The best things I ate and drank in 2022
Here I am again, confronted with the ominous and enjoyable task of summarizing an entire year’s worth of food into a handful of top choices. And here I am again, absolutely relishing the opportunity.
This was one hell of a year for eating. There were multiple Michelin star outposts visited across over half a dozen countries, along with stunning local spots and a handful of places producing food I never expected to be good, let alone make it to the top of my list.
So here we go—a collection of the best meals, drinks, and snacks I ate in the last calendar year, presented in no particular order. Most of the photos are mine unless otherwise noted.
Smoked Meat Sandwich - Ploughmann’s Lunch, West Dublin, Nova Scotia
Ploughmann’s is a neighborhood staple in West Dublin, Nova Scotia, about 90 minutes from Halifax. Feeling like it was plucked from every small town I’ve ever been to, Ploughmann’s was something different, something better, sitting right on the Atlantic with a beautifully sunny seaside patio. Despite being roughly a 10/15 minute drive from literally any other store or restaurant, it is by no means a “stop here because there’s nowhere else” kind of place. This is a destination worthy of a detour, especially if you’re visiting nearby Lunenburg. Ploughmann’s bakes its pastries in-house, including some of the better croissants and kouign-amanns you’ll find on this side of the 10th arrondissement. They also do a small list of breakfast and lunch staples, including porchetta and the stand out smoked meat sandwich.
The smoked meat at Ploughmann’s Lunch.
@ploughmanns.lunch
The sandwich and meat itself is not your standard Schwartz-esque fare. It is built on housemade sourdough, providing a great tang that I dare say works better than the standard rye. The mustard is stellar, and the brisket is smoked on-premise, Atlantic adjacent, with a bit smokier taste than the normal take on the Canadian staple. The friend I was staying with went out of her way to take me there, and while sitting there in the salty sunlight inhaling this great sandwich and chatting with folks who lived nearby, I felt very thankful for her decision.
Spicy Ceviche - Rasa, Toronto
If you’ve heard me talk about food over the last couple years, you’ve probably heard me pontificate on how my appetite for seafood has risen and evolved exponentially through my thirties. Looking back, I think I can safely point to the time before eating this ceviche as “liking” seafood, and the time after as “loving” seafood. Let’s call it, B.C. and A.D, or “Before Ceviche” and “After Dinner.”
Rasa’s ceviche is everything a raw dish strives to be. It’s fresh, simple and flavorful. Raw mahi-mahi is combined with a satay peanut sauce, chili oil, Thai basil, and crunchy sesame snaps, coming together to form a spicy, addictive dish that I was literally licking the plate clean of. The peanut and chili-forward flavor profile was original, pushing back from that traditional acidic ceviche canvas. Here’s a bold statement: I think Rasa is my favorite approachable restaurant in the city, and this is the best dish there. I never want to go back to B.C. time.
Our Macaroni Alla Carbonara - Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
Including this (and the next entry) feels like cheating. Disfrutar, nestled in a sleepy Barcelona city block, currently ranks as the third-best restaurant in the world. It is helmed by three former El Bulli chefs, which if you know anything about fine dining, is the equivalent of Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron in their primes simultaneously taking their talents to South Beach. People often make fun of fancy restaurants converting foods into foams and making ice cream that tastes like gazpacho — well, these are the guys who invented it.
My roommate and I traveled to Barcelona in the summer and were lucky enough to score a reservation at Disfrutar, engaging in a 32-course spectacle of a meal that went from 8pm until 12:15am. Every single entry on this would have easily been a course from this dinner, but I limited myself to two. That was very hard to do.
It took a bit of reflection, but after some contemplation, this dish is the best thing I have ever eaten, and I have no idea how it will be topped. It’s my favorite preparation of pasta, reinvented. The pasta is penne, but it’s jelly. Yup. literal jelly penne, made from Iberico ham consomme mixed with Iberico pig bone gelatin. The jellified penne is presented tableside, then topped with a carbonara foam, along with pieces of crunchy, crispy Iberico ham pancetta and 20-year-aged parmesan cubes.
