Never have I ever… You may have enjoyed this game as a child or perhaps when you were older with some beverages involved. Now, Destination Toronto is encouraging us to play to promote its tourism and hospitality sector which has been hit hard by the pandemic.

This recovery initiative challenges us to break out of our comfort zones, fuel our curiosity and explore Ontario’s capital in new ways.

Never one to back down from a challenge, I choose my own #NeverHaveIEverTO adventure, deciding to add some spice into my life and travel the globe in a day. In a multicultural city like Toronto, where over 50 percent of residents are born outside of Canada and no less than 180 languages and dialects are spoken, the only difficulty in this undertaking is narrowing down the dizzying array of choices. 

So where to start? Why not with an international food tour of my own backyard? It used to be that the culinary scene in Toronto’s east end was primarily known for its Greektown and Little India enclaves. But no longer. 

“This area has always been a hidden treasure with everything you could want in a neighbourhood,” says Verity Crewe-Nelson who with chef husband, Alex Austriaco, opened Aviator Restaurant. Known for its Saturday afternoon teas, creative take-out picnic boxes and a chef-centric menu, it’s one of the many dining establishments delighting locals and in-the-know GTA food lovers. 

Even living nearby, I can’t keep up with all the culinary offerings popping up; so to help with my quest, I turn to Kevin Durkee from Culinary Adventure Tours. Their company offers award-winning food tours in Toronto, including a Little India and Gerrard Food Tour in the east. Our mission: sample food from as many global destinations in the neighbourhood as we can. 

• Canada: On the corner of Coxwell and Gerrard is The Pantry, whose small shop exterior does nothing to divulge the treasures within. Former chef, Jeremy Lago, has curated an extraordinary cheese collection and specialty food collection. Directly across the street is the Lazy Daisy’s Café, a popular neighbourhood hangout known for its sandwiches and decadent desserts. We taste Five Brothers Cheese and squeaky cheese curds from Ontario and a west coast Nanaimo bar. “The best one in Canada,” claims Kevin.

• Japan: A one-minute walk away on Coxwell is Godspeed, a Japanese-inspired brewery, where they implement centuries-old brewing traditions to create an eclectic collection of beers. We sample Yuzu, a light saison brew with Japanese citrus flavours.

• France: A cheery bonjour from owner Christel Saba-Crouin and the aroma of baking croissants greets us as we enter Douce France near Pape and Danforth. Inside, the shelves are lined with products ranging from elegantly boxed chocolates and freshly baked pastries to exotic jar and tin pantry items, like Niçoise Ratatouille and Summer Truffle Breakings. We nibble on some chouquettes, a light Parisian pastry, and pick up some bottle soups from Provence to indulge in later.

• Venezuela & Columbia: Pomarosa Coffee Shop & Kitchen is a cheery cafe owned by husband-and-wife team Vivian and Luis Hernandez from Venezuela and Columbia. Both countries love their arepas. This popular street food consisting of cornmeal griddle cakes stuffed with all sorts of savoury fillings is messy to eat but mouth watering to taste. The same can be said of the Venezuelan dessert alfajor, a double layer, melt-in-your-mouth cookie filled with dulce de leche and sprinkled with icing sugar.

• Ethiopia: The strip of Danforth west of Coxwell is a gathering place for the Ethiopian and Eritrean community in Toronto, and several authentic restaurants and coffee shops are found here, including the celebrated Rendez-Vous. In its warm and inviting atmosphere, we scoop up tasty bites of spicy lentil and roasted chickpeas with the fermented spongy injera bread. While noshing, Kevin tells us a little about how the community formed and some history of different pockets of the east end, and I begin to understand why his company’s slogan is: “Every bite tells a story”.

You could also say there’s travel in every bite, and I’m surprized just how far we’ve journeyed around the world within a 3-km radius of my backyard. If stomach capacity permitted, we could continue our travels to Mexico at El Sol’s, Thailand at Sala’s, Hungary at Budapest Restaurant, Netherlands at Borrell’s and Egypt at Maha Maha’s to name just a few possibilities.

Tapped out, I turn to another favourite indulgence in my endeavour to travel the globe in a day –massage. I escape to Hawaii with a Lomi Lomi massage at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

“The movements mimic the ocean,” explains practitioner Raphael. “The gentle waves, the breeze and the sensation of walking barefoot.” 

With a soundtrack of the ocean playing in the background, the nutty scent of the oil and the relaxing rhythm of this Polynesian technique, I’m transported to a palm-treed, white-sand Maui beach. 

The Lomi Lomi massage is one of more than a half-dozen options on the Ritz-Carlton’s Massages from Around the World menu that also includes Shiatsu, Thai, Reiki and Craniosacral therapy.  Customizing is always an option, too, and Raphael explains he’s trained in five different techniques.

Admittedly, Hawaii is hard to leave but made easier by the next countries on the itinerary –England and Italy at the Ritz-Carlton restaurants. Menu offerings at the newly opened EPOCH Bar and Terrace are inspired by the British gastro-bar scene. Dishes like shepherd’s pie made with wagyu beef and summer truffles pay homage to Chef Jeff Crumps’ time working in UK restaurants, and his use of locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients reflect his local slow-food philosophy. 

For the finale of my globe-trotting odyssey, I traverse the continent to Italy at the award-winning TOCA Restaurant. Classic Italian specialties, like beef carpaccio, eggplant parmesan and ravioli capresi, are cooked to perfection bringing to life the flavours, freshness and love of food that the country is justifiably famous for. Savouring the 32-hour slow-roasted porchetta with a glass of vino, the aromas of rosemary, fennel and parmesan fill the air, and suddenly I’m in the midst of the Italian countryside. 

I raise my glass to toast the successful completion of my #neverhaveIeverTO journey and to locals and visitors rediscovering a world-class city.