Author Archives: markaaronpolger

PearTree Restaurant

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507 Parliament Street
(416) 962 8190

Located right in the heart of Cabbagetown, this place serve a traditional brunch as well as a first-rate Eggs Benedict, all priced under ten dollars. Although a small menu, they also serve a medley of items ranging from fish to stir fry’s to steak. They have a back terrace and next to the patio is a terrific little solarium, which gives a summertime feel 12 months of the year. If you arrive before 2:30pm, you can enjoy their complimentary blueberry coffee cake, which are made that day and are excellent. I ordered the vegetarian stir fry which had a lot of vegetables. The dish was $8.95 and came with cashews (hold the rice) and it was supposed to come with tofu but I could not find it. 😦

My dish was drowning in sweet Schezuan sauce which was kind of slimy and gross. I still loved my stir fry. Other than that, I could not find any other vegetarian dishes. My two friends had a “I want it all breakfast” with sausages, eggs, home fries, a small side order of fruit salad, peameal bacon, pancakes, and toast- all for $12.95. He said he loved it. My other friend had smaller version of this breakfast, called the TTC breakfast. It had much of the same things (eggs, side order of fruit salad, toast, sausage, home fries, peameal bacon) but without the pancakes. My friends claimed that both breakfasts were excellent and they loved the fluffy pancakes and non-greasy sausages.

Desserts are available and they appear lovely. About 15 cakes and pieces to choose from. According to another review of this place, rumour has it that these wonderful decadent desserts are purchased from an outside source.

Decor is cosy and simple with exposed brick on each side of the restaurant, two distinct dining areas, and big spacious tables. There is a lot of great artwork on the walls and the whole ambiance of the place is non-pretentious and prices are normal ($7.95-$9.95) for most dishes.

Kalendar

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546 College Street West
(416) 923-4138

Located right in the heart of Little Italy, at College near Grace, this wonderful cafe and bistro can be described as very “Toulouse-Lautrec”. Kalendar resembles a scene from the movie Moulin Rouge or the setting of some of Annie Lennox music videos. When you enter this place, you go back in time to an old 1880’s cafe.

The place is gorgeous with lots of varnished mahogney or oak furniture, an old bar with a large assortment of wines, liquors, and mixed drinks. There are two disinct dining halls separated by this central bar, which acts as the hub of the restaurant. One dining hall is quite small. It contains about 7 tables and the bar resides on this side. The other dining hall looks like an old fashioned restaurant with many more tables. The kitchen is in the basement so you never see them cooking. The menu is very limited and I would describe the cuisine of funky Indian or Fusion or Italian. They mostly have Indian cuisine but they also serve some Italian dishes like pizza and pasta and Belgium fare like mussels.
On this two page menu, I ordered a scroll number two. This scroll was essentially a wrap made of Roti (like Chapati or Poori or Nan bread) with hummus, grilled peppers, grilled artichokes, grilled eggplant, and herbed mayonnaise (hold the Mayonnaise- yuck!)

My friend ordered Scroll one which was a chicken variety with some vegetables. Both our scrolls came in two sizes ($8.95 small and $12.95 large) and we ordered the larges sizes with a vegetable salad with a balsamic viniagrette.

I ordered a Diet Coke for a drink and he ordered some dark beer that looked like Coke. Tables are small and people are kind of squashed together in the smaller dining room. I did take a look at the large dining room and it was beautiful. With art on the walls, dim lighting, mahogney or cherry wood furniture and wood panelling, this place was definitely the place to be on a Saturday night.

The only problem was that the menu was so little. It seems that they only have trendy funky Indian cuisine with a couple of Italian dishes (well, this place is in Little Italy, right?)

7 West

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7 Charles
416.928.9041

7 West is located on 7 Charles street, on three floors of an old converted Victorian home, with hardwood floors, exposed brick, and a fireplace. It’s just one block south of the Yonge/Bloor intersection. They serve many vegetarian meals and the prices are really affordable for what you get. The drinks are expensive, though. Never go on a Saturday night because this calm, cool, funky, hip cafe becomes a busy, crowded cheesy bar with macho guys with way too much cologne and women who look like whores socialize and drink and the whole ambiance becomes all loud and resembles a bar- YUCK!

