Little Sister

This is my favourite restaurant in the area! The food is fantastic (try the cauliflower salad and the Nasi Goreng) and the drink menu is fun and unique. I love that atmosphere… even if forced to sit at the tables where you have to share… it makes it more tolerable. I highly recommend!

This place was pretty good and had great service. Came only for food and a few beers. Cocktail selection looked awesome, but didn’t try any.
Came here with my girlfriend who’s Indonesian, and while some of the flavours were somewhat authentic, most flavours were definitely subdued. Not exactly the most indo food, and definitely high on the hipster scale.
We had the following for dinner:
Nasi gorang– this was the indo fried rice. Was sweeter than expected and tasted much better with the condiments they had (sambal chili sauce and some garlic hot pepper concoction) good texture
Satay lilet– minced chicken with a lot of lemon grass flavouring. Really good, although slightly dry.
Babi panggang– delicious and definite must have. 5 or 6 thick slices of pork belly atop pickled veggies. Best dish of the night. Delicious when eaten with rice
Spiced beef croquettes– came with 2 croquettes. These were okay. Filled with braised beef, nothing of out the ordinary flavour-​wise, but good with a beer.
Babi guling — this was okay. shredded braised pork shoulder with some pickled veggies and lettuce wraps to put it all in.
Overall decent meal for a decent price. Would come again for a cocktail and snacks.

I had hoped that we finally had an Indonesian Restaurant in Toronto again but this isn’t it. The chicken Satay was fine but not outstanding. The Rendang taco was a joke. Very little «rendang» about it except that it had beef in it.
Both orders were very small. I was glad I’d ordered the Nasi Goreng as it filled me up, however that wasn’t all that tasty either. I realize that Nasi Goreng can be made in many different ways but bland and too greasy shouldn’t be one of them.
None of the food reminded me in any way of what I’ve eaten in Indonesia. Given the other positive reviews, I am giving this 3 stars because I assume I am comparing what I expected to get, with what I did get. That isn’t precisely fair to the restaurant which is clearly not trying to present authentic Indonesian food.

I wanted to love this place more but I felt that even thought the food tasted great, the portions were very small! I expected a lot more for the prices we paid.
Nevertheless I would recommend ordering the Nasi Goreng as it was perfection! The flavors were robust, the long grain rice added an extra special quality to it, and the spices were just at the right level.
From a design standpoint, the furnitures were beautiful, contemporary yet playful and the interior was inviting and unique!

Came here for my birthday this past July. I first discovered this place at taste of toronto and they had the best food at the show. It is phenomenal food and the pork belly is amazing.

I went there late at night around 9:30pm, the space was hopping. It was hard to get a table, sat at the bar. Had few cocktails and appetizers. Good food with great vibe.

I live in the area so I come here when I’m craving shrimp chips! I also came here with Janna S. for a group dinner she organized. We tried every item on the menu and I would say after coming here a few more time, the dishes are very consistent — consistently good! I really like the chicken and beef taco (with extra cilantro!!) and also the lettuce wraps. I also liked the pork belly dish (Babi Panggang) and skewers — man, that peanut saaau-​se.
One thing I also really like about Little Sister is the drinks. They’re pretty pricey (about $ 12) but I would say it’s worth it because a lot of their bitters are made in house and they are very yummy! The only thing that was meh was the desserts. I would says skip it at Little Sister and get gelato instead!

This trendy ‘little’ restaurant has the right mix of hip vibes mixed with down scale elegance.
The food is great and everything tasted was amazing! Most plates are small, so order 5 between 2 people and you can’t go wrong.
Don’t think about leaving without having a cocktail out two either. The bartender has the skills and really crafts up some great drinks.
Definitly a place to hit up again to taste more of the menu!

