The perfect balance of crispy and tender meat in this doner makes it a GTA standout

Metro Morning's food guide, Suresh Doss, joins us every week to discuss one of the many great GTA eateries he's discovered.

This week, he talked about his favourite doner in Toronto. 

Suresh Doss:  Doner G on Wilson Road is a Turkish restaurant and takeout spot, run by a chef-owner named Muhammet Ulubas who has cooked for many years in the city. He originally opened this place in Vaughan but then had to move locations during the pandemic. I stumbled upon it earlier last year when I was eating through the Downsview neighbourhood. And I have to say, Ismaila, every time I have stopped by for a meal, it has been outstanding. I recently sent a notable Toronto chef to eat there. He happened to be in the area and his text response was "Might me by favourite meal in Toronto right now."

Ismaila Alfa: What is so special about it?

Suresh Doss: There are a number of highlights on the menu here. This is a place that respects and celebrates charcoal grilled meat, daily baked breads, incredibly soft pitas that are fluffy and of course Turkish style doner, so those are tender cuts of meat that are layered on a vertical spit. 

Ismaila Alfa: Walk me through your favourite dishes. What are we having?

Suresh Doss: Let's start with a soup. I highly recommend that when you visit Doner G, you start with a bowl of Kalle Pache. This is a very traditional soup that is found in parts of Turkey but also Iran and parts of eastern Europe. It's usually made with sheep or cow. Muhammet's version is wonderfully comforting. It's perfect for this weather; slightly creamy, is quite aromatic and very flavourful from the bits of meat. It's served with a few different spices and condiments that you can use to accent the soup, like Turkish pepper or oregano. and it's served with this ethereal flatbread that they make in-house, which you can use to dip and soak up the soup.

Ismaila Alfa: What comes after the soup?

Suresh Doss: There's a menu here of lahmacoun — Levantine-style flatbreads so thin that you could slide them into a manila envelope, My favourite version is the one that is topped with a thin layer of spiced ground beef, and dotted with peppers and onions. I could snack on these all day. It's great for sharing and it's pretty rare to get this quality lahmacoun that is made to order, so I recommend you try that. There is also a version with Turkish sausage and mozzarella, and there are a number of vegetarian versions as well. 

Ismaila Alfa: And then the doner? 

Suresh Doss: This is the main event at Doner G. I'm just going to say it: you're not going to find better doner than this place. That's just my opinion. Muhammet takes the long road here and marinates his meat overnight. He insists on keeping the intramuscular fat when he portions the slices and then layering it just right on the vertical spit. It's the fat that really highlights why it's so special here, as it roasts up against the grill juicing its way down the spit. And then the key technique here is cutting it.

Ismaila Alfa: How so?

Suresh Doss: When Muhammet is happy with the roast, this perfect balance of one side being crispy and the other tender, he uses this handheld slicer to carve out thin strips of the meat ... which again gives you this wonderful texture, and the contrast between crispy and tender bits. 

You can have the doner on a plate with rice and some kebabs as a platter but I personally feel the best way to enjoy it is order it in a sandwich. Then you get the sauces and the peppers on the side if you want to kick it up. But since they make the breads here in house, again a rarity, that is the right way to do it.