Go during a weeknight or during the day on the weekend. I usually order the vegetarian chili or the grilled vegetable sandwich with a lot of chick pea green salad. It’s colourful, fresh, and portions are decent. 🙂 My veggie chili was a bit liquidy, but it’s quite tasty and not expensive.

They also serve excellent salads, and light meals, desserts, and full course dinners. You get good quality food and good service. Just avoid going Friday and Saturday night.

7-West also serves brunch on the weekend. There is small one-pager, in addition to the menu, with traditional brunch fare with affordable prices. Drinks are bit high (Diet Coke for $3.00) but I had the granola with fruit and yogourt for $6.00 and my brunch date had eggs, peameal bacon, with a chick pea green salad and service, presentation, and quality of food was good.

Madras Durbar [closed Aug 2005- owner died]

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1435 Gerrard Street East
416-465-4116

Located right in Little India/ India Bazaar, this small restaurant has been reviewed in Now and Eye so Aaron and I thought we should check it out. Although I love Indian food and especially restaurants that say Indian Pure Vegetarian Restaurant, I am usually disappointed with South Indian cuisine.

I am not giving up on it though. I just find most of the dishes too soupy and saucy and not substantial enough for my large appetite. At this South Indian establishment, I chose the Thali dish, since it’s the most popular and largest dish (for the most value). My main meal was served on a metal circular dish with a lentil souo (daal), a coriander soup, a milky rice pudding with nutmeg/ginger/cloves dessert (yummy and spicy), a potato curry dish, a spinach curry dish, an vegetable curry dish, and another spicy soup with vegetables and beans.

My Thali plate was only $6.30 and seemed quite substantial. Instead of Naan bread of Chapati or Roti, it came with rice, pappadum, and poori (Fried roti, quite gross and greasy). Our Mango Lassis were the most enjoyable, thick and creamy. I enjoyed my meal immensely. The thali plate resembles a “tapas” –with little mini dishes. It’s great because you get to try many things all in sitting and it’s not filling like a yucky North Indian buffet. Food was very fresh, spicy ,and flavourful. Wait time was not too long. Waiter provided lots of fresh water.

Menu is 3 pages in length, first page has a list of about 10 entrees, all range in price from $2.75 – $7.00 and second page has a list of “savourys” which are appetizers that are not sweet. They are all around $2.00-$4.00. Sweets are at the back of the menu and there are the typical ones (Barfi, Kulfi, Ice Cream, Rice pudding) all reasonably priced between $2.75-$5.00.

To conclude, I thought my dish was very tasty but not filling enough. I am used to dining at North Indian establishments. I can appreciate the healthy 100% vegetarian selections and the smaller portions are much healthier than overloading at a buffet. I think the this place is one of the best places in Little India (Sidartha and Udupi Palace are runners up- New Haandhi, Famous Indian Cuisine, and Regency are yucky. )

It is small and cosy, warm and inviting, and not tacky or sterile like other restaurants on Gerrard street. I was also happy to see the 100% vegetarian menu. Those dishes are more filling and substantial and I was a little disappointed that my Thali plate came with 7 or 8 small portions of these dishes, most of them soups or dips or sauces for the rice or poori. The food is very different as the names of the curries are different too, but both North and South Indian cuisine are spicy, flavourful, and tasty, but I prefer North Indian. Cash and Interac and credit card accepted. Bathrooms are fair. I do not understand why each and every bathroom in these restaurants (I’ve been to most) are smelly and disgusting. Excellent prices, a no bullshit vegetarian establishment.

Only Cafe, The

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972 Danforth Ave.
phone number: 416-463-7843

I really like the vibe of this palce. The music is good, the walls are filled beyond belief with artwork, the lighting is dim, a nice variety in the beer selection, imported & domestic (bottled )the service is decent, & the food is good too.

I usually go for brunch, that seems to be a specialty of theirs. There is the standard eggs & meat combos, french toast, etc. & you get good portions. They are open to giving substitutions, which is helpful for fussbudgets like me who don’t eat eggs; I get them replaced with baked beans. Excellent! Thankfully, the waitstaff is honest & tells you when something that may seem vegetarian isn’t 100%.

I was pissed off at them for a while & would not go back for nearly a year – they are supposed to serve brunch until I forget what time, but I came in waaay before that I they decided to turn off the grill & stop serving early. I was mighty annoyed!

