Delicious Chinese-French Fusion Cuisine

Dailo

503 College St, Toronto

(647) 341-8882

Website

Reservations

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world so it’s no surprise that we have a large number of Asian fusion restaurants combining cuisines from the east with the west. Nestled in Little Italy, Dailo incorporates traditional Chinese and French flavors and adds their own modern twist. Being Chinese myself, I love trying Chinese fusion cuisines as it always has the familiarity of the food I have had all my life and combines it with delightful new flavors.

Chef Nick Liu is the man behind the incredible menu here at Dailo. He grew up here in Canada with Chinese parents and has modernized many of the dishes that have been favorites for many generations before. One of the cool things you should know about the dumplings here are that they are actually made by Chef Nick’s parents!

Walking into Dailo you will see that the décor has bits of Asian influences throughout the restaurant. The wall is covered in a beautiful landscape picture and the booths are separated by thin screens.

My favorite area is the back bar where there is an exposed brick wall and a unique hanging light fixture. If you venture downstairs to the washrooms, you will also see that the hallway walls are covered in old Chinese posters which is pretty cool.

When you get seated, a hot towel is brought out to you which is a very nice touch. That was followed by a complimentary order of their Siu Mai.

If you decide to visit Dailo, these are my personal favorites.

Oysters & Pearls

Truffle custard + smoked miso butter + tamari pearls + honey mushrooms + acadian caviar + valentine radish

This dish was my absolute favorite! The miso butter is infused into the custard so each bite is silky

smooth and has so many amazing flavors. This was also beautifully presented with so many gorgeous colors popping out.

Pumpkin Dumplings ($14)

Soy brown butter sauce, black truffles, “white rabbit candy” glaze, pepita crumble

I was really curious about this dish since I have had white rabbit candy as a kid but really couldn’t

imagine it being paired with a savory dish. This was unbelievable! The pumpkin filling is very unique and incredibly creamy. The glaze is the perfect finishing touch. This is a must order!

Olliffe’s 90 Day Dry Age Beef Ribeye ($47)

Bok choy, radish, pickled mushroom, black bean bagna cauda

Cooked medium rare and sliced beautifully, this rib eye was so tender and juicy I can’t even begin to tell you how good it was.

Truffle Fried Rice ($21)

Black truffle, egg, carrots, edamame, puffed rice, xo sauce

This modern take on the traditional fried rice was delicious. The rice was cooked perfectly with hints of truffle and crunchy rice bits. I thought the xo sauce was going to dominate this dish but it was not overpowering at all and was quite yummy.

Sake Aloe Vera Sorbet with Crystallized Ginger

For dessert, the servers gave us each a spoonful of their sorbet. It was sweet, very refreshing and a great way to end the night.

Fun fact: Dailo means big brother; a term of endearment to show respect and love to an elder;

it also means big boss/bad ass. This place certainly is bad ass as the service and the food was just spectacular. Chef Nick really knows how to do Asian fusion well and if you happen to see him walking around don’t be afraid to say hi. He is super friendly!

If you have been to Dailo or plan to go soon, let me know what your favorite dish was in the comment section below. Would love to hear from you!