What Paris Paris chef and restaurateur Poon keeps in his kitchen
Right this way for comfort food and obsession-worthy condiments
Not many restaurant owners doubled their dining space during the pandemic, but Jonathan Poon, chef and partner at Toronto’s Paris Paris, did just that.
“Our lease on Dundas Street was expiring, and I’ve been wanting to open a restaurant at 146 Ossington for a very long time,” says Poon, also partner at Superpoint, Nice Nice and Favorites Thai BBQ. When COVID hit, the space became available at a nicer price, so he took a “huge leap of faith” and decided to go for it.
The new Paris Paris opened in August, with plenty of patio seating in front for people to soak up the last of the summer rays, as well as airy interiors brightened by skylights.
“We’re always looking to improve, but I love the original Paris Paris. I want our regulars to feel at home in the new space,” Poon says of the wine bar, which also serves casual bistro dishes, like roast chicken, steak frites and seasonal vegetables.
Running between multiple restaurants doesn’t leave Poon a lot of time to make meals at home, but here are a few staples you’ll find in his own kitchen.
The obsession-worthy vinegar
“Every time I do a new restaurant opening, I’ll be non-stop working and my mom will get worried and start making dumplings, so I can have them frozen at my house. That’s mainly what the vinegar is for,” Poon explains. He and his father are so “obsessed with this vinegar,” they’ve been known to drink it straight. He also loves it with steamed and chilled Dungeness crab, in salad dressings, and as a braising liquid essential to his mom’s pork ribs. Another delicious idea borrowed from his mom: “She’d make a syrup with the black vinegar, soy sauce and sugar, and drizzle it over sunny-side-up eggs, with green onions on top.”
Gold Plum Chinkiang black vinegar, $3, tntsupermarket.com
The top-notch dumplings
Poon speaks highly of Hong Kong-born chef Eddie Yeung of Wonton Hut (3760 Highway 7 East, Markham). “It’s rare to find someone who focuses on one type of food,” he explains. “The shrimp wontons are just incredible. I live off them.” Frozen dumplings are available for quick home meals, but Poon suggests dining in person. “Eddie does a brisket and won ton noodle soup — it’s amazing.” Wonton Hut tiger shrimp and pork won ton noodle kit, $25 for two servings, wontonhut.ca
The locally made treat
A fan of dark chocolate, Poon is especially fond of ChocoSol’s bean-to-bar varieties, which are stone-ground in Toronto. “I love what they do and what they represent, and the product is awesome,” Poon says. “The chocolate is a bit more rustic, and they don’t do too much to it.” His favourite bar, Darkness, has only a few ingredients: cacao, raw cane sugar, cacao butter and roasted cacao nibs. ChocoSol Darkness stone-ground dark chocolate, $8, chocosoltraders.com
The flavour booster
Pearl River Bridge offers different grades of soy sauce, but the golden-labelled bottle is the one Poon stocks at home and his restaurants. Just a splash will punch up practically any dish he’s making. “I sneak soy sauce into everything, basically.”
Pearl River Bridge golden label superior light soy sauce, $4, tntsupermarket.com