Restaurant Review: Randy's

RANDY'S TAKE OUT

1569 Eglinton Avenue West ~ randyspatties.com Instagram: @randyspatties ~ Twitter: @RandysTakeOut Co-Diner: Tim Golem

Jamaican patties are a total "thing" in Toronto. So much so that I think it could easily be considered one of the city's signature dishes. I don't know of any other city in Canada that does patties like Toronto does. When I saw that blogTO has Randy's listed as the #1 Best Jamaican Patties in town, I obviously had to check that out. Located in Forest Hill, you'll find them north of the central core. They've been open since 1979 and their signage is very clear that they serve "tasty Jamaican dishes & patties." I visited on a Saturday afternoon and was sure to arrive right when they opened at 11am. However, even with my punctuality, the small take-out space was jammed and lined up full of people. This place is not a secret. In the restaurant there is basically no decor to speak of (the walls are orange and you'll see some white subway tile) and certainly no tables. It's strictly a to-go operation, which is kinda the way that patties work best anyhow. So what's the deal with patties? A patty is a baked pastry with a flaky shell that can contain a variety of savoury fillings. The most common and classic filling is beef but you can find these things stuffed with just about anything at this point. I love when places offer interesting yet on-point twists such as jerk chicken or ackee & saltfish. Patties are served hot and burning your mouth (inevitably) upon taking a bite is kind of part of it. I got myself into Randy's lineup and had to wait about 15-20 minutes until it was my turn to order. In this time I noted that there are other things on the menu in addition to patties; such as curry goat and oxtail. The rest is straight-up patties though. There are staff members bringing trays of patties out from the back nearly constantly, replenishing the stock in the warming oven up front. They've got a large refrigerator stocked with all sorts of different Jamaican sodas (Ting, of course) and juices. I really enjoyed the wide selection and had a tough time selecting the perfect Caribbean-esque beverage. Tropical Rhythms in Sorrel Ginger flavour seemed just right.

I'd never tasted anything like this before! Sweet and spicy, it matched really well with the Jamaican flavours of the food. Sorrel is another name for the hibiscus or roselle flower, so you can expect the same sort of fragrant-tart taste. The ginger made this drink really zippy, which I liked a lot. I was at Randy's to eat one thing: PATTIES. They offer three flavours: Beef, Chicken or Veg. You can buy them individually, by the half dozen, or by the dozen. You can also get them baked (hot) or frozen. I ordered 1/2 Dozen Baked Patties ($9.50) with a mixture of flavours.

The price is always right with patties. You really can't go wrong with a $1.58 hot pocket in your hand. I asked for three beef, two chicken, and one veg. I really liked the cute branded take-out boxes that they use when you order a dozen but because my order was smaller I just got a brown paper bag. I ate one of the beef patties immediately. Often you'll find that places will serve "beef" and "spicy beef" types, but not so at Randy's. They do one beef and it's spicy, which was a much welcomed discovery on my part since I always order the spicy one if there's an option. The pastry was light, flaky, and buttery, which I loved. The yellow colour of the pastry comes from making the dough with turmeric. The filling inside could have been a bit more plentiful, however I loved the stewy nature of the beef. This certainly wasn't crumbly or dry! The spicy seasoning was delicious and the savoury beef flavour came through really nicely. Every patty should taste just like this.

I enjoyed the other two flavours as well. The chicken one was very nice because it was almost more like a curried chicken situation which brought some delicious sweet notes. The veg one was also surprisingly great, offering a flavourful mix of vegetables that still managed to carry some brightness to them. One thing that seemed a bit interesting was the fact that the pastry on the chicken patty seemed different from the beef and veg. It was denser, less flaky and less light. I'm not sure why, but it seems that they're using a slightly different dough for the chicken ones. You can't go wrong with a good patty. When they're done well, they're the absolute perfect snack. Plus they're so cheap! Randy's beef patty is easily one of the best that I've ever had and it's such an iconic taste of Toronto.