Restaurant Tiflisi – 1970 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M4L 1H8
Country: Georgia
Must-try dish: Chashushuli
Dinner guests: Millionaire Max & Big Hirtle   
Seating: A good sized street patio & indoor dining. 
The high: Our server was super helpful in navigating the menu, portion control and advising us on narrowing down the nut free options. She even gave us a complimentary bottle of Grape Georgian Lemonade, which was appreciated.
The low: One of our dinner guests had a nut allergy, making us a bit pickier than usual about the order. But this just gives us an excuse to revisit Tiflisi to taste their nut dishes.

Georgia marks our 49th unique country visited within Toronto and we were excited to have Mad Max rejoin the adventure. Although Georgian cuisine has a lot of walnuts present in their recipes, Tiflisi was more than accommodating to her allergy and we didn’t feel as if it held us back from experiencing this much anticipated cuisine to its fullest. 

As usual, we ordered family-style to taste as much as possible, and split a bottle of Mildiani Napareuli red wine. This was the driest bottle on the menu since Georgian wine is infamous for being on the sweeter side. For those who don’t know, Mandrea Bike is pretty obsessed with Georgian wine, not only because it’s the birthplace of wine, but also because it’s underrated standing next to other old world wines. If you’re looking to get your hands on some to taste, the LCBO stocks the Mukuzani red wine (red label) and it’s well worth the $16 price tag. 

For the non-drinkers of the group, there’s a selection of refreshing Georgian homemade lemonades that come in pear, tarragon and grape. We were even gifted one from the house to try. 

As far as the food goes, we left feeling full but everything was consumed. The choices and the quantity of dishes was perfect for a lunch for four. This is what we ordered:

Saocari: Wrapped fried eggplant pieces with garlic cream sauce, pickles and sliced tomatoes. It’s as good as it sounds. The velvety flavours in the sauce complement the fried eggplant perfectly. This was an excellent way to kick off our introduction to Georgian food. 

Khachapuri Megruli: A baked bread filled with a mixture of cheese and egg yolk. “The cheese flavour is a hard 10” was Big Hirtle’s initial comment after the first bite. Although Mad Max really wanted the boat-shaped pie, we opted for the circular version as our server advised us that it would be easier to share. We all agreed that Khachapuri Megruli was a souped-up version of garlic fingers and that we would quickly shift our drunk food loyalty to this if it were readily available in the city. 

Khinkali: These dumplings resemble a Chinese soup dumpling with a thicker wrapper and Georgian spices. The top of the dumpling is pressed into a tight knob of dough, which retains the meat and liquid inside. Be warned, you may need to let the Khinkali’s rest for a few minutes to avoid burning your mouth on the hot soup within. We ordered the  Traditional Style Khinkali which contains ground beef and pork served with Georgian hot sauce “Adjica”. We also ordered the Lamb Khinkali which contains ground lamb and is also served with the Adjica hot sauce. The whole group loved the Khinkalis, specifically Big Hirtle, who craved them for weeks to come.

Chashushuli: Served to the table still bubbling, this beef stew is cooked in a tomato sauce seasoned with Georgian spices. It had a curry-like texture and flavours that danced in your mouth, we were all going back for more. 

Chakapuli: Also served up bubbling hot, this aromatic lamb soup with plums and tarragon was equally as impressive as the Chashushuli. The group could not make up their mind on which they preferred, so both are certainly worth ordering. 

Bbq Kebab Beef and Pork: The kebab is grilled on a barbecue and wrapped in a pita. Despite Andrea not being the biggest fan of Ketchup, the Georgian ketchup that came with the meal was significantly more palatable. There was a slight heat to it and it was more similar to a chutney, all in all, it was a fantastic addition to the perfectly grilled  and seasoned meat. 

Prior to our experience at Tiflisi our knowledge of Georgian cuisine was limited to our European Housebound Winery Tour that we hosted virtually during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Our experience at Tiflisi proves that Goerogian cuisine is sophisticated, delicious and worthy of being praised. Whether you are an adventurous eater like Mandrea Bike or more reserved such as Big Hirtle, we encourage our followers to check out this spot as they have bold flavours that are sure to be loved by all.

As the pandemic continues to keep restaurants limited to offering takeout and outdoor dinning we encourage everyone to continue to support local restaurants. These small businesses have been struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic. We’re excited to see things start to open back up and as always,….

Eat with you soon,

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)