Iberican ham gelatin pasta at Disfrutar
Max Greenwood
Adding carbonara foam to the pasta
Max Greenwood
I hate using swearing to describe feelings or tastes, because it’s lazy, but I can’t help myself. This dish was fucked up man. It was rich, but delicate. Salty and balanced at the same time. The whole thing was gloriously-inventive gluttony incarnate. I remember laughing as I put the first bite in my mouth. The sheer theater of eating jelly pasta with foam on top, from the chefs that invented foams as haute cuisine. Hilarious! Disfrutar first unveiled this dish in 2014, and it has been featured on their “classic” tasting menu ever since. It is a callback to El Bulli, a reference to the chefs’ time spent at the most famous restaurant in the world, and the best nine bites of food I’ll ever eat.
I’m almost sad over it — what if nothing ever tops this? “And Max wept, seeing as he had no more food to eat.”
Pibil Squab (Pigeon) - Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
If the previous entry was the best dish I have ever eaten, this can be subcategorized as the best piece of meat I have ever eaten. And, wouldn’t you know it? It's a pigeon. Compared to some of the other courses as Disfrutar, this one is rather tame. Pigeon breast, simmered in a complex mole sauce and done pibil style, which is an ancient Mexican tradition translating to “cooked underground.”
Squab prepared Pibil style at Disfrutar.
Max Greenwood
I think I’m okay with saying pigeon tastes like chicken without sounding cliche because, well, it’s pretty much chicken. This pigeon, though, was something special. It’s the best dark meat you can imagine, delicate and slightly gamey with a bit of a berry-ish taste to it. This dish came with what looked like two egg yolks, but were actually spheres of sweet corn puree lovingly disguised as breakfast food. The accompanying mole sauce was luscious, acting as a perfect foil to the unique profile of the meat. It’s still hard to believe a piece of pigeon is the best meat I’ve ever had (even topping some A5 Miyazakigyu Wagyu I had at Alo), but that’s the level of inventiveness Disfrutar delivers.
Oh, if you wanted to know, dinner at Disfrutar was not cheap. It was absolutely worth it (in my opinion at least), but if paying nearly $500 a person for dinner and a wine pairing isn’t your jam, then maybe skip it next time you’re in Barcelona.
Calamar - La Cova Fumada, Barcelona, Spain
From the hallowed Michelin stars of north Barcelona to the stained white walls and communal tables of La Cova Fumada in La Barceloneta along the sea, there couldn’t be a more stark contrast in eateries between this entry and the last two. Nestled a short walk from the beach, Fumada is a breakfast and lunch joint that has been open for nearly 70 years. It fills up quickly, but if you get in before 11am, you can sip Estrella and espresso with the locals as they fill up on Catalan specialties.
Everything on the menu is great here: chickpeas and chorizo, tomato toast, artichokes, and of course, the famed bomba, invented within these very walls. But the standout? Fresh whole squid, primitively prepared on a plancha and served with just lemon and parsley and olive oil. Hooo boy. I didn’t know squid could taste this good. Everything is freshly caught (the restaurant only has one fridge, and it’s for beer) and the texture and taste of this squid was magical. Tender with a little give and slightly sweet, it’s the char of the plancha mixed with the acidic lemon and velvety olive oil that creates this ridiculously simple dish.
Obviously, the food was great, but I have to shout out the ambiance. No one spoke English, it was 10am and I was washing down fresh squid with beer and espresso, while construction workers and grandfathers sat and stood around us, chatting as they enjoyed the same experience as me. La Cova Fumada is a true Barcelona culinary treasure and the place I now remember first when I think back on Spanish cuisine.
Squid grilled on a plancha from La Cova Fumada
Max Greenwood
“My” Sandwich - Tonton Garby, Brussels, Belgium
This is a fun, unique entry on the list because if you head to Tonton Garby in Brussels, there’s no way for you to order this sandwich. It was made custom for me, based on my preferences of “spicy, an element of crunch (but not pecans), tangy creamy cheese, and something aromatic.” Here’s the shtick: when you find this tiny storefront, the owner strikes up a conversation and dissects your likes and dislikes, crafting a custom sandwich with whatever he has for that day, all for 7€. Subway could never!
