Kanto by Tita Flips

Round 1: Very friendly. The sigsig was really great -- a nice combination of different meat textures. The fries well match the grilled/fried bits of pork, except that overall this snack is a little greasy for a hot summer day... I personally think it would be nicer if this dish can pair with some pickles or veggies. Round 2: I tried the Tapsilog today. I had a high expectation, but the beef today was a bit too salty and too dry. Also, as a lunch box costing almost $17, the portion was a bit small.

A friend and I were strolling along looking for a snack at Market 707. I usually satisfy myself with a basic onigiri, but he was looking to show off his fave, so we stopped at Kanto by Tita Flips. First of all, Market 707 is a collection of shipping containers retrofitted as restaurant stalls at Bathurst and Dundas. There's plenty of cultural food variety to satisfy just about anyone. Note that it's all outdoor seating though. Kanto is Filipino takeout, and apparently the first of its kind in Toronto, at least according to the owner Diona Joyce, a.k.a. Tita Flips. The restaurant is aptly named Kanto, which is "corner" in Filipino. I frankly wasn't looking to chow down, so I stuck to one heavily recommended dish; the arroz caldo. This is essentially Filipino congee. Put simply, this is the best congee I've had to date. It all starts with a wonderfully seasoned, perfectly salted congee. I've had other congees that left something to be desired in the flavour department, but this congee had a rich depth of flavour. It's dressed with green onions, fried garlic bits & pork cracklings for texture and flavour, tofu, thinly sliced boiled eggs, and a subtle but wonderfully complimentary hint of lemon. Your food is made to order, and apparently Kanto sources its ingredients fresh, which absolutely comes across in the food. I can't say personally what the rest of their food is like, but if similar care is taken, I can't wait to bring a friend over for round two!

Placed a big order on their website not a delivery app and got confirmation for pickup and everything and when we arrived the place was closed. Called the number attached to the location and they said that the store was closed and wasn’t supposed to take orders - even though we placed the order earlier in the day and was sent a confirmation text. They offered to make the order at their other location but it’s at the other side of town, 25-30 mins away. Cancelled the order and hope to be refunded. Hopefully next time they’re more aware of people being able to order on their own website when the location is closed - or better yet, call ahead to see if they’re open and will take your order cause this was a mess and we left with no food. Won’t probably try again unless if by the off chance close by instead of ordering ahead.

We ordered the Kanto Fiesta Cake and the Original Kamayan Kits from the Dundas location to bring to a friend's wedding. When I went to pick up the dishes I was told that they hadn't started cooking them yet, nearly fours hours after placing the order plus a follow up call to confirm that it would be ready on time as I would be traveling across the city for the wedding. I was frustrated and cancelled my order, but went back to the restaurant. The staff assured me that if I placed the order again they would deliver it across the city and have it there on time for the event. And they did! And it was incredible. The Fiesta Cake was fatty and perfectly cooked, the noodles in the Kamayan had guests coming back for multiple refills. I admit that I originally was extremely frustrated that I wasn't given a heads up on the delay and I do believe Kanto needs to communicate better with their customers, but I was very appreciative of the efforts they took to rectify the situation. And to make unbelievably tasty food. I also highly recommend these dishes.

I love Filipino food and was really excited to try this place out being close to home and all but ended up disappointed - the quality and freshness of the food isn’t good. I’ve gone back 3 times hoping my previous experiences were one-offs, but every time the food just isn’t fresh and hot. You can tell it’s been sitting out waiting, probably prepped in advance. I understand given the volume of orders they have to fulfill but eating cold food just isn’t fun. Anyway, I went yet again today for the food fest and ordered the Sisig, Bringhe, Aligue Fried Rice and Taho as I really miss these from back home. The Sisig was alright, way fattier than what I’m used to. Bringhe was mushy and wet like a paste, Aligue Rice underwhelming no flavour, and Taho has gone bad it’s spoiled, bitter, gone past silky and formed into medium firm tofu. I threw them out. So sad.

Not my first time ordering but I had an unpleasant experience when I ordered yesterday via Ubereats. Garlic rice: I felt like it was undercooked and overwatered. Palabok: I find it odd that it was ‘SWEET’. The toppings—pieces of tofu, chicken bits, egg, green onions and napa cabbage. I’d say that this isn’t a traditional recipe so I didn’t enjoy that much. There was no lime or lemon on the side to balance the flavour. I wouldn’t reorder. Generous serving though. Calamansi juice: I was craving for this so I ordered but I was dismayed that it tasted like dishwashing soap so I threw it out. I knew there was something wrong as I vomited after. : Bangus-silog: it was okay. I hope the management does a quality control or train their staff properly. Tita Flips used to be my favourite merienda spot but now I’m disappointed and not planning on ordering again.

Good portions and packaging, but the food quality is just okay. We also understand that it's a challenging time for delivery service right now but transparency to clients will come in handy if being late or early. A delivery tracker and a responsive contact will be appreciated. We had 3 separate orders and order went wrong on the 2 orders to other addresses - 1 had incorrect food and 1 had a 12 hour delay. We understand that this was unforeseen, but we deserved to be informed. It was a frustrating experience for us.

They take a little bit long to prepare the food, but it’s worth the wait I swear! It tastes almost like the stuff my mom made back home. The portions are very generous for the prices. We ordered: Arroz Caldo Lechon Kawali Lumpia All were very fresh and had lots of flavor. Will definitely be back to try the remaining items. FYI there is very limited seating in the area.

Did an order via Uber because I heard good things. Got their batchoy- ramen dish which was very mediocre. There was hardly any pork belly, didn’t taste any crackling. The palaBok was also missing chicken and the noodles tasted like they weren’t cooked properly.

I placed an order last Friday to be delivered by noon on Saturday. My credit card got charged on Friday and Kanto sent me an order confirmation through email. However, I had to call on Saturday morning to confirm if delivery will happen and when since there was no shipping notice or anything as of almost 11am. I was told the kamayan kit and the bangus I added will arrive between 12-12:30pm. I needed to call again by 12:40pm and I was told the driver is on his way and will arrive in 15 minutes. The driver arrived at 1:10PM and I asked him when he left the store. He said "12 minutes ago". I understand that there is a pandemic and there might be limited number of restaurant staff. I just find it unacceptable lying about delivery time and the fact that the food arrived cold. Most of the stuff are fried so lechon kawali and lumpia were no longer crunchy. The chicken adobo seemed fried, too, and very hard to eat as they were tough and kinda rubbery. I was so disappointed and my husband was complaining about the quality of food we received. Turon was delicious though. It was our first time ordering from Kanto and I don't think we'll ever buy from them again. The food sure looks good, but the service and quality are substandard.