Nota Bene
Posted on July 27, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Entertainment District
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(6 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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5 stars
- Beautifully modern and discerning, Nota Bene provides the perfect setting for special occasions and casual dining alike. What makes the experience at Nota Bene so incredible is the total lack of pretense in a restaurant that could easily come across as pompous, and still attract a devoted clientele.
You might find yourself dining with a local politician or celebrity, and a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary, all in the same place. The price is accessible, the quality of the food impeccable, and the service instant without being overwhelming.
We started the evening with Chef David’s lobster tacos and the margarita fiesta specials. The lobster tacos were served in a lettuce shell, with a chipotle cream, veggies and cilantro ($8). They tasted like something you would find in a great coastal city, and not at all heavy. The lobster special is a great way to settle in to a long evening of wonderful food. The margaritas were phenomenal, served on the rocks with Avion tequila. We tried a couple of the cocktails and loved “Chef David’s” traditional margarita with smoked sea salt. The blueberry and pine tips margarita sounds like a bit of an odd marriage, but worked so wonderfully together that we ordered another.
For appetizers we started with the Hamachi ceviche, which is a yellowtail Pacific fish, infused with coriander, lime, avocado, and jalapeño ($16). This dish came highly recommended by our server, and was absolutely worth the hype. The jalapeños offered a very spicy take on the dish, tempered by the avocado and lime.
Next we tried the cavatelli pasta, with a truffle-scented mushroom Bolognese ($16). This dish was surprisingly soft and creamy without any cheese in it, and the truffle mushrooms were divine. We also had the crisp duck salad with sumac green papaya slaw and cashews ($15), and although I am self-admittedly duck averse, I am told it was perfectly crispy and flavourful, and ending up being the favourite appetizer of the evening for my companion.
For our mains we ordered two Nota Bene favourites. I went with the wild Digby sea scallops with avocado purée, Thai curry paste, mango, papaya and peanut salad ($28). For such a tropical sounding dish, the scallops actually had a very Canadian East coast feel to them, the avocado puree adding a creamy compliment to the scallops. Nota Bene specializes in preparing excellent seafood, and I would absolutely come back for this dish again.
We also tried the braised beef short rib with corn truffle, pickled red onions, queso añejo and coriander ($29). The short ribs were tender, succulent and combined with the sharp taste of the queso añejo and the acidity of the pickled red onion, they were layered with flavour and flat out delicious.
With dinner, we ordered a glass of Ontario Pinot Noir and an Argentinean Malbec. The wine list at Nota Bene is extensive, with the full spectrum of bottles, ranging from the $70 to several hundred.
For dessert we sampled sticky toffee pudding ($12) and S’More ice cream ($10). Needless to say, the sampling turned into finishing. Both desserts were exploding with flavour, the pudding a great combination of traditional pecan praline and spotted dick ice cream, taken with a strong espresso; this is dessert to die for. The S’More ice cream was a fun take on the campfire favourite, with a chocolate and graham cracker crumble.
Go try Nota Bene, twice. Once to become familiar with all that this brilliantly conceived restaurant has to offer and then a second time to cement the relationship in your black book of regular haunts. Service, quality and ambience are all top rate, yet you still feel the passion Nota Bene has for creating a wonderful experience and forming personal relationships with its guests.
See you there…
- Janine
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barchef
Posted on January 8, 2012 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Trinity Bellwoods
3 stars
- barchef. The name still induces salivating of Pavlovian proportion in me and the likewise shuddering of my wallet.
My girlfriend and I decided a random Monday was cause for celebration and thus a trip to barchef. I say ‘we’ decided, but it was really more her call. Had it been up to me and my budget, we would have been throwing back bottles of 50 at Java Café across the street, where coincidentally enough I took my own mother the next day (still waiting for my Daughter of the Year award).
Upon entering I had to allow my pupils to dilate to cartoonish levels to see my way to a leather couch at which point our waitress appeared dramatically from a cloud of smoke to bring us the drink menu.
Drinks at barchef are more than just that, and a quick glance at the menu makes it obvious. They are delicious science experiments created with ingredients like elderflower, rasped cinnamon, bohemian absinthe, salted butter, and black truffle snow. You won’t find a rye and ginger or rum and coke here. Don’t even ask.