Came here last night to celebrate my boyfriend going back to school, and am I ever glad we choose Little Sister! The whole evening was pretty much perfect and there isn’t much negative to say about our experience. Atmosphere, food, drinks, service– all stellar! We were running very late for our reservation due to my forgetfulness and some horrible ttc delays, and I called to let them know and they were so nice about it and didn’t make us feel at all bad when we showed up at 9pm for an 830 reservation (sorry again) which was a nice start.
Food wise between the two of us we had: the peanuts, watermelon salad, shrimp coconut curry (udang kari) with a side of the fried rice, a chicken skewer (satay lilet) and a roast pork belly dish (babi gaggang). Oh and a coffee and ginger ice cream concoction for dessert. I did not try the skewer or pork belly due to my ‘pescatarian’ ways but my boyfriend said the pork belly was the highlight for him, and the skewer, while tasty, was at the bottom of his list. What really blew me away was the shrimp curry! It was just unbelievably tasty, and special thanks to our sever (Brendan/​Brandan? I think judging from our bill) for convincing me to do the fried rice over the white rice– it just took the curry to another level! The peanuts as a little snack were surprisingly good, seemed like they were cooked in some way which changed the texture quite pleasantly, and the spicy fresh watermelon salad was a refreshing break from the same watermelon salad you see all over the city– watermelon feta balsamic (having the watermelon compressed, balsamic as a glaze, feta being local etc etc does not make it any more original!). Desert was only okay, but I did enjoy the ginger flavour. The only minor issue I can think of was that the food came out fairly fast, giving very little time in between dishes and I prefer to eat at a bit slower of a pace. At the same time we didn’t feel rushed at all to leave and were given a good chunk of time before dessert, which made up for the speedy savoury courses for me.
The cocktails we tried were quite nice as well– I had the Kitamani Punch, which was a super refreshing start to the meal (albeit maybe a little heavy on the green chartreuse) and my boyfriend had a couple of the Bali Red Eye’s (essentially a twist on a caesar) which were delicious! One of the first times he’s ordered a caesar and I haven’t heard him complain that there wasn’t enough spice. We also had a bottle of wine– an Austrian Gruner Veltliner, which is one of my absolute favourites whites, so I was very excited to see it on their list! The fact that the wine list was made by John Szabo makes me quite confident pretty much any wine would be a winner. It’s clear that as much thought goes into the cocktail and wine program as the food, which in this day and age is pretty much essential.
Finally I have to say the atmosphere was just perfect. Eclectic, cozy, and dark but vibrant at the same time. Definitely near the top of my list for favourite restaurant atmospheres in Toronto. I will 100% be back and can not recommend Little Sister highly enough!

*I had an issue with the service so I wrote my experience on my own site. I noticed later the restaurant blocked me on their social media accounts. Really professional here.
*The menu was printed on pieces of cardboard and it would have been helpful if there was some pictures on the menu to help customers decide what to get, or at least an indication of spicy dishes!
*the food was delicious and flavorful, however the price and service really let me down.
*I understand that this is a tapa-​style restaurant, but considered that I almost paid $ 20 for a dish that was just a size of an appetizer, I didn’t think it was worth it
–Krupuk with peanut sauce — $ 5:
I actually didn’t order the krupuk. A server offered me this dish and this was his exact words: «Would you like some prawn crackers to snack on while looking at the menu?» Please note that he offered the same thing to every other tables as well. With that said, I found out that the dish actually costed $ 5, and our server did not mention the price at all! I understand I should have questioned when I received the bill, but at the same time as a person who used to be in the service industry, I found this behavior to be intolerable. $ 5 might be small but it added up considered how expensive the food were, so please restrain from this kind of practice and be honest with your customers!
Anyhow, the krupuk or prawn crackers didn’t have a strong prawn/​shrimps flavor like the ones in Thai restaurants, but the sauce was delicious! It had a nice combination of spicy and sweetness.
–Watermelon Salad — $ 7.50
If you’re expecting the regular sweet and tangy watermelon salad, then you’re in for a real surprise! The salad was packed with heat, luckily the fresh mint and basil helped to calm the spiciness and lightened up the dish. The Sambal vinaigrette added a savoury touch to the salad and I was surprised at how I couldn’t smell the shrimp paste or fish sauce — which typically is part of the sambal vinaigrette.
–Babi Kecap (Soy + Ginger braised pork shoulder) — $ 13.50
While the babi kecap was the less spicier dish out of everything we had that night, it was still hefty on flavorful marinates and spices! The pork shoulder was oh-​so-​tender and melt in your mouth goodness… I liked how the ginger wasn’t too overpowering and the soy sauce was thick, which gave the gravy a nice consistency, perfect to eat with some steam rice: p!
–Semur Java (Javanese dark spiced braised beef, crispy potato, green onion) — $ 15.25
Samur java was somewhat lacklustre compared to other dishes due to the heavy spice mix, which I think contained nutmeg or something along the line that was too overbearing. The meat wasn’t as tender as the babi kecap either, it was quite tough to chew on. I thought the crispy potato was unnecessary as it added no flavor to the dish, it would have been better if they included chunk of potatoes to soak up the gravy!
–Nasi Goreng — $ 6
Since both of the previous dishes didn’t come with a side of rice, I decided to order a side of nasi goreng to fill us up. While the dish was essentially a fried rice, it was incredibly aromatic with the combinations of chili, garlic and shallot aromas. The rice wasn’t too oily and while it had a kick of heat, the sweet soy sauce toned down the chili.

