Erik S.
Yelp
I really enjoyed Mother Tongue and had my best meal of my short early Feb '23 Toronto trip there. I enjoyed the vibe, the decor, the friendliness, and most definitely my food and drinks.
I'd arrived in Toronto during the winteriest days of winter. I therefore chose places that were generally within 2 blocks of my hotel, or my thin-blooded San Diego body would probably shut down in the sub-zero-F wind-whipped tundra. Fortunately these winter days also coincided with Winterfest, a prix-fixe "restaurant week" (as it's known in SD), where many restaurants had a special 3-course menu, and I was happy to find that Mother Tongue did, as well as having a seat available on a Friday night.
I had the crispy mapo tofu, fried sea bass with curry, and a difficult-to-explain but tasty sweet-and-savory Ube ice cream for desert. (Ube is apparently a purple potato that's kind of related to the yam). All were excellent; I think the tofu was the best, and that's saying a lot when I applaud tofu at all.
Mother Tongue is oh-so-pretty inside, with a candlelit, almost tiki-vibe. If you bring a date here, you're probably going to be thanked a lot later. I didn't, so I wasn't, but your results may vary.
I had two really interesting drinks, a margarita in which the tequila had been infused with peppercorns and other spices, and a Filipino take on a pisco sour (the Pili Sour, I think it was called). Both were excellent.
My server was very kind and also very proud to work there. She gave me the backstory regarding the Filipino chef and the various ingredients in the food, as well as advice for other not-so-cold-I-die things to do in the neighborhood later.
I don't have any future plans in Toronto, but if I do, I'll definitely be back here!