Tha ish: Southern Accent

Honestly, there is no other food that I enjoy more than southern cuisine. It’s so comforting, simple and lip-smacking good.



I spoke about the yummy food I had at Harlem Underground (they specialize in Southern food with a Caribbean kick) a while ago, but I had to make mention of my latest fave eatery in Toronto—Southern Accent.


Southern Accent is funky little restaurant in the heart of Toronto, which specializes in Creole and Cajun flavours. Then restaurant is cozy enough for date night, and rowdy enough to spend a crazy night out with friends.


I visited the restaurant on two occasions and both time I ordered the same thing (I know that sounds boring, but my meal was sooooooooooooo good!). I ordered The Baton Rouge/Cajun Combo off the prix-fix menu. The meal consisted of blackened chicken, jambalaya, hush puppies, candied yams and collard greens. I know it sounds like a lot of food, but the portions were just enough for you to get a taste of the dish, so you won’t get too full.


The chicken was a little spicy, but so moist and tender that the heat didn’t really bother me (psst, yes, I am a Caribbean chick that doesn’t eat overly spicy foods!). The Jambalaya was so delish that it made me reconsider eating rice again. It was full of flavour, tasty and incredibly satisfying.


The side of candied yams, collard greens and hush puppies were equally scrumptious, but my fave item was the hush puppies.  I never had hush puppies before, and I will tell you that they are soooooooooo freaking good! They are made with cormeal, rolled into a ball and deep fried to perfection.  I need to know how to make it.


My friend ordered a big ol’ piece of cornbread with her dinner (I wanted to, but I knew that I was already having a lot to eat), so I stole a piece when she wasn’t looking. It was de-lec-ta-ble!!!!! It was moist, not too sweet--just plain yummy.  The next time I go back I will order two- one for my meal and one to take home with me!


Okay, I think I have pontificated enough about my wonderful experience at the restaurant. The food, ambience and staff were great. I can’t wait to go back!

Tha ish: Harlem Underground

Anyone who knows me knows about my insatiable obsession with Southern cuisine.  It’s a little odd since I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and my mother is from Trinidad.  But for some reason or another I can’t help but be fascinated with fried chicken, biscuits, ribs and pulled pork.  Hey, I’ve even eaten grits and gravy before!

And yet, the southern dish that excites me the most is chicken and waffles.  BTW, they soooo go together!

When I visited Los Angeles 10 years ago, I had to hit up Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. I heard it mentioned in plenty of movies, and heard celebs speak about it like it was the coolest place in the world.  Which of course will only intrigue me.  As soon as I touched down in Los Angeles, I begged my then boyfriend to take me to Roscoe’s.

The place ain’t much to look at, but the staff was so nice and the food was so damn tasty.  After I finished the last morsel of chicken, I wanted to go back for more. For years I would plead with my ex to ship me some fried chicken.  Sadly, that never happened.

Then this past weekend I asked my best friend if she’d like to meet up for dinner. She said yes and we agreed to meet at Harlem Underground. We already went to the sister restaurant, Harlem, last summer, so we wanted to see what this restaurant was like. 

I needed to know the address, so I did a search online and fortunately landed on their website.  So of course, I immediately looked at the menu.  When I got almost all the way down on the page, I was speechless.  Everything looked good, but then I saw, “Southern Fried Chicken & Waffles.”   I think my heart skipped a beat!  It was a done deal. That was what I was going to order.

As soon as we were seated at the restaurant, our waiter came over and asked if we would like to hear about the menu.   I said, “I already know what I’m getting.  It’s all about the chicken and waffles.”  He laughed then took our orders.

About 20 minutes later he came back and placed a plate full of fried chicken and waffles in front of me.   Yes, there was a tear in my eye!

I immediately went in for the chicken and dayum, it was yummy!!!  It was unbelievably crispy and succulent and not too greasy.   Why are my lips watering as I type this?!

Even though I expected a crunchy waffle, I was pleasantly surprised with the softest, most tender, waffle I’ve ever had.  Even the Chipotle-coriander lime maple syrup was fabulous.  Honestly, I can’t pinpoint what the best thing was about the meal.  Everything was outstanding. 

Just like with Roscoe’s, as soon as I shoved the last piece of chicken in my mouth, I made plans for my next visit.  I really should try something else on the menu, but you know what I’m gonna get, right?  Chicken and waffles!