I was actually the very first customer of the day, waltzing through the door at 10:30am, incredibly excited that he welcomed me in. I had done my research, understanding that it often takes 10 to 15 minutes to make every creation, which means a line of eight people could quickly turn into a 90-minute wait. I asked him first if I could come in, and he said “of course, as long as you’re fine with watching me wipe the counter for five minutes!” Obviously, I was. We chatted happily about Belgian beer and Calgary (he visited in 2009), then we got down to business.
A custom sandwich from Tonton Garby in Brussels
Max Greenwood
The owner (along with his brother) sources every piece of meat and cheese themselves, often driving to France or Germany to haul back ingredients. When something is gone, it’s gone, proven by the last spoonful of Burgundy cinnamon honey he slathered onto my sandwich’s upper half. The rest of this work of art contained beef chorizo, walnuts, sliced pear, and goat cheese covered with papaya, all on freshly baked baguettes. Don’t get me wrong—there was a lot happening in this sandwich, but it worked so well. I absolutely adore the sweet/creamy/crunchy combo element on my sandwich, and this was the best of every world.
Tonton Garby also has a rule: you must take a bite of the sandwich before you leave because if you don’t like it, the owner makes you a brand new one on the spot. For a hot second, I contemplated saying I didn’t like it, just to maybe try out another majestic combination. But I’m sure he would have seen the look of love on my face and knew I was lying right away. He’s probably pretty familiar with that look.
3 Rios Wine - Base, Porto, Portugal
Sitting as the sole beverage inclusion on this list, I’m more inclined to the feeling (and subsequent longing) this bottle of wine brought me rather than its actual taste. To be honest, I barely remember what it tasted like. 3 Rios is a vinho verde, which is a style of wine popular (and essentially only produced) in Portugal. While visiting that magical country, I fell in love with it. Most vinho verdes are fruity, light, and acidic, knocking you out with a crisp kick that is ridiculously addictive in the summer months. I have returned to Canada in constant search of different varieties, and the LCBO is severely lacking in selection.
We enjoyed this particular bottle at a bar called Base in the heart of Porto. Base is essentially a wide-open park converted into a hangout area, with a bar right in the middle. You grab a bottle for like 9 euros, they serve it to you in a watering can, and you take your glasses and grab a seat around the lush hill. The Clerigos bell tower overlooks the entire field, and every time you sip, it seems like you’re lost further and further in time. The clock strikes—how many hours have we been here? No idea. Who cares?
A bottle of vinho verde from Base in Porto.
Max Greenwood
Egg Tart - Manteigaria, Lisbon, Portugal
Quite possibly the best dessert you can buy for roughly 1€, egg tarts are one of the last remaining pieces of proof that divine intervention exists on this planet. Yes, egg tarts were supposedly invented by monks in the Jerónimos Monastery, and my belief is that these sweet, creamy little morsels must have come from the hand of the deity themself. Lots of people may say the best tarts come from their birthplace, right beside that monastery, but they’re wrong. That award goes to Manteigaria, and that comes from someone who underwent a serious and peer-reviewed testing process (I ate like 24 tarts in five days).
Manteigaria’s tarts are served slightly warm and are not as sweet as some other counterparts. With a bit more browning on the custard and a less crumbly crust, these things are as addictive as they are…addictive. Did I say I ate nearly 5 a day? People always recommend putting cinnamon or chocolate powder on them, but I say eat 'em plain with an espresso to wash it all down. Portuguese egg tarts may not only be one of the best desserts in Europe but likely the entire world.
Two of the many Manteigaria egg tarts consumed in Lisbon.