The menu is divided into four sections: punch bowls, sipping, sweet & sour, and molecular. Apparently there used to be something of a “recession menu” with $8 drinks, but I guess because our economy is doing so great these days (???) drinks now start around the $13 mark. This was how much my Four-Seven-Two put me back. Made with bullet bourbon, cola bitters, fresh lime, muddled mint and mint syrup, despite its differences it tasted akin to a Mojito, with a little extra oomph. I wish this came in a punch bowl and that it was socially acceptable enough for me to drink a whole one to myself from my lap and through a straw. As it was, I just made it last as long as possible.
My date went with the Tequila Sunset (the night owl counterpart to the Sunrise version) which was heavy on the cherry and tasted a bit too herbal and medicinal for my liking, but she disagreed. To be honest, after plonking down the better part of $20 for a single drink, saying you like it even if you don’t might be a self-preservation technique. It should also be mentioned for those partial to cherry that this particular drink is no longer on the menu but has been replaced by another more seasonal option, as is what happens at barchef.
The aforementioned smoky haze is owed to the molecular drink menu selections and the bartender’s zest for smoked hickory. That combined with the birch tree printed wallpaper made us feel not unlike we were camping, and it was nice until the smoke reached white rabbit proportions and we were choking on it. Methinks the $45 vanilla smoked Manhattan was a popular choice that night.
The stars I’ve given are attributed to the drinks themselves as I wasn’t a huge fan of the ambience. It was very sexy indeed with all the prerequisites of a trendy hotspot; black velvet curtains, plush leather couches, a giant block of ice astride the bar chipped at request, and lighting so dim it’s difficult to read the menus (note: holding them up to the tealight candles only helps until the menu starts to catch on fire…thank goodness the place is already smoky enough that my contribution went unnoticed), but I felt a tad underdressed and like I was missing a fedora or an ironic moustache.
Although sardonic me could find a lot to poke fun of at barchef such as the drinks listing ‘beach essence’ and ‘green olive air’ as their ingredients, what looks cliché on paper, is delicious in a glass, and I will return. I can no longer drink a plain old mixed drink in this city. Not even a good one. Damn you barchef.
- Rebecca
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Guu Izakaya
Posted on November 23, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Downtown
5 stars
- Have you ever walked into a restaurant and thought to yourself, “Well, this is going to be different”? It’s an exciting feeling that doesn’t happen all that often; but, walking into Guu Izakaya on Church St., I was definitely overcome by that thought. Everyone who enters and exits gets a loud greeting and goodbye from the entire staff. A bit overwhelming, but it certainly sets the tone for your evening. The place is an absolute nuthouse in the best possible way.
That evening, my two companions and I were lucky enough to get seats within a few minutes upon arriving, a rare feat as I understand it. Guu features communal dining, with long tables that seat around 15 – 20 people, as well as seats at the bar where you can watch the chefs work. There is a two-hour time limit for diners and often a 1-2 hour wait for a seat. If you can, go early or prepare to cool your heels for a while. I promise you that it will be worth it.
My friends had been to Guu before so they did the bulk of the ordering. They chose the best dishes they’d had before and also took cues from our tablemates who’d ordered some fascinating fare. The menu is set up tapas-style, a fantastic way to sample all sorts of delicious creations. We ordered eight dishes for the three of us which was just about right and all were quite reasonably priced.
The first to arrive was the decidedly (and awesomely) decadent deep-fried brie served with a mango and blueberry sauce. The four pyramid-shaped morsels were golden and crispy on the outside and gooey, rich deliciousness on the inside. Like, eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head-good. Next up: the salmon sashimi. Melt in your mouth greatness. It’s one of those simple dishes that really sings based on the merits of great, high quality ingredients.
On to the bacon-wrapped scallops and enoki mushrooms. Holy. Smokes. Bacon-wrapped anything is a winner in my books but here the contrasting textures played against each other so beautifully. Paired with the salty pork, the sweet scallop and earthy mushrooms, this dish was so good that it was tempting to cancel the rest of our order and have nothing but this for the rest of the night.
The beef carpaccio was placed before our wide eyes next and it was a lovely, bright contrast to the richness of the dish before. Served with with ponzu, wasabi, mayo & garlic chips, this rare beef was light and, somehow, refreshing. It was nice to have a lighter bite after the richness of the scallops before.
It was at this point in our meal that I noticed a crowd of waiters pause from their constant, frenetic activity. Then I spotted a server with a slice of cake with a candle in it. Guu’s birthday celebrations put Chuck E. Cheese to shame. Not only did the wait staff lead the entire restaurant in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday”, encouraging everyone to clap and sing along, but even the insanely busy chefs joined in. At one point, they had the lights flickering on and off. Utter celebrational pandemonium and it was amazing.
Once the place had settled down a little (to be clear, Guu is the least settled place on the planet), the strangest creation of the evening appeared at our table. It was roughly the size of a softball, deep-fried and had a wooden knife protruding from the centre. We wracked our brains trying to figure out if we had actually ordered it, decided we hadn’t and dug in anyways. What it turned out to be was a Japanese scotch egg with a layer of pureed pumpkin surrounding a hard-boiled egg. While I was skeptical initially – I’m not a big pumpkin fan, much to the horror of many of my friends – the combination of the creamy pumpkin, rich egg, crispy exterior and tangy sauce was downright addictive. We just about scraped the plate without chopsticks long after other dishes had been cleared away.
When the spare ribs arrived, it was all I could do to refrain from gobbling them all up myself. The marinated beef was tender and salty, having surely been marinated for quite some time. If you’re a fan of spare ribs, these are a can’t-miss.
The final dishes of the night were the decadent, baked oysters and the light, miso-glazed black cod. We ordered the oysters because we saw them arrive for another group at our table and they looked so unique! Kind of a twist on oysters Rockefeller, they’re served with spinach and mushrooms, smothered in a potent mayo-garlic sauce and topped with melted cheese…all in a giant shell. This was a thing of glorious, messy beauty. The mushrooms nestled in there made for an umami bomb of a bite. Definitely give this one a shot, my friends. It’s weird and tasty and I’ve never seen it anywhere else.
Not only was this one of the best meals I’ve had all year, it was by far and away the most fun. Unquestionably, the company helped but the atmosphere at Guu is like none other. It’s not the place to go for a quiet, intimate dinner; it’s the place to go when you want to try innovative, playful and truly remarkable dishes at a pretty reasonable cost. The place is positively brimming with excitement and energy. I can’t wait to go back and try all the dishes I missed on the first go ’round.
- Carolyn
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Butcher by Nature
Posted on May 25, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Runnymede Village
5 stars
- My chicken lived a healthy, happy life. She was lovingly cared for, allowed to roam the yard, and fed fresh corn and barley. How do I know? The other day I was going to my neighbourhood grocery store to buy a whole chicken. You know the type of bird I mean. It sits in those refrigerated, glass boxes at the back of the store; the only indication it was ever a chicken at all is the familiar sight of wings and breast meat. As its lifeless body sits there, I can’t ever imagine this thing having feathers, breathing, living. Truth be told, buying that chicken is a mostly unceremonious experience that people rarely give a second thought to.
But something spectacular happened to me that day. I didn’t buy that chicken; I didn’t even get to the grocery store. On my way there, I noticed the Butcher by Nature storefront, and I felt compelled to check it out and see what all this ‘By Nature’ business was all about.
Butcher by Nature gives life to that lifeless chicken. Much like purchasing pedigree, the butcher and owner, Frank, knew all about my chicken and all the other chickens he was selling for that matter. He knew the farmers personally, and he knew that they were passionate about raising animals. He spoke proudly about the pesticide-free and natural-focused environment the farmers raised their livestock in. Clearly, this is a different kind of eating.
The shop is fairly small, but truly cozy, and the store is classic with more butchery area than retail shop. The retail area has shelves lined with locally-sourced dry products, like jams and honey, and fridges lined with locally-sourced meat products, like duck and eggs. Butcher by Nature also has a passionate, knowledgeable owner. Actually, forget that last bit; calling Frank knowledgeable is an understatement. The art and science of butchery is seemingly ingrained in his bones. Much like those chicken’s proud lineage, Frank was raised to do butchery.
Pesticide-free, hormone-void, locally-sourced meats, combined with an experienced owner and a pleasant store-front is what Butcher by Nature is all about. And of course, they’re not limited to just chickens. They carry quite a large variety of meat including duck, venison, pork, and beef; all of it butchered and prepared in a bunch of different ways.
