The Best Fusion Restaurants in Toronto, Ontario

Fusion restaurants combine aspects of different culinary traditions to create innovation in the kitchen. Recipes are often created by executing an existing recipe with traditional ingredients from a different culinary tradition or by finding a new way of executing a classical dish. Examples of fusion cuisine abound in all sorts of restaurants as restauranteurs create new ways of combining flavours and cooking techniques to please the pallet. The idea of fusion cuisine and the blending of multiple cuisines to make new dishes is a tradition that began in California in the 1970s.
California cuisine is a fusion culture inspired by Italian, French and Mexican culinary traditions. The style is characterized by low-fat foods and the use of fresh fruits and vegetables with lean meats and an emphasis on presentation. California cuisine combines ingredients from other cuisines into specialty salads that may be dressed with ginger or sesame seeds, inspired by Chinese dishes. California sushi, also known as "California rolls" use local ingredients to re-create the traditional Japanese maki rolls that are found in Sushi restaurants. Sushi pizza is another example of a fusion cuisine. This dish of breaded salmon served in slices draws its influence from the traditional Italian pizza.
Fusion restaurants often specialize in combining just a few specific types of cuisine into a few specialty dishes. Hakka restaurants serve a fusion of Indian and Chinese food, adding Indian spices and curries to traditional Chinese meals to produce unique flavour pairings. The introduction of these spices to Chinese food has replaced the Umami flavours typical of Western Chinese food and in doing so created a totally separate and distinct cuisine, defined by its use of chilli peppers and Szechuan spices in creating a more intense and diverse dining experience. Dishes are still typically served with steamed white rice.
Tex-Mex cuisine is another type of fusion cuisine that combines the fresh vegetables and beans of Mexican cuisine with American cheeses and cooking methods and cuts out some of the spicier aspects of Mexican cooking which may be too intense for North American tastes. Fusion restaurants adapt the food of one culture and suit it to the tastes of another culture by drawing on certain desired elements of the cuisine while forsaking others. Taco pizza is another innovation derived from Tex-Mex cuisine in which pizza is prepared using American cheddar and pepper jack cheeses along with salsa, refried bean or other typical taco ingredients.
Fusion restaurants are largely hit-or-miss in their execution of great fusion pairings and a series of high-profile gaffes have almost made "fusion" a dirty word in the restaurant business. Chefs would rather say they've "reinvigorated" a classic dish. A great fusion restaurant isn't just a culinary mash-up, chefs have to carefully consider flavour pairings and create dishes that combine ideas from different traditions. Menu Palace has listings for the best fusion restaurants in Toronto and the GTA. These great locations aren't just serving multiple cuisines under the same roof, they're combining ingredients, techniques and flavours in revolutionary ways. Let your taste buds decide whether these fusion restaurants have hit the mark.