Max Greenwood
Banoffee Pie Ice Cream - Ruru Baked, Toronto
I can confidently say I have only had the classic British dessert of banoffee pie twice in my life. However, I have had this banoffee pie ice cream at least six times (aka eating essentially an entire pint) in the last eight months. Ruru baked is the best ice cream I have tried so far in Toronto, and I have never been disappointed with a flavor yet. And they have dozens of them.
Banoffee pie is the standout though. Every time I look at the pints Ruru Baked has available, I go through the same motion: Do they have banoffee pie? Great, I’m getting it. Oh, they don’t? Maybe I should try something else. Hmmm. No, I’m going to wait for banoffee pie. Banana with swirls of caramel and graham cracker, all in custard-based ice cream—this is heaven. The best indicator of my diehard love? I bike out to pick a handful of pints even when it’s cold out. This ain’t no “June-thru-August” ice cream. This is year-round ice cream.
A pint of banoffee pie.
@rurubaked
Passionfruit Mousse - Rio 40, Toronto
Mousse is a pretty simple dish. Condensed milk, sugar, and whatever flavor you want, typically some kind of chocolate. But at Rio 40, one of the better Brazilian restaurants in Toronto, the menu represents staples of the country and a lot of foods that I hadn’t really tried before. Farofa, moqueca, and of course, passionfruit mousse. And boy oh boy, have I (and maybe you too?) been missing out.
I rarely eat passionfruit. I think the last time I cracked one open was when I worked at Loblaws circa 2018 and, during a snowstorm, me and the produce guys tried one of every foreign fruit we had and compared them. Despite passionfruit ranking universally high on our list, I never returned to buying it fresh. Instead, every next instance it would pop up would be via a mishmash of “tropical” flavors featuring guava, papaya, dragonfruit, and other exotic-ish fruits combined into one Carribean-meets-South America flavor profile, where you couldn’t tell one taste from another.
Thankfully, I was convinced by my lovely girlfriend to try this dessert, and it did not disappoint. Passionfruit’s taste is everything I want out of a fruit: tart, slightly sweet, and super aromatic. And when combined into a mousse, with that creamy, airy texture but still a sour afternote, it’s a fantastic way to end any meal.
Honorable Mentions
Apple Pie - Winkel 43, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The best apple pie I have ever had, served up in an Amsterdam cafe right on the canals with fresh whipped cream and a pint of Amstel to wash it down. Flaky and tall and stuffed with lightly-spiced apples, smoke a joint first and this thing becomes an out-of-body experience.
Leek and Apple Sausage Roll - BreadSource, Norwich, England
Sweet and savory local pork with a super buttery and flaky crust. Sausage rolls are one of the best UK cuisines, bar none, and though a lot of credit needs to be paid to Greggs, this sausage roll was the best thing I ate in my short stint in England this summer.
Longanisa Pizza - Saints Island Pie, Toronto
I tried this at Toronto’s Smorgasbord food festival, and it was deadly. A Filipino take on deep dish pizza, with longanisa sausage, mayo seasoned with that universal Maggi condiment, crispy garlic and a fried egg. Heavy and satisfying and after eating this in the 34 degree heat, I knew my day was done in the best way possible.
Chorizo - Tascantiga, Sintra, Spain
We got a pile of seared chorizo and ate it with a toothpick at an amazing place in Sintra after touring the royal palace and surrounding gardens. Rufus du Sol and Odesza were playing on the speakers, and we were drinking vinho verde in the sun. Immaculate.
Iberico Ham - ByTheWine, Lisbon, Portugal
A huge pig leg sat in front of us at the bar, and we watched the chef carve it and place it in front of us. Salty, rich, fatty, delicate. James and I were mesmerized by the fat that would periodically drip off the leg without any provocation. Ridiculous.
Gâteau à la Banane - La Banane, Toronto
Banana cake with salted caramel ice cream. You can tell I like bananas right? This was the perfect way to end an opulent meal. One of the best fine-dining desserts in the city, and it’s just a simply-executed cake with fresh ice cream. Nothing fancy, because when done right, nothing beats it.
My roommate James and I rounding out our dinner at Disfrutar with a glass of amaro and five unique desserts.