Fear not. Eating all this organic natural stuff isn’t for just the rich. In fact, most of the products at Butcher by Nature are actually reasonably priced. In most cases, you can expect to pay just a few bucks more than you would at the neighbourhood grocery store. That, combined with the absolute passion surrounding what they carry makes it an easy choice for meat. Even if you’re not in the area, Butcher by Nature is worth the trip.
So, if you think that chickens, or most other animals for that matter, magically end up in refrigerated, glass boxes at the back of a grocery store, then you owe it to yourself to check out Butcher by Nature because when it comes to meat, it’s all about where it comes from.
- Andre
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Nuthouse
Posted on April 30, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Bloordale
4 stars
- If the word ‘bulk’ conjers up images of dusty old ethnic shop food bins or soulless Bulk Barns, then you need to check out Nuthouse for a second opinion. Sitting in a little space out in the Bloor and Lansdowne, Nuthouse has established itself with Blansdowne locals as the best place around to pick up all sorts of interesting products.
First thing you’ll notice about Nuthouse is that it smells good…it smells really good…it smells like an incredibly nice mix of high-quality nuts, cereals, grains, teas, dried fruit, lentils, dried fruit, spices, cake, and coffee. It’s a smell that right away makes you feel comfortable and assures you that what you’re getting is filled with quality. Don’t expect to see the typical bulk fare with hundreds of bins full of overly processed and mass-produced stuff; you’re in the wrong place for that sorta thing. Nuthouse is full of nothing but always high quality and sometimes organic products.
Ok. That might not be the very first thing you notice. Chances are, if you’re walking down Bloor looking for this place, or even if you’re not looking for it, the first thing you’ll notice won’t even be inside the store; it’ll be the big, plastic walnut hanging above the front doorway. That big walnut has become somewhat of a landmark item on this stretch of Bloor, even though they’ve only been in business for a few months.
Nuthouse isn’t just about nuts. They carry all sorts of things, from organic candy and fair-trade coffee to raw cereals and handmade soap. And its healthy too. A lot of the stuff they carry is the sugar-free, vegan, raw, organic type of stuff, which makes it a super option for more health conscious people. And if you have dietary restrictions, Nuthouse has got you covered too with tons of gluten and wheat free products, like their spiced carrot cake. If that’s your bag and you live in the area, you no longer need to travel far to get these kinda things.
Personally, when I think of organic or locally-sourced or handmade or any other related adjective used to describe stuff in a store like this, I unfortunately also think expensive. At Nuthouse though, that really isn’t the case. The prices are actually fairly down-to-earth and mostly afforable. In fact, a lot of the products they sell are actually cheaper than the bulk stuff you find at No Frills, with an obvious element of quality you may not find at bigger places.
Wanting to try out interesting varieties of stuff you already love, like lentils or rice or yes, even nuts? Nuthouse has got you covered. They carry a ton of different kinds, some of which you probably didn’t even know existed. And that brings up one of the best things about buying in bulk in a place like this: you can buy in smaller amounts purely just because you want to try something. Buying in bulk doesn’t have to be about being able to get more for less, it’s about being able to also get, well, just less. The fact that Nuthouse just happens to make it also affordable is just the icing on the organic carrot cake.
- Andre
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Prairie Girl Bakery
Posted on April 20, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Downtown
4 stars
- Cupcakes have reached a point of utmost popularity in the world of baked goods. Why are people flocking to these brightly coloured, frosted, palm-sized desserts? Well, I’m sure there is some greater social commentary to be made here about a reversion to childhood or a need for comfort foods in our over-stressed, over-worked lives, but, in the case of Prairie Girl Bakery, it’s just simply that they taste so darn good!
Walking into Prairie Girl Bakery is almost like entering a fine clothing store – everything is placed just so. The whole space is pristinely clean and clear of clutter; literally nothing exists except a counter and back-wall display. The cupcakes are kept safely behind the employees, lined up row by row waiting to be selected and boxed up. All of the focus is on their one and only product. There is no time wasted on brewing coffee, serving tea, or making sandwiches. Everything comes down to one thing: the cake and the icing.
