where jess ate

After Niagara St. Café closed in 2012, Chef Nick Liu (@Ninjachefnick) held a series of Asian-inspired pop-ups which generated a ton of buzz. It seemed everyone was anxiously waiting for his restaurant to open. It may have taken a few years but DaiLo (@DaiLoTO), Chinese for “big brother” or “big boss”, finally opened last summer.

Located on College Street next to La Carnita, DaiLo’s space is filled with Asian-inspired décor. It has a vintage kinda feel to it – like what you’d see on old Chinese TV shows.  The space features a main dining room in the front of the restaurant while the bar area occupies the back with a few high-tops and bar seating.

DaiLo is open for dinner Tuesdays to Sundays and they take reservations. While the restaurant isn’t tiny, I highly recommend making a reservation. Mike and I dropped by around 5:30 on a Thursday and they were fully booked – bar seating was the only option (not that we minded).

To drink, we started out with the Tom Yum Booze  Tanqueray Rangpur gin, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, galangal syrup and coconut water ($14) and Manila Galleon – Milagrao Blanco tequila, Aperol, rhubarb, ginger and lime ($14). We enjoyed both cocktails and decided to have a few more upstairs after our meal.

Asian fusion seems to be all the rage these days with the recent openings of Patois and People’s Eatery. I’m normally not a fan of Asian fusion but recently, I’ve felt otherwise. A quick glance at DaiLo’s menu and you can certainly see the global influences in Chef Nick’s menu which include crispy Argentinian shrimp with kimchi grits and pumpkin dumplings with a soy beurre blanc.

To start we had the Hakka Brown Wontons – toasted sesame oil, house XO sauce, almond crumble ($9). These saucy wontons were a delicious starter and I loved the kick from the spicy XO sauce. I just wish it came with more of them!

Up next were the Roast Duck and Scallion Tacos – Peking duck jam, pickled Asian pear & cucumber ($6) which comes with two per order. Unfortunately this was the least memorable dish of the evening. The filling-to-taco ratio was off as there was only a tiny amount of filling compared to the taco shell.

We couldn’t resist ordering the Sweet and Sour Pork Hock – Po Po’s original sauce, crispy shallot, garlic, almond crumble ($15). Po po’s (“grandma” in Chinese) sauce is definitely a keeper. The bite-sized pieces of pork hock were sweet and sticky with just the right amount of sourness to them. The pork had a nice crisp caramelization on the outside and all in all, this was a winning dish.

The last dish we ordered at DaiLo was the Truffle Fried Rice – black truffle, egg, carrots, edamame, puffed rice, XO sauce ($19). It’s a must-order in my books! Our server recommended pouring the entire bowl of XO into the rice and mixing it all up. It ensures that you get a nice kick in each bite. I particularly enjoyed the addition of the edamame and truffles are always a nice touch! The only downside is the portion. Like most things here, it isn’t a cheap dish but nevertheless delicious.

After we finished inhaling the fried rice, we made our way upstairs to LoPan, DaiLo’s sister bar. Like the main restaurant, the space features Chinese-inspired décor and is actually quite spacious. They feature a different Asian-inspired cocktail list and a “Yumcha Bar Menu” consisting of little bites.

I started off with the Geisha – Beefeater gin, Fino sherry, ginger liqueur, yuzu, egg white ($14) which was my favourite cocktail of the evening. I love cocktails with egg white in them! A cocktail which caught Mike’s eye was the Ichi-Go Ichi-E – nori-infused Bowmore 12 whisky, Lillet and roasted barley tea ($16). For a cocktail with whiskey in it, it was quite mellow with the predominant flavour being the tea.

Our next round consisted of the Wo Shing Wo – Pike Creek rye, dry vermouth, lemon and cherry-anise syrup ($16) which was a nice twist on a manhattan and the delicious Katipunan – Havana Club 7 rum, Amontillado sherry, Pandan and Pierre Ferrand and orange Curacao ($15).

While we were pretty satisfied after our meal at DaiLo, I had to order a Big Mac Bao – lettuce, special sauce, crispy potato ($6 per piece) after a few drinks in. It consists of a little patty wrapped inside a steamed bun with all the fixin’s you’d find in a Big Mac, including homemade processed cheese. They definitely nailed it! It’s just a little pricey…

From LoPan, we also ordered the KFC Popcorn Tofu – green slaw, Asian BBQ sauce ($5). These lightly fried pieces of tofu made for a great bar snack.

Overall, we had a great time at both DaiLo and LoPan. Loved the space(s), cocktails were excellent and the food was fun and tasty. But it’s not cheap so be prepared to open up your wallet.

At a glance:

• An Asian fusion menu brought to us by Chef Nick Liu (from the now closed Niagara St. Café and GwaiLo pop-ups)
• DaiLo (restaurant) is located on the main floor; LoPan (cocktail bar) is located upstairs
• Located on College St at Palmerston (2 blocks west of Bathurst)
• Great atmosphere, delicious cocktails, tasty eats
• Small portions; prices are on the high side

Ratings (out of 5):

• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 3 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars