What’s the deal with the Nova Scotia donair?

Last week, first-time restaurateur Neil Dominey opened The Fuzz Box, a Danforth shop that could be the first in Toronto to specialize in Nova Scotia-style donairs. Yes, Nova Scotia has a very distinctive donair, and whatever you do, don’t call it a shawarma. These gooey, meaty, awesomely trashy wraps were recently put in the limelight when Geoff Hopgood started making and serving them at Hopgood’s Foodliner.

Dominey (lead guitarist and vocalist with his band The Fuzz, after whom the shop is named) wants to give native East Coasters a taste of what they had when they were back home. We caught up with Dominey to find out what, exactly, separates these beefy wraps from the pack.  

  1. It’s all about the sauce. Nova Scotians like to have their donairs drenched in an obnoxiously sweet sauce made with evaporated or condensed milk. At The Fuzz Box, Dominey makes his sauce with evaporated milk, sugar, garlic powder and vinegar.
  2. Hold the pickles. To enjoy your wrap like a true Haligonian, the only toppings you need are diced raw onions and tomatoes. If your wrap includes pickled turnips, purple cabbage, lettuce or tabbouleh, you’re eating a shawarma. 
  3. This ain’t gyro meat. Dominey makes his own donair meat with lean ground beef that’s mixed with spices, like cayenne, and breadcrumbs, which holds it all together. The spicy meat combined with the super-sweet sauce is key, he says. Traditionally, the meat is cooked on a rotisserie, which Dominey is looking to incorporate in the future (currently, he roasts it and sears it on a flat-top).
  4. Bust out the tuxedo. Presentation is important. At The Fuzz Box, donairs are served wrapped in foil with a tuxedo-like collar, which leaves one end open.
  5. A dry wrap doesn’t cut it. Shawarmas and gyros are normally wrapped in a dry pita. Not so with this beast. Nova Scotian donairs are wrapped in warm, moist pitas. The Fuzz Box moistens its pita with water, then grills it for a few seconds. This extra step helps the wrap hold together under the barrage of sickly-sweet sauce.

The Fuzz Box, 1246 Danforth Ave., 416-769-1432

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