When I first walked into the store, I thought I made a mistake. I went in to grab a dozen cupcakes for a work function and was shocked at the lack of merchandise on the shelves. I had to ask, “was I supposed to pre-order before coming in?” Not at all. They just take extra care to provide the freshest product possible, promising never to serve a “day-old cupcake.” So, baking in big batches to keep the shelves stocked to the brim all day is out of the question. The team at Prairie Girl Bakery prides itself on being resourceful and limiting waste; they even take any leftover cupcakes to a local charitable organization, Toronto’s Second Harvest, that is dedicated to providing realistic solutions to hunger. Are cupcakes a necessity for a charitable food organization? Of course not, but why not give where you can and provide something a bit more luxurious than canned food to those in need.
The cupcakes come in two sizes, 13 flavours, and an array of beautiful colours. You won’t find any unneeded extras here, like (in)edible sugar flower toppings disguising an otherwise delectable treat. The cakes are simple and the swirls of icing are in the spotlight on top of light bases. The range of flavours include peanut butter banana, red velvet with classic cream cheese icing, chocolate-chocolate, chocolate-vanilla, chocolate-hazelnut, chocolate cake with peppermint icing, and my ultimate favourite, chocolate cake with strawberry icing. The strawberry colour was fairly mute, but the flavour was intense. Even more impressive was that the chocolate cake didn’t overpower the icing or vice versa. Each deep flavour perfectly complemented the other.
A dozen mini-cupcakes come in at $18.95 and one dozen regular size at $31.95. My gluttonous side will only order the mini cupcakes from now on, allowing me to eat two or three different flavours in one sitting. However, there is something supremely gorgeous about the sight of one of their regular sized cupcakes sitting in it’s very own container (complete with viewing window) waiting only for you.
Want to feel a little less guilty about completely indulging in these sinfully tasty treats? Prairie Girl Bakery’s dedication to remaining as all-natural as possible streams throughout the whole operation. Not only do they use recyclable cardboard packaging, but they are absolutely free of preservatives, artificial flavours, and hydrogenated or “trans” fats. I’d say that’s mostly healthy eating.
On one final note, I have to say that I love the mythology around this place. The story is that Prairie Girl Bakery’s creator, Jean Blacklock, learned all she knew from her family back on her Saskatchewan farm. She eventually left a career in law to bring that down home prairie, old fashioned baking to us city-dwellers. I don’t think there could possibly be more charm or more beauty in the simplicity of what Prairie Girl Bakery is and what they produce.
- Nicole
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Tea Blendz
Posted on April 6, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction
5 stars
- There sure are a lot of tea places showing up nowadays, especially since the monstrous success of David’s Tea. Say what you will about that corporate beast, but in my opinion, David’s Tea has had a firm hand in pushing tea into the hands of mainstream Toronto. So, in a market on its way to becoming pretty heavily saturated, what’s Tea Blendz doing to differentiate themselves? Plenty…
First off, it’s not a corporate beast. It’s a little boutique shop owned by Khadija, an incredibly nice person whose passion for all things tea-related is almost contagious. That feeling of non-corporateness runs throughout the experience at Tea Blendz. Khadija is easily approachable, encourages you to ask questions, and is obviously passionate about the stuff she’s selling. Not to say that the staff at those corporate places aren’t passionate, but at Tea Blendz, it just seemed more honest.
They also have a pretty kick-ass teaspresso machine–one of the only ones in Toronto right now I’m told. Basically, it allows them to quick-press loose-leaf tea rather then steep it. That means you can get it faster and cleaner, and the whole process is under more control of the brewer rather than being at the mercy of the boiling water. Your tea will still take a few minutes, but those few minutes can easily be spent talking to the warm and pleasant staff. In fact, I ended up staying and chatting about tea and the neighbourhood for far longer than those few minutes that my tea was pressed.
Using the teaspresso machine, Tea Blendz also brews up some pretty amazing tea lattes. Khadija claimed they were the best in the city, and I can’t say I’d disagree with her. While I’m self-admittedly not a tea or tea latte expert by any means, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I could definitely see myself going out of my way to enjoy another one.
Khadija works with local tea blenders to come up with a lot of her blends. They have plenty of classic flavours, like Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Bourbon Street Vanilla, and some of that are hers and the blenders creation, like Chocolate Mint Delight, Root Beer Rooibos, and Sweet Pumpkin Spice. Despite being pressed and not steeped, the subtle flavours that the tea descriptions promised were still prevalent. I also picked up on a slight sweetness, which amazingly highlighted the even subtler flavours in the tea. All-in-all, I’d sort of equate it to wine-tasting; after tasting it, discussing the tea and its flavours seemed almost natural.
Khadija mentioned that there’s a growing trend in food and tea pairing. Because of that, I wondered if she planned on offering any food at some point, which right now she doesn’t. I don’t mean sitting down and eating a club sandwich and fries, but a small, one-bite of something that was specifically made just to be paired with a particular tea would certainly have been interesting. But Tea Blendz just opened a month ago, so things aren’t yet set in stone.
All-in-all, I had a great chat with Khadija. I learned some stuff, and I even left with a few bags of tea. I brought home a bag of Chocolate Mint Delight and the Sweet Pumpkin Spice, and at 5 bucks for 50 grams, I left feeling pretty good about buying it.
So if you’re in the neighbourhood, this honest-to-goodness, non-corporate boutique shop is definitely worth checking out and supporting. Even if you’re not in the neighbourhood, it’s worth the drive if you want to learn more about tea and if you appreciate truly nice customer service.
- Andre
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Coffee Tree
Posted on January 5, 2011 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Bloor West Village
4 stars
- Coffee Tree has some seriously outstanding coffee. I guess they should. They tout themselves as being Toronto’s first onsite roastery–since 1988. Despite all that time, it’s not a colossal roasting operation. In fact, it’s a small machine in the front window of the shop, but that’s part of the appeal of this place: fair-trade coffee roasted onsite, in small batches, right in front of your eyes.
As it becomes available, Coffee Tree scrawls all of their different roasts and blends of contrasting kinds of beans on a chalkboard near the front entrance. Some of these blends and roasts change from time-to-time; others are Coffee Tree’s signatures. On any given day, you can find Casa Primi, Sensuous Morning, Tuscany, and Millionaire’s Mixture; some of their well-known signatures. Other days, you can find blends created exclusively for that week or month.
Regardless of what you choose, this coffee is superb, roasted perfectly, and balanced. Sip it slowly, and you’ll definitely find complexity. There’s the perfect blend of sweet and savoury and none of the unpleasant bitterness you’d expect from other coffee shop brews.
But it ain’t all coffee at Coffee Tree. They’ve got a surprisingly detailed food menu, considering it’s a coffee joint. From breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to French toast, sandwiches, and empanadas, they’ve got something for whatever time of day you go. They’ve also got a chilled dessert fridge featuring in-house made desserts, which includes what they call–and I’m inclined to agree–the World’s Best Carrot cake. If you’re there, give it an unregrettable try.
The shop layout is the typical long narrow space of most Toronto street-level businesses, and unfortunately, their furniture and decorating ideas aren’t much of a help. Despite having unforgettable coffee, the space makes the experience of drinking it feel closed off. They do, however, support local art by featuring a local artist’s work on their walls for sale, and that certainly is a plus, but when I was there, the art wasn’t something I was particularly captivated by; but I’m told it changes. All this place really needs a little reno, and it would be near perfect, or at least get 5 stars in my review.
Despite the poor decor choice, they still roast some brilliant coffee. Even if you’re not in the neighbourhood, it’s worth the trip.
- Andre
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Sweet Flour Bake Shop
Posted on December 22, 2010 by TOFoodReviews Staff in Bloor West Village
4 stars
- Sweet Flour bakeshop is a tremendously original idea. It’s a custom bakeshop in Bloor West Village that revolves primarily around the cookie. Their website lays out their philosophy best: there is nothing quite like a cookie just out of the oven. That cookie, just out of the oven, and the experience that goes along with its creation, is exactly what Sweet Flour is all about. I say ‘revolves primarily around the cookie’ because although your perfect cookie is their goal, they don’t stop at cookies. Everything from homemade granola to muffin tops and ice cream sandwiches to gingerbread is there for you to claim and customize as your own. For me, Sweet Flour delivers the experience of one of my best-remembered childhood memories: watching cookies bake through the oven window and patiently waiting for them to cool just enough to eat.
