Tocino Boys: Manila street food in Toronto — Sweet and savoury

Tocino Boys: Manila street food in Toronto — Sweet and savoury

John DeBlois, owner of Tocino Boys

By Aileen Ormoc

If you’re walking down the streets of Toronto, you might just miss Queen Street West’s best kept secret, Tocino Boys. Tucked away inside The Midpoint Bar, Tocino Boys’ owner, John DeBlois serves up Filipino street food favourites with a North American twist.

On the menu, there are several items to pique your interest including the Sweet Bacon Burger, Chorizo Poutine, Manila Fries, a variation of Tacos and many more. And for those with a sweet tooth, Tocino Boys offers a few Filipino-inspired desserts including Fried Banana Spring Rolls with Condensed Milk, Melona Honeydew Creamsicles and the ever popular Nutella and Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream Sandwich.

I met with John to learn more of the restaurant’s beginnings, and what he has planned for the near future. John explains that Tocino Boys was a life-long dream for him for as long as he could remember.

“As a kid, I was spoiled with street food in the Philippines,” he says. “It was accessible to eat anything—seafood, barbecue, stews—and when I moved to Canada, I didn’t have that privilege to go anywhere and eat something small.”

Sweet Bacon Burger

Fed up with the typical burger and fries staple of North America, John made it his mission to create flavourful Filipino-inspired street food right here in Toronto. It was no easy task as he underwent years of training with his very first job at McDonald’s, then moving into casual dining and working in fine dining for almost 10 years. John’s travelling experiences largely contributed to his love for street food as he pulled inspiration from cultures from around the world, especially from Central America and Mexico.

“I took my Filipino favourites and made it into something that Canadians and everyone else would grow to understand and relate to,” says John.

Soon enough, John served a platter of goodies with the Supreme first up on the menu. Stuffed with a mountain of meat, the Supreme consists of Pan de Leche (milk buns), mustard mayonnaise glaze, sliced cucumbers, tocino, longaniza, bacon and topped with bits of chicharon (pork rinds). I was slightly apprehensive about all the meat exploding out of this dish, but after the first bite, I knew I was a Tocino Boys fan. The Supreme is packed full of flavor, both sweet and savoury. The Pan de Leche was a mildly sweet and soft bun which paired well with the tocino, longaniza and the mustard mayonnaise.

The Sweet Bacon Burger was up next. Pan de Leche buns encased a hearty beef patty, longaniza and pieces of lettuce. I’m not much of a burger person myself, but the Sweet Bacon Burger was definitely worth a second round. The beef patty was cooked to perfection—juicy, tender and the right amount of salt—which went hand-in-hand with the sweetness of the longaniza.

Supreme

One of their most popular dishes, the Tocino Taco was up next. Beneath the bed of coleslaw was a crunchy tortilla wrap, tocino, mustard mayonnaise and chicharon. Four other toppings are available for the tacos including chicken, chorizo, vegetarian and fish. After digging into the taco, I could easily see why it’s a crowd favourite. The sweetness from the drizzled mustard mayo and the diced tocino was quite the treat while crunch from the coleslaw and the chicharon added another dimension to this dish.

Although the dishes were small in size, the rest of the menu options including the Chorizo Poutine and the Manila Fries are served in large dinner plate sizes.

Giving back continues to be an important part of Tocino Boys. John explains that after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit The Philippines in late 2013 and he heard his family’s village was affected, he felt compelled to help in any way possible. That’s when he started the Tocino Boys Rice Fund.

“I said to myself, I have Tocino Boys and it brings me joy so why don’t I use that as a vehicle to raise money for [affected families] so they can rebuild their lives again,” says John. “I would give my mom the money I earned for a week and use it to buy rice for about 80 families who lost their homes.” Now in its third year, John hopes to continue this fundraising campaign for as long as he can.

“We are focusing on feeding and making someone happy for at least a couple of days. We are not making millions or even thousands, but we are doing what we can to help right now,” he says.

John making his signature Tocino Tacos

There are big plans for the future of Tocino Boys. Besides creating other drool-worthy street foods to the city, John hopes to expand the brand outside of its sole location on Queen Street West.

“I hope to have more Tocino Boys locations with one in North, South, East and West Toronto. And hopefully make it grow within the next 10 years.”

I had a wonderful time at Tocino Boys, and would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat. I would like to thank John for his hospitality and providing the incredible food.

Tocino Boys is open Thursdays from 6 p.m. – 12 a.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. – 3 a.m. at The Midpoint Bar. Don’t forget to check them out here at: http://tocinoboys.blogspot.ca/ and on their Facebook page under ‘Tocino Boys.’

Tocino Taco

Tocino Boys Menu