Little sister, what an interesting name for an Indonesian restaurant. I was pretty impressed with the food here. They have lots of interesting tapas with rich flavours that will excite your tastebuds!
We ordered:
–Satay Ayam
–Pangsit
–Babi Guling
–Beef Croquettes
I didn’t have anything to complain about the food. I liked satay ayam (chicken skewers) with peanut sauce, so delicious! Chili lime sauce that came with Pangsit (fried beef wontons) added flavour to the wontons. Babi Guling lettuce wraps were yummy. Beef croquettes were amazing as well. These dishes comfortably filled up two people but I think we could have ordered one more dish to feel completely full because all the dishes come in small portions.
Since not everyone is familiar with Indonesian cuisine, it would have been helpful if they had pictures on their menu to help us decide what to get. This place is small so it may not be best for big groups. They do have a patio so there would be more seating available in the summer.

Yeah. Overdue. Indonesia has the most underrepresented cuisine per capita. Worth a try. Pretty cool. My chef buddy sat at the chefs table and was hyped about it (not ideal for a hot summer day). It wasn’t too hard to get a spot there. Drinks are kinda interesting, food is funky-​dece. Lots of little dishes worth trying. Got some satay-​esque stuff etc… Enjoyed the use of watermelon. Yee.

Too spicy, too pricey and too much attitude.
$ 7 for a skewer is absurd… My stomach was upset for a week after our dinner here.

I learned about Little Sister through blogTO’s article on «The top 30 restaurants for a first date in Toronto by neighbourhood», where it was the representative for the Yonge and Eglinton area. Since a restaurant in Toronto dedicated to street-​style Indonesian cuisine seemed fairly unique, my boyfriend and I agreed that this would be a worthy date-​night candidate. We went on a Friday night, at around 5:00pm.
Ambiance:
Channeling inspiration from a street hawker market, the restaurant is dimly lit and deliberately designed to look slightly grungy. The menus are all hand made, it seems, printed on cardboard with strips of yellow tape decorating the sides. Clearly efforts have been made to immerse you into the street food experience, though not at street market prices (more on that later). My boyfriend chose not to make reservations, believing that arriving so early would guarantee us a table. Unfortunately, after consulting her iPad, the waitress said that there were only two small tables that were available, so we had no choice but to be crammed elbow-​to-​elbow for the rest of the meal. Those tables are intended to maximize space but I was pretty uncomfortable. Also, in the period of time that we arrived, ate, and left, the restaurant hardly filled up at all.
Service:
Service was overall, alright. The guy working at the bar was exceptionally friendly and attentive! He noticed defects in my glass, twice, and quickly exchanged it for a new one. It is gestures like that that I remember about a restaurant. Our waitress provided some suggestions for what to order, although I felt like she was recommending just about everything on the menu.
Food:
Enjoyed a sampling of Satay Sapi (beef, soy sauce, lime leaf & lemongrass), Ayam Panggang (sweet chili grilled chicken sitting on a bed of bean sprouts, green onion, and cilantro), and Nasi Goreng (fried rice). I say sampling because the portions were so small, and ultimately makes the meal very pricey! Four very small satay skewers came up to $ 10, for example. It felt like we were having a snack, but paying way too much. Everything tasted fine, while the beef satay was not very tender and the quick fix was adding the sauces available at our table. My personal favourite was the fried rice — salty and spicy.
Overall, for all its hype, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. This is not a repeat for me.

Delicious but very expensive.
The portions are exceptionally small but it kind of evens out with the quality of food. Be wary of the pictures they show on the website, the portions are about as big as a handful. Do not come here expecting a meal.

