It’s been a looong time since I’ve travelled downtown. Yes, the pandemic had me living like a hermit, but I knew I had to get over my fear and sit in a restaurant and enjoy a meal.
It was my birthday a few weeks ago, and my sister wanted to celebrate my special day by taking me to a trendy hot spot in Toronto.
She told me she wanted to check out Chotto Matte, (a fusion restaurant that specializes in Japanese and Peruvian food) and immediately texted me the link for the menu, and asked me to look at it to see if I was okay with the selection.
Okay, I’m not a picky eater at all. Y’all should know that I love food! That being said, there were a few things that I was craving for my birthday: anything bbq, Vietnamese food, and of course, a donut (I have a problem, I knooooow!)
When I saw the menu, nothing immediately jumped out at me, but I could tell my sister was eager to go (the girl sent 3 texts asking me to look at the menu!), so I said, “Sure, we can check it out.”
So last weekend we went.
We walked in and it was pure vibes. The entrance felt like we were entering a secret hideaway as it was dimly lit with thin pockets of natural lighting peeking through. But once you entered the seating area, you were welcomed with an abundance of natural light courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows.
I cannot speak about this restaurant and not mention the music. High energy Afro hop filled the air, and there was a heavy rotation of Drake tracks that had me swaying in my chair. Much respect to the DJ!
Back to the review…
My sister and I took our seats, looked at the menu on our phones (no physical menus at the restaurant), and decided on having the Jungle Brunch.
The Jungle Brunch menu is a lot of food. Honestly, if you’re not hungry, do not attempt this. It’s a lot of dishes, but well worth it. Click here to see what is offered.
This is what we ate:
The appetizers
edamame
BBQ soybeans, sea salt
We started off with the charred edamame platter. I’m not a big fan of edamame, but the charred flavour and the saltiness made them addictive. Could snack on it all day long.
bao asado de tira
Slow cooked BBQ beef, purple potato purée, teriyaki jus, chives
The bao (the bun) was tender, fluffy, and light as air and held the most succulent beef I’ve ever eaten. It literally melted in my mouth. It was perfection.
We were served 2, but I could have easily eaten 10!
* This is a must have when you visit Chotto Matte.
sato maki
Yellowtail, salmon, daikon, asparagus, lime soy
When it comes to sushi, I’m kinda of a fraud. I usually eat “fake sushi” (read: I usually stick to California rolls and veggie rolls – I never eat raw fish).
The sushi rolls that we ordered were topped with raw salmon. I was a little hesitant to try it, but I was famished so I decided to sample one. Guess what? It tasted good, so I gobbled up the entire platter before my sister even finished half of her rolls.
oak smoked salmon tostada
Served with guacamole, lime, cilantro
Like mentioned above, I’m not one to eat raw salmon. I noticed that the tostada was served with thin slices of raw salmon, so I planned on leaving it for my sister. She already knew that she would have to eat anything that was way out of my comfort zone.
As I was waiting for my sister to finish her appetizers, I stared at the tostada. I was really curious to know how it tasted. So, with a little hesitation I picked it up, and bit into it.
Oooh, the tortilla was fresh and crunchy and was smothered with the YUMMIEST avocado crema. The salmon was sliced thin enough that it wasn’t overwhelming. It was too delicious to give to my sister – I had to scarf it down!
barriguita de chanchito
Pork belly, nashi pear, yellow tomato salsa
By the time that this dish landed on the table, I was starting to feel full. I was eating way too quickly and needed to take a break.
When I felt a bit better, I took a forkful of the luscious pork belly. Normally pork belly tends to be very fatty and rich, but fortunately this dish wasn’t.
The pork had a very unique but yummy taste. It had a distinct cumin flavour, but also had a vinegary tang. The flavour combo was different from everything we ate so far, but I really liked it.
spicy chicken karaage
Seasoned buttermilk marinade, Nikkei rub, gochujang, lime, cilantro, jalapeño
Now this is what I was waiting for! I saw it on the menu, and I had to choose it. The Spicy Chicken Karaage is Japanese fried chicken with a fruity/spicy sauce.
I couldn’t wait to dig in! And yes, it was everything I expected…. and more!
What makes this fried chicken stand out among the rest is that it is not oily or greasy – just the way I like it. I like that the portions are boneless and not too big, so I didn’t have to struggle with large pieces of chicken or fight with stubborn bones.
It was moist, juicy and incredible tasty.
*This is another must have!
gambas a la parrilla (shrimp)
Argentinian red shrimp, spicy coconut curry marinade, pickled daikon, and cilantro.
After I demolished the fried chicken, I really couldn’t eat anything else. But it was my birthday lunch, so I took a 5-minute breather, and I was back in.
This shrimp dish looked like it was styled for a high-end food magazine. Luckily for us it looked good and tasted good!
We received 3 plump shrimps swimming in a spicy coconut curry sauce.
The sauce wasn’t too spicy and I enjoyed the coconuty notes. The curry is different from the West Indian curry that I’m used to, but it was just as delicious.
dessert platter
I actually don’t know the actual name of the dessert. It wasn’t listed on the menu but it included Mochi ice cream, and a small bowl of chocolate sauce with tiny bits of honeycomb.
This dessert was the perfect ending to the meal. It was subtle, portioned just right (not too big), and it satisfied my sweet tooth.
The mochi ice cream was light with a gummy-like outer shell, and the other scoops of ice cream were fruity, with slight floral notes.
But the star of this dish was that chocolate sauce. OMG, it was ridiculous.
It was rich, and chocolaty – but not cloyingly sweet. I scraped the bowl just so I got all of the sauce. If it were sold in grocery stores, I would buy it!
So, would I go back?
Oh, yeah. There are a ton of things on the menu that I didn’t try, and I appreciated the ambience.
Interested in going? Click the links for more info:
Instagram: @chottomattetor
Address: 161 Bay Street, TO, ON
Have you visited this resto? Was this review helpful? If so let me know in the comments!
Michelle Bites 