For such a culturally diverse city, it’s surprising that there aren’t very many Indonesian restaurants in Toronto. One visit to the newly opened Little Sister (@littlesisterto) and I can guarantee that you’ll be craving for more Indonesian fare.
Located on Yonge between Davisville and Eglinton, Little Sister is brought to us by Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel who also own Quince Bistro just up the street.
The restaurant was a long time in the making but the result was worth the wait – the space is beautiful. It features a gorgeous bar near the entrance with floor to ceiling windows which fill the front of the restaurant with natural light.
The kitchen is located at the back of the restaurant which is separated by glass allowing you to peer into the kitchen. Everything about the restaurant just makes you feel as though you’re dining from street hawkers. The menus are even printed on pieces of cardboard boxes. I love the fun and casual vibe here!
As far as food goes, the menu is divided into several sections: skewers ($6 each), snacks ($4 to $10), traditional dishes ($11.75 to $15.75) and sides which include nasi goreng and fried cauliflower salad.
I was recently invited to a media tasting at Little Sister and was incredibly impressed with what they have to offer. Here’s a look:
Ubud Hangout – Tanqueray Rangpur gin, lime, jalapeno black pepper syrup, cucumber, fresh cilantro & orange
Little Brother – Mount Gay extra old rum, lime, Bandreck syrup (house-made chai), Angostura bitters, mint & ginger beer
Satay Babi – pork & peanut sauce
Satay Lilit – Balinese spiced chicken
Sumatra Spiced Beef Croquettes
Pangsit – Jakarta wontons, beef, green onion, chili lime sauce
Shrimp Lettuce Wrap – sambal, lettuce, coriander, cucumber pickle, crispy shallots
Rendang Taco – beef, coconut cream, lettuce, pickled red onion
Semur Java – Javanese dark spiced braised beef, crispy potato, green onion
Babi Panggang – roasted pork belly, pickled been sprouts, fresh chili sauce
While everything was delicious, my personal highlights were the satay babi, pangsit, croquettes and babi pangang. All too often I find satay skewers dry and devoid of any flavour. This definitely wasn’t the case at Little Sister. The pork satay was incredibly moist and the peanut sauce had a delicious kick to it.
The pangsit bites were another favourite. Consisting of spicy ground beef wrapped inside a wonton wrapper, these were the perfect bar snack to complement our cocktails.
We also really enjoyed the croquettes. They had a nice crisp exterior without being greasy and the rich pulled beef filling was delicious. Be careful though, the filling is piping hot!
Another winner was the pork belly which was packed full of flavour. The belly had the perfect fat to meat ratio and like most of the other dishes we tried, it had a great kick to it.
Little Sister was a great introduction to Indonesian fare. With great cocktails, a fun vibe and delicious food, I’m already looking forward to my next visit!
*This was a complimentary meal. The opinions in the post, as always, are my own.*
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