauce, which then made it about five to ten minutes longer than it said on the package to cook down.
While a bit annoying, I do understand that they likely want there to be more liquid in sauces as that helps prevent the inexperienced home chef from burning the sauce.
Speaking of inexperience, following the instructions for the gnocchi, I cooked them for the longest time they gave me, which unfortunately ended with over-cooked pasta. While ultimately still tasty, with the runnier sauce it was a little more soupy than it appeared on the package.
As for the Porcini Agnolotti, I really liked this one! The agnolotti were really toothsome and the mushrooms held up great after being frozen. However, the kit didn't have the final garnish of parmesan mentioned in the instructions so my meal was unfortunately unfinished.
That being said, I think the fare from Gia by Spatula was really well executed and did make me feel like a great cook. However, they lose points with the room for error in the instructions as well as forgetting to include the parm in one of my dishes.
Score: 3.5/5
Casa Manila
Casa Manila's Beef Kaldereta Tropical Tomato Stew with Potato, Carrots, Bell Peppers, and Jasmine Rice.
If you've not heard of Casa Manila, it should be your new appointment eating. This Filipino kitchen has locations on the Danforth and York Mills and offers some great eats, and now with Spatula, you can have them in your house.
As for the meals that I tried from Casa Manila, I had the Beef Kaldereta Tropical Tomato Stew with Potato, Carrots, Bell Peppers, and Jasmine Rice; the Tangy Garlic Chicken Adobo with Long Beans and Jasmine Rice; and the Coconut Ginger Shrimp with Butternut Squash, Long Beans, and Jasmine Rice.
These dishes were among my favourites! Not only were they incredibly fast to make — I think they all genuinely were within the 10-minute time frame given on the package — but they were all super easy.
For both the tropical stew and the chicken adobo, I was really blown away by how juicy and fresh the meat was for each, especially in regards to the beef which was flavourful, rich and had no impression that it was frozen.
This was also the case with the vegetables. The long beans and some other veggies didn't have that fresh crispiness you would really love, however, all things considered, I was really blown away by how tasty these dishes were.
The Coconut Ginger Shrimp didn't really blow me away as much as the other dishes, however, that might just be a matter of personal preference as I'm usually not one to go for a dish like that anyways.
After all was said and done, these were among the best dishes that I had from Spatula, with no major complaints.
Score: 4/5
Hong Shing
Hong Shing General Tao Chicken.
Any Toronto foodie or fan of Chinese cuisine in the city will know that Hong Shing is among the best you can get. Even Simu Liu is a fan.
The restaurant has been around since 1997 and offers great food until 1 a.m. most nights. It's tasty and perfect for late-night eats.
But how does their food spare when it's not served hot at their downtown location?
The only Spatula meal kit you can get from Hong Shing is their very famous General Tao Chicken with Green Peppers and Jasmine Rice.
You might think that it'd be a problem to reheat a flash-frozen dish when it's typically fried and battered, but let me tell you that that's really not the case.
This dish was my favourite of all these meal kits. It was incredibly easy to cook up, with the rice, chicken and veggies and sauce being all done in about 10-15 minutes.
The chicken was flavourful, juicy and savoury, with the sauce being a great combination of sweet and vinegary, all brought together by the crunchy vegetables.
My biggest complaint was that I wish the serving size was bigger for this one. Maybe it's because I'd gone for a run before making this, but I ate nearly the whole package because of how good it tasted and how hungry I was.
No complaints here!
Score: 5/5
Northern Heat Rib Series
The Louisiana Bar.B.Que Grand Daddy's Famous Low and Slow Smoked Ribs.
This is one of the stranger and harder things to rate, but I will go about it nonetheless.
These ribs are inspired by Toronto's Northern Heat Ribfest which happens in the summer. That means these ribs aren't coming from a specific restaurant in Toronto, but rather they come from different vendors.
This is really a great way to enjoy some ribs, especially if you don't have a grill or smoker yourself.
Of the Rib Series, I tried Grand Daddy’s Famous Low and Slow Smoked Ribs from Louisiana Bar.B.Que.These ribs were probably the easiest thing to cook up that I tried. All I had to do was set my oven to the required temperature, place the ribs on a baking sheet and slip it into the oven for about 15 minutes.
After that, I had well-sauced, juicy ribs that really tasted like they were just prepared for me — which I guess they kind of were.
However, while eating these I did have to whip up a side salad to make them more of a meal given that I'm not someone who will eat only ribs for dinner. If I'm being honest, it would have been nice to have some sort of small and easy side to go along with the ribs. Something like mac and cheese, cornbread or another traditional BBQ side would have really made this top tier.
Score: 4/5
If you're looking for a meal that will get you what you crave but you're more inclined to sit in your PJs watching Netflix, this would be a great fit.
My only advice would be to follow your instinct more than the instructions in some places and really carefully pick the dishes that you think you'll enjoy.
Happy eating (at home) Toronto!