They only use the grill for brunch, so do not go later in the day hoping gfor a hot meal – you won’t get it. Best to go for brunch or drinks, you’ll be very satisfied.

Cafe Santropol

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 3990 rue St. Urbain, Montreal
Phone: (514) 842-3110

My favourite dining spot in Montreal, since i was 17. Located right in the heart of the Plateau at Duluth and Saint Urbain in the old part of the city, Santropol has been a unique cafe for the community since 1976.  Located on the main level of a colourful old greystone building, this “chain-free”, “non-corporate” Bohemian cafe serves coffees, teas, and mostly-vegetarian fare to an assortment of clientele, ranging from funky artists from the Plateau, yuppy families and their kids, students from McGill, Concordia, UQUAM, and UDM, as well as seniors, teenagers, and Joe-Schmo.

The place has been undergoing a “mainstreaming” process since the early 1990’s but the menu still has much of the same items . Prices have gone up slightly. Tea selection has steadily decreased over the last decade since this place has become more well known for its famous “overstuffed” sandwiches on molasses bread, garnished with a colourful assortment of fruit and vegetables.  

In addition to huge sandwiches,  Cafe Santropol makes funky salads, unique soups (many vegan ), vegetarian pies, and their classic vegetarian chili.

The place is dark, but has an urban, grungy, funky decor (recently Santropol has become more mainstream). Back when I lived in Montreal, I was a weekly visitor to Cafe Santropol. I went almost every Friday or Saturday night from 1993-1999. When I visit Montreal, I make it a priority to go for lunch or dinner.

They were known for their herbal teas, coffees, and milkshakes flavoured with a variety of specialty syrups (almond, maple, mint, peach, are among some of the choices) constitute the available nonalcoholic beverages.

Some of popular sandwiches featured at Cafe Santropol are: Midnight Spread (peanut butter, honey, cream and cottage cheese spread, nuts and raisins), Paspebiac (tuna, tomatoes, and creamcheese), Sweet Root (apples, nuts, coriander, grated carrots and raisins, mayo) Tomato sandwiches, my favourite Vege Pate, and the Saint Urbain Corner (honey, nuts, olives, cream and cottage cheese (can be ordered with ham or chicken). My favourite from my teens is No. 13- (banana, honey, cream and cottage cheese, blackcurrent jam).

Vegetarian pot pies come in three varieties: spinach, millet, sarrasin and olives. They are served hot with vegetable salad.

For lunch fare, the menu is identical, but there is an option of a half sandwich/half soup deal. This option is offered from Monday to Friday until 5pm. Eligible sandwiches have an asterix (*) beside them. They specialize in herbal tea blends, now available for sale at Boutique Santropol, along with T-shirts and posters. Some Santropol brand herbal tea blends include Curiosi Tea, Humani Tea, Hospitali Tea (I used to enjoy Materni Tea but it does not exist anymore). Other herbal tea blends include Lemon Zinger, Cranberry Coe, and Emperor’s Choice. Some drinks include soft drinks (Coke/7UP), Milk Shakes, Diabolo (soda water and choice of twenty flavoured syrups), Cafe de La Maison (coffee, whipped cream, and choice of twenty flavoured syrups).

 

The restaurant is spread across three little dining areas, plus a romantic, amazing back terace with a pond with real goldfish and several cats that run by, this place has been voted for years as the most romantic place to bring a date.

Sandwiches range from $7.95-$9.95 and come with vegetables and are quite thick. I used to order the vege pate sandwich for years. The bread is fresh and to die for but I do not eat it anymore. A main staple is the vegetarian chili and the salads are worth trying. The dressing is simply wonderful with a mysterious hint of avocado perhaps? One percent of the bill is sent to organizations that ease hunger in Qu颥c and developing nations. Santropol Roulant (A Meals on Wheels service) literally across the street on Duluth and serves as a meals on wheels service for Montreal’s poor. Takeout is available. Accepts all cards. Open late on the weekends

Golden Thai

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Golden Thai
105 Church
(416) 868-6668

 

Located right near Saint Lawrence Market, Corktown, the Village of York, and just south of the gay village, this place just sticks out because of its large ornate sign, located right at the corner of Church and Richmond. Inside, it’s even more ornate, bordering on kitsch. With decorative paintings, knick knacks, and other ephemera, it’s like stepping into Thailand. You really get a feel for the sights when you are immersed in photographs, art, and other paraphernalia of Thailand.

I was really impressed to find out that Golden Thai was very accomodating and respectful of vegetarians. It says it clearly on the first page of the menu. They claim that they are very aware of vegetarian’s needs and they know what is and what is not vegetarian.

In terms of seating arrangment, the restaurant is one big room, open concept, in one large dining hall. Some tables are round and some are rectangular and they are spaced out well and the place is not congested or crowded with people, unlike other places like Juice for Life, or Salad King.

Most dishes are between $8.95-$12.95 for entrees only. I ordered a tofu stir fry with cashews and it was fresh and simply wonderful. I asked for extra hot, as it was not an spicy dish to begin with. Food is fresh but portions are kind of small if you do not order rice. Next time I’ll order the Thai Eggplant. The menu is large and extensive and there are many vegetarian options. The waiter was very friendly and accomodating and my dinner companion (Wendy) would have liked to have him on the menu as she did fancy him. To conclude, I love the open concept, cathedral ceilings,wonderful service, appreciation to vegerarians, and the fact that they accept VISA, cash, and Interac.

New Haandi

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1401 Gerrard Street East
416-469-9696

 

Probably one of the best dinner buffets for $8.99. Located right in Little India/India Bazaar on Gerrard east between Greenwood and Coxwell, this place is both a lunch and dinner buffet and has a regular sit down and take out menu. Lunch buffet is $6.99 and dinner is $8.99. They have many vegetarian options (hooray!) like Bhartha (Eggplant), Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower), Vegetable curry with potatoes and peas, Channa Masala (chick peas with onions and tomato in a red/orange curry sauce), Dahl (Lentil curry), Saag Paneer (Spinach and cheese).

The buffet is large and food appeared fresh.

They also have a dessert buffet with many flavours of ice cream, barfi (orange sweet semolina flour dessert) and Gulab Jamum (deep fried dough balls in a sweet syrup). Ice cream flavours include Mango Tango, Chocolate, Strawberry, Butterscotch, Vanilla.

The buffet also serves many fresh vegetables and a traditional Indian salad with tomatoes, onions, and lettuce with a spicy vinegar- type chili dressing. VERY YUMMY!

They also serve wine and beer. Decor is slightly kitschy with tacky chairs, tables, and tablecloths but I was happy that it lacks the pretentiousness of most Indian restaurants have downtown. The actual restaurant is very spacious, one big dining room, with large tables that are far apart from each other. Now for the downside, the washrooms. Unfortunately the bathrooms are cold, smelly, and unkept. They are located in the dingy basement outside the main entrance of the restaurant. This means that anyone off the street can go to the bathroom without entering the enterior door of the restaurant.

To conclude, I loved the food, the ambiance was fair and it was refreshing to see many vegetarian options at such a damn good price. The hell with Indian restaurants in the downtown core who think they can charge an arm and a leg because most of the clientele are rich white people. I may be white but I am not a fool. I won’t pay a lot for a decent Indian dinner!

Lalot

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200 Bathurst Street
416-703-8222

 

On one wall of the minimalistic room is a portrait, blown up, of a Vietnamese family. Five pouting black and white children standing erect like planks of wood in the foreground, a man and a woman seated stiffly behind them. “That’s me, to the left,” gushes Sydney, tittering behind one hand. It has been less than a year since she opened Lalot north of Queen on Bathurst, a few doors beyond the dilapidated Oak Steam bathhouse with its “Men Only” scrawled across the window. Despite her eternal optimism, even Sydney acknowledges a dinner hitting the forty dollar mark (without alcohol) is a risky venture for a neighbourhood replete with goths, crack dealers and the odd homeless man circulating the tables for change.

Sydney exudes the artsiness of Queen West West in a La Coste turtle neck and a pair of sleek black-framed glasses, babbling on excitedly about Madonna’s English Roses, the excellent décor at Bymark (“yet all those suits, bleh, nobody interesting to schmooze with”), the produce at the new Pusateris up in Yorkville, how the owner of the über-trendy Drake hotel occasionally pops by, gesticulating madly, “oh you guys should definitely come to the opening party next Friday”.

Yet though tempting to pass her off as a floozy, at best a charismatic host, beneath her affability is a keenness, an undercurrent of perfectionism, a remnant of the black and white child staring stoically from the photograph. And such is Lalot. On the surface—the ubiquitous drone of St. Germain in the background, the clean lines of tables and couches trailing both walls, a small but perfectly arranged terrace in the back, Reidel wine glasses, a lovely orange hue infusing the whole place. The atmosphere is nothing more remarkable than your run-of-the-mill King Street West establishment, but there’s a precision and sophistication to the cooking which elevates Lalot to one of Toronto’s most exciting new dining experiences.

For starters try the spring rolls with lobster and shrimp, perfectly crisp and not too oily with a great tangy dipping sauce. And the tamarind soup big enough for two, flooding our bodies with a delicious warmth as we watch the snow falling beyond the window. The salt-n-peppa calamari – magnificent – but the house specialty appetizer, a beetle leaf wrapped around a thin slice of beef flank, well, it’s not as good as we expected it to be. Still, 3 out of 4 is a pretty good tally and we wait with excitement for the main dishes to arrive (also a little trepidation too, as Asian restaurants with such excellent starters often have nowhere to go but down).

But Lalot defies the formula. A stupendous Drunken Chicken, a gourmet variant of General Tao’s, not too original but how often have you craved this dish with succulent pieces of white meat, not like the regurgitated dreck that’s served at Mr. Pong’s down the street? A duck breast with peanut sauce on a mound of bok-choy that is adequate but not spectacular. A side of steamed eggplant that literally melts in your mouth with a hint of garlic and spice. The piece-de-resistance, the dish that will keep us coming back for more, is the caramelized catfish in a clay pot. Who knew this whiskered bottom-feeder, a fish that is notoriously unpleasant to the palate, could be reduced to nuggets of tenderness swimming in a rich sauce of fresh red chilli peppers? Sydney giggles as we scrape the caramelized onions from the bottom of the pot, emitting little Pavlovian sighs of pleasure.

No room for dessert but Sydney, being Sydney, graciously brings over a few scoops of green tea and red bean ice cream anyway.

-David Bledin

Saigon Sister (closed 2008)

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774 Yonge
(416) 967-0808

Located right at the corner of Yonge and Bloor, this super trendy place looks super slick with white walls, minimalist design, and sleek beechwood slabs throughout. Decor is clean lines, hip, cool, funky, with minimalist decor. Almost looks like a hospital. Imagine entering one big room with an open second floor overlooking the first. Saigon Sister is somewhat affordable ($9.95-$17.95 for main dishes).

Known as Vietnamese with style and flare, this place was super noisy with well groomed cool people. Wendy and I went there before our show last Thursday night and we started our adventure with an order of vegetarian hot and soup for me, and a glass of fruity sweet wine for her. It was cool to see that they have smoothies that were thick and smooth and a long list of vegetarian items that were marked with an asterix. I ordered the vegetarian hot pot for $13.95 which came with rice or noodles (did not eat them) and came with fried tofu, bok choy, stir fried vegetables in a lime juice sauce. The dish was simply divine, very different than the usual salty soy sauce stir fries I am used to. Wendy had fish with stir fried vegetables and she said her food was the best she’s ever had in a long time.

The seating at this place is interesting. There is a central dining hall with rectangular long tables and wood hard chairs. There is a row of booths, all connected like a schoolbus. These seats are enclosed in a white alcove. Seats are white leather (I think?) and tables are sleek and cool. Service is prompt and staff are accomodating and friendly. I did ask for more veggies or tofu since I had asked to leave out the noodles/rice. They did not comply. The portions were not large so of course I was still hungry. I drank about ten glasses of refreshing water flavoured with lemon juice (supposedly it aids digestion!)

There is a back terrace for summer dining that is a private dining space in the heart of downtown Toronto. We’d definitely go back since the food was high quality, fresh, piping hot, and service was reasonable. Bathrooms are gorgeous, with funky sinks, beechwood bathrooms stalls with unfinished wood slabs, and minimalist design.

We were impressed with this new restaurant and it shows by the crowds of people that Thursday night.

Reviewed by Mark