To be honest I found Little Sister to be somewhat disappointing. I’m not particularly a fan of Tapas, mostly because a tapas bar ends up having portions which are far too small and far too much for a normal meal and this is no different at Little Sister. Small portions and expensive prices don’t do justice, I feel, to authentic Indonesian food which is traditionally served in far larger portions (and with rice). Expect to spend around $ 25 dollars for a meal, an amount which I find too uncomfortable for my limited budget under normal circumstances.
Little Sister is styled as a small tapas bar more than a sit down restaurant and small parties are seated at a shared table. The menu itself was lacking many of my more liked Indonesian dishes I’m fond of at home like bakmi, rawon, or soto ayam but the dishes it did have I think are fairly good. The food itself tends towards Balinese cooking more than the East Java cooking I’m familiar with from home so I did find the satay lilit, a Balinese satay, (a minced meat skewer) a bit odd for my liking. I did find that the meat itself was well spiced. The satay does, however show off the small portions present at Little Sister with only 3 skewers for 6 dollars, and I don’t quite think the skewers were worth $ 2 each.
I also tried Urab, a traditional Balinese salad made of steamed vegetables and coconuts. I thoroughly enjoyed the salad though it was a bit more western than would have been obtained in Indonesia with it’s very small proportion of coconuts. However, this variation is far less the fusion on the menu that was rendang taco. The taste itself reminded my greatly of Indonesian food I’ve had before with it’s use of bawang orgeng (fried red onion) and chili.
I was disappointed with the main dish I ordered, the pictured ayam pangang (grilled chicken). Like everything else in this restaurant, the food was plated beautifully, in this case on a bed of pickled vegetables which had pleasant pungency lent to it by chilli peppers. The darkness of the restaurant at night takes away a bit from the beauty of the food, however. I suppose it’s not a fair criticism but I feel as if my mother’s version of ayam pangang is more tasty (and cheaper) than the dish presented here. The chicken itself seemed to be fairly simple and a similar taste can probably be obtained by grilling chicken marinated in chilli peppers and kecap manis (sweet, thickened Indonesian soy sauce, an essential condiment in Indonesian cooking) but it did taste good.
Little Sister, as Toronto’s only Indonesian food, I think is somewhat of a letdown. With a small menu, small portions, and expensive pricing, I had hoped for a more accessible introduction for friends to Indonesian cooking. To this end, the restaurant itself appeals less to Indonesians looking for a taste of home than to Toronto’s foodies and tourists. The food was good and the quality of it is seen in the consistently busy and loud atmosphere of the establishment. Little Sister is, perhaps, a place you should try at least once to sample some of the cuisine of one of the most populated countries of the world, but it’s certainly not a place to go to every day.

I’m a little conflicted writing this review. I definitely enjoyed the food which is served tapas style and is the only authentic Indonesian place in Toronto.
Firstly knowing how busy this place was, I made a reservation. I showed up at my time and waited at the front… and waited… and waited… for someone. anyone to acknowledge my lowly presence. Finally I was told the table was almost ready as the people were finishing up. Well 30 min later our group finally gets seated.
Overall the service was hit and miss. Our server was definitely friendly and explained the menu to us… but then there would be long lags of when she would come back to check on us. So not particularly impressed but since I don’t want people spitting in my food/​drinks I avoid saying anything and just Unilocal about it :)
I did enjoy the food — I tried the watermelon salad which is a delicious palate cleansing salad — fresh cool taste of the melon mixed in with cilantro (which I love) and some onions and radishes. I had the Satay Lilit which is a Balinese style of chicken skewer which I found to be ok and the Nasi Goreng — fried rice. Other people found this dish to be too spicy but not me — this was my favourite — it had hits of sweet and spicy which I just loved. For me honestly the portion sizes are perfect but I can see how the would be on the smaller end for others.
The menu is broken up into skewers (you get 3 small skewers); snacks and traditional (which would be your main dish) and then sides. For the 3 dishes I ordered it came up to $ 20, but that was filling for me. My drinks however which was the Little Brother was $ 14! Reading some of the other reviews it seems it was $ 12 so they have upped the price. While good, too expensive IMO.
The place is small but not too small you feel like you are sitting in a cramped space. It has that soft glow of lights that would just be perfect if you had a date but you had the unfortunate luck to get a pimple — it won’t be seen here :)
Overall I’m not sure if I would go back because of the service… but I did want to try a few other things off the menu, so maybe in a few months when I forget the memory of standing in the front door just waiting around for someone to care.

Little Sister is definitely a gem in the Yonge/​Eglinton area. This is a tapas-​style Indonesian restaurant, and it’s pretty authentic if you ask me!
I came here with two others on a Tuesday evening and it was packed. The restaurant is narrow and small, so it’s easy to miss on Yonge St. if you’ve never been there before. For three people, it came to approximately $ 25 per person plus gratuity and the portions were enough to make us full.
We ordered the satay lilit, shredded chicken taco, sambal daging (tamarind braised pork), cauliflower salad, nasi goreng, and the ayam panggang (sweet chili grilled chicken). All were delicious! One of the chefs was also kind enough to give us a complimentary order of shrimp chips while we were sitting by the kitchen bar area.
I would definitely come here again whenever I’m up for flavourful and spicy Indonesian food!

My foodie intuition is really kicking in– I actually spotted this place while dining across the street at St Louis. Place looked pack and people looked generally excited both entering and leaving. I walked in there without any expectation. Asked the cool hipster waitresses what kind of cuisine it is– and was told that its Indonesian.
Mind you, i have no experience with Indonesian food and from first experience; It is love. The waitresses were very knowledgeable and menu was very easy to read. Its one of those places that you go in with a group of 3 – 4 people and just order everything on the menu as they are all so distinct.
Was a wonderful new culinary experience and I shall definitely be heading back. HIGHLY recommend it.

