“We are impressed about Toronto.”

What at first seemed a generous compliment from Miho Hatori about our fair city, turned into a hilarious rant about Toronto being home to the most expensive Pad Thai in the world — and from a sport’s bar, no less.

“Seventeen fucking dollars!” she chided while her Cibo Matto band mate, Yuka Honda, beamed ear-to-ear.

The New York City based electro-alt-hip-hoppers were in town as part of a their “Yeah Basically Cibo Matto” reunion tour, and staying true to their food-thematic dance tunes had an impressive crowd at Lee’s Palace eating out of their hands. Even if their lyrics are a bit on the corny side (pun intended), there is no denying the infectious nature of their bass heavy melodies. Tunes such as “Birthday Cake,” “Know Your Chicken,” and “BBQ” received enthusiastic applause from fans and had bodies bouncing despite the baking temperature inside the club.

Cibo Matto’s sound transcends a multitude of musical genres, including dancehall, dub and reggae, electro house, and hip-hop. During several of their songs, I couldn’t help but mentally compare them to a female version of the Beastie Boys, so it came as little surprise to learn later they have significant ties to the Beastie Boy’s record label, Grand Royal.

With the help of a drummer and a bass/keyboard player, who joined the ladies on stage midway through the set, Cibo Matto played new material including the very catchy “Check In.” The extra instrumentation added a complimentary layer of depth and richness to the music.

Before ending the show, Cibo Matto announced plans to release a new record in the near future, and much to the delight of the fans, a promise to return to Toronto as well.