Canadian National Exhibition: Summer 2017

My friend Ronsee and I made our annual trip to The Ex last night. As per tradition, we skipped all the rides and games and went straight for the food. This year's new food items aren't as exciting as some previous years (like, chicken feet isn't a "new" thing — Chinese people eat it at dim sum every damn day) but one thing we had to try was The Juicy Oink! from a new fusion stall called Hot Bunzz.

The Juicy Oink! from Hot Bunzz
Hot Bunzz offers many Asian-fusion stuffed buns, but The Juicy Oink! made its debut at the Ex this year, which is why there's so much buzz about it. Aptly named, this bun consists of five-spice pork belly, BBQ pulled pork, sweet longanisa sausage, and chicharron (crispy pork skin), topped with a single Shanghai pork soup dumpling (xiao long bao) and chipotle apple slaw, and then drizzled with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayo. The different preparations of pork actually worked really well together; each component had a distinct texture and flavour, and the apple slaw added a zesty kick and a nice crunch. The line up at Hot Bunzz was definitely the longest out of any of the booths inside the Food Building, and while I don't think that The Juicy Oink! merits a 30-minute minimum wait time, it was actually tasty and surprisingly unique, and I'd definitely check them out again if they opened a permanent shop. For now, they have a pop-up at the Eaton Centre for those who can't make it to The Ex this year.
Dirty Bird from Bub's Bad@ss Burgers
Next up was a Dirty Bird from Bub's Bad@ass Burgers. We had a similar burger from Bub's a couple years ago, and decided to return because we remember having loved it. It is, however, important to us not to order the same thing twice, so we went with the Dirty Bird this year, which consists of crispy fried chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, shredded cheese, and chipotle mayo in between two Jamaican chicken patties. Not quite as well-executed in flavours as the Bad Boy burger we had two years ago, but still reliably delicious. As it turns out, you can't go wrong with replacing burger buns with Jamaican patties.
Frog Legs & Cod Tongue and Cheese Stuffed Doritos from Farm to Fryer
Another new item that everyone was hyped up about this year is the deep-fried, cheese-stuffed Doritos from Farm to Fryer. They are exactly what you imagine them to be: A mound of cheese is coated in a Doritos-laden batter and then deep-fried to a golden, crispy perfection. So, basically, they're like mozzarella sticks, except with Doritos. Not the most inventive, but definitely satisfies that deep-fried junk food craving. Each order comes with three pieces, which is more than enough if you want room for other foods at The Ex. On that note, a truly noteworthy item at Farm to Fryer is the Frog Legs & Cod Tongue. Yep, frog legs and cod tongue, a pairing that I had never heard of (honestly, I didn't even know eating fish tongues was a thing), but surprisingly delicious. For those who are less adventurous with food, this is totally worth trying if you can get over the fact that it's frog legs and cod tongues. The frog legs honestly taste like chicken wings, but with smoother meat and smaller bones. And the cod tongues taste like deep-fried fish, except silkier and less flaky. More proof that anything can taste good when it's deep-fried.
Peanut Butter Sriracha Bites from Fran's
Because we are getting soft in our old age, Ronsee and I were pretty full after all that deep-fried shit, so we went on a hunt for dessert. Because charcoal-based and nitrogen-frozen ice cream is old news for us, and the highly anticipated "Sugar Mountain" from Cake Shack looked sickeningly sweet, we settled on the new Peanut Butter Sriracha Bites and a good ol' root beer float from Fran's. The bites are deep-fried sweet dough (so, mini doughnuts) with a peanut butter sriracha filling, dusted with cinnamon icing sugar and drizzled with chocolate syrup. The sriracha flavour definitely gets lost because peanut butter is so much more overpowering but there is the tiniest hint of spice in between bites of peanut butter, doughnut, and chocolate syrup. Definitely not as exotic or unique as it had the potential to be, but anyone who likes doughnuts and peanut butter will definitely enjoy it. Between the bites and the root beer float, though, I had my fill of sweets for the night. 
Overall, the food we tried this year was good, but I'm hoping next year will be more exciting. Not a lot of the new offerings intrigued me, and I think it's because food trends are changing so constantly now that it's getting harder and harder to one-up all the crazy, inventive dishes that have come out previously. I mean, when deep-fried butter launched, everyone went apeshit for it. So that's what I'm hoping for next year. A deep-fried butter revolution.

Canadian National Exhibition 200 Princes' Boulevard Toronto, ON M6K 3C3 (416) 393-6300