So what exactly does it mean to ‘customize’ cookies? At Sweet Flour, it means you’re in charge of what’s getting made. It all starts by picking what you want to bake. You can choose muffin or cookie batter, and from a couple variations of either of those, but your best bet is probably the classic cookie. It’s perfectly sweet with hint of vanilla and butter. From there you decide what you want in the cookie; trust me, it won’t be an easy decision to make. There are tons of different treats ranging from chunks of chocolate to crunchy nuts to soft dried fruits. You get a choice of two. Then they mix it, form it, and bake it ultra fast. Your cookie is perfectly hot and baked and in your hands in about two minutes.
Sweet Flour doesn’t just stop at custom cookies. They also cater parties with baked goods, bake and decorate custom cookies for events, do cookiegram deliveries, and even package their cookies into kid’s loot bags.
One thing is made perfectly clear from the minute you walk in until the minute you step out the door; these people care about quality. Everything in use seems fresh and high grade. From the glass bottled locally source milk to the fair-trade coffee to those incredible cookie ingredients, all of it seems to be bought with both quality and you in mind. A rare outlook nowadays when everything seems to be about the bottom line.
The aspect about Sweet Flour I immediately noticed is that their space has expansion written all over it. I’m sure this is the only one, but the layout, decorating, even the logo, all of it made it feel strangely familiar, like I was somehow used to it. This place definitely screams franchise, and I wouldn’t be shocked to eventually see one downtown, at the mall, even at the airport. While that certainly isn’t a bad thing for the business, I personally felt as though it sort of takes away from the connection to my childhood feeling.
I know there are a couple more places in Toronto that do the same sort of custom cookie experience that Sweet Flour does, but I’m not sure who did it first. The only thing I can say is that I’ve been to Sweet Flour twice, and both times it was a pretty good experience from start to finish. However, although the cookie does come out hot, fresh, and made to order, it did cost almost 8 bucks for two of them and a glass of milk. Seems a little steep to me, but as a treat, it’s nearly perfect.
- Andre
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Junction Fromagerie
Posted on December 15, 2010 by TOFoodReviews Staff in The Junction
4 stars
- Living in the Junction and relying on transit can make for a lack of choices when it comes to food, particularly stuff that’s considered artisanal. While that may have been true a few years ago, boy-oh-boy, the times are changing. Those of us living in the neighbourhood awhile have seen its dynamic (albeit slow) change, particularly when it comes to food; but in the Junction’s ever-expanding food landscape, a few places are setting the stage. Enter the Junction Fromagerie.
Junction Fromagerie is sitting non-coincidentally right next to Delight, a chocolate shop that’s perhaps known in the neighbourhood more for their ice cream than their handmade chocolate. Both Delight and Junction Fromagerie are brain-childs of the same people, Jennifer Rashleigh & Jeff Brown, and the association is obvious as far as quality goes. While Delight doesn’t have any cheese, they do have a uniquely flavoured and way-better-than-it-sounds Quebec blue cheese ice cream. Soft and creamy with an exacting amount of high-quality blue cheese, it’s obviously well crafted and surprisingly tasty.
What makes the Junction Fromagerie different from the handful of other cheese specialty shops in Toronto is their strict direction to Canadian products; they only carry Canadian cheeses, local and artisanal mind you, but Canadian nonetheless. They’re also particularly partial to Ontario cheeses. Their in-house made butter, crackers, and croustinis, in conjunction with those small-batch and locally sourced cheeses, make them a worthy underdog in an increasingly competitive business.
The Junction Fromagerie brings with it some old-world charm, and at first walk-in, you may mistake it for a boutique fromage on a quiet Paris street. Big-frame bay window and a creaky wood-laid floor set the space. Besides that, the whole store is fairly nondescript other than the front case brightly displaying their cheeses.
Don’t know your Comtomme from your Bleu de la Moutonndere? No worries! Not only is the staff knowledgeable and the cheese labeled and explained, but the Junction Fromagerie also offers cheese tastings and pairings that not only teach you about the cheese they carry, but also inspire you to be a bit more adventurous in your cheese selections. Although these tastings aren’t a regularly occurring event, they do happen. Their Stone’s Throw Cheese and WIne Pairing event, which was created with the folks at Stone’s Throw Winery, sold out super quick.
The appearance of Junction Fromagerie signals more than just beautiful cheese being available in the Junction. It also serves as an important reminder that when it comes to food, the Junction is fast becoming a neighbourhood that is known for quality.
- Andre
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