Little Sister is located on Yonge, south of Eglinton and is the only restaurant in Toronto that offers authentic Indonesian cuisine, and they have opted to serving the food tapas-​style (i.e., small plates). Little Sister is the sibling (no pun intended) of Quince Bistro (located steps away). Both restaurants are owned by Jennifer Gittins and Michael van den Winkel, and also share the same culinary team.
Vibe
Although Little Sister is small, it is not small enough to feel like you are getting to know your neighbor a little too well: «Yeah sure! Sit on my lap!» «Of course I want to hear your whole conversation! Who does not love hearing about global warming and kittens?» Though small, you had enough privacy to engage with your guest (s), and tune out those around you.
Plan
I knew coming in that the food would be served on small plates, so my friend and I decided to each order at least one skewer, 2 snacks, two mains (they call them «traditionals») and 2 sides. But first we started with a drink. I am usually not a cocktail drinker because I detest sugary drinks that remind me of boxed fruit punch, but when I see tequila as an ingredient, I can’t help but become curious. So I ordered the Little Brother ($ 12) and my friend ordered the Bali Red Eye ($ 10).
Dishes we chose:
Satay Ayam: Chicken skewer with peanut sauce $ 6
I liked this dish but did not love it. I wanted the sauce to be spicier, and with more fresh herbs. But I am also one of those people who loves fresh herbs on all of my curries and sauces-​bring on the cilantro! My friend on the other hand loved how it was not TOO spicy, and did not feel it lacked herbs. So there you have it. You can’t please everyone!
Pangsit (Jakarta wontons, beef, green onion, chili lime sauce) $ 6.25
This was our favorite dish. We received it steaming hot, and it had a super crispy exterior with well-​seasoned meat in the center. I also loved the spicy sauce that came with it. In fact, I loved the sauce so much, that I dipped all the other food in it.
Balinese Breaded Chicken Taco: Lettuce, pickled cucumbers, crispy shallots, and sour cream $ 4.75
Although I ordered this taco, my friend ate it! Grrr. But she swore that it was delicious, though it would benefit from more hot/​chili sauce. In fact, a gentleman sitting near us commented that this taco is his favorite dish on the menu.
**Note, you are given many hot sauce options to choose from, so if you do not see it on your table, request it or grab it from the bar.
Rendang Taco: Beef, coconut crema, lettuce, pickled red onion $ 4.75
The meat was very tender and the sweetness of the coconut cream was nice. However, because I am used to eating tacos on corn tortillas, and I like more cilantro on my tacos with a fair amount of hot sauce, I felt torn. One can argue that I was making an unfair comparison to what some may deem to be between apples and oranges. Fact is, if I wanted Mexican tacos, I should be going to a Mexican restaurant for them. I think it’s important to remember that just because it says «taco,» that it does not mean that it will be your standard Mexican-​style taco-​which can be a very good thing. Live a little!
Ayam Panggang: Sweet chili grilled chicken, bean sprouts, green onion, cilantro $ 12.50
This was my friend’s dish and she loved how tender the chicken was and how it was perfectly charred (fine line between charred and burnt). She also enjoyed the balance of flavors-​had enough of a chili kick without having to reach for a glass of water. I also did not mind the chicken, but I found it a bit dry and I wanted it spicier. I think with rice I would have loved it.
Babi Panggang: Roasted pork belly, pickled bean sprouts, fresh chili sauce $ 15.75
This was the last dish we received, and by this point, we were stuffed. Although I was full, I was blown away by how tender the meat was, and the different flavors that seem to have been infused into the meat. This was literally, melt-​in-​your mouth tender. Again, I would have liked it with rice. But on its own it was still fabulous. Only major complaint is the price.
Fried Cauliflower Salad: Rujak, green onion, puffed rice $ 7.50
The salad was delicious, but the reason I did not love it is because when I read «fried» I was expecting more contrast in textures; I was expecting the cauliflower to be crispy. I guess because there was sauce on the plate, it was absorbed by the cauliflower which affected the texture. The crispy puffed rice certainly helped negate some of my disappointment.
Watermelon Salad: Chili, mint, basil, sambal vinaigrette $ 7.50
My friend and I loved this salad. We called it our «palette cleanser». I almost feel like this salad should be mandatory (minus the onions-​oh how I hate onions). This is a perfect dish to eat in-​between plates due to its fresh and clean taste.
Full review here: