Indie Coffee Passport adventures

When I was at our April meetup for Cafe Happy at Creeds on Dupont I decided to splurge and get an Indie Coffee Passport...which consists of 26 independent cafes in Toronto. You get your passport "stamped" at each place and they have a list of offerings including cappucinos or lattes or even the special drinks of the house..the passport costs $28 plus tax  and is well worth it! It also gets one out exploring neighbourhoods you wouldn't normally visit and even discover cafes that your might have overlooked in your own 'hood! The program operates in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Chicago, Washington, Vermont and East Bay.

By the way Creeds features lots of snacks and even vegan meals from Yamchops! It's a huge space with a dry cleaning business at the back so if you need to host a big event/meetup and get some drycleaning done at the same time..Bob's your uncle.

One of the first cafe lands I journeyed to was at 1691 Dundas Street West sometimes known as Brockton Village...the Cygnet. It is charming and cozy and faces a beautiful church across the street...

I had a house made mint Matcha which they kindly allowed me ...a little off menu because I am always excited about places that offer Matcha lattes!

I also sampled a delicious Almond and Matcha cookie..they have lots of great baked goods...I felt that the walk from King and Bathurst justified this..ha ha. Photos are from BlogTo.com


On my way back I stopped in at  Tucana which is a bite sized takeout spot at 1413 Dundas Street West..they have vegan cookies...yumm....great latte too.

Tucana Coffee

Sufficiently caffeinated for one day I left my new explorations for a few days...to one of my fave spots which I have written about before - Fika in Kensington Market. Because the weather has finally decided to become more spring like I could also enjoy the back patio..one of the areas not so hidden gems anymore. Not to worry because there's space inside and also a front deck! Always great music selections and dangerously good baked items...with cool staff. Look for the teal green house on Kensington Avenue





Yesterday it was the Coffee Bar Inc on Front Street (346 Front St. West). The staff and I think perhaps the owner was super friendly and made me a Velvet Latte which is the specialite de la maison. They have a private upstairs seating area which apparently is used by visiting celebrities (such as Will Smith and the Bieber) who venture over from Soho on Wellington so they can relax, chat and not be harassed/gawked at...

 


 


As you can see they do amazing coffee art too...and take pride in their coffee. The person I was chatting with said she has had a Indie passport for the past two years as well and had been less than impressed with some places (no longer in business big surprise) She took a couple of sips and in those cases promptly and discreetly poured it out after she left the premises. I understand completely ...I visited a place south of my residence amongst the new condo developments on Lakeshore and sheepishly ducked out leaving my full latte on the table.  I also an atypically less than stellar experience yesterday at a certain French cafe in the Thompson hotel with tea...it was quite frankly weak and flavourless..perhaps they know how to do coffee better than tea. I now understand Brits frustration with getting a good cuppa abroad. New rule: from now on let people know you are disappointed in a good polite Canadian way!

Back to the Coffee Bar... great choice if you're on your way to or from a ball game. I was on my way to the Ripley's Aquarium...although I felt very guilty about going there with all the imprisoned fish I must confess it was secretly thrilling to watch sharks swim overhead along with manta rays and sea turtles...plus one of my faves..seahorses! I could watch the graceful undulations of flounder for ages - their bodies move like the ruffles on a flamenco dress...

5 down only 21 to go..

The Strong One in Kensington Market

This beautiful (and scrumptious) cake was purchased at The Strong One in Kensington Market - it had apple cider/and chai flavouring  with maple frosting featuring rosebuds on top as decoration..plus is was vegan, people..soo moist !

Picking up my thread of trying out new cafes this is one that had somehow escaped my radar even though I regularly visit the Market!

I had a fabulous Lavender Honey Latte as well..they have lots of their own home baking including "hand pies", cookies and treats and prepare sandwiches with freshly baked croissants or vegan wraps. They have a nice selection of special drinks - both coffee and teas.

It's very cosy and bright - with fun cushions covers sewn b the owner's mother featuring medieval tapestries with unicorns and images of the Brontes. I look forward to coming here in the warmer weather and sitting out front..my Cafe Happy meetup group would like it as they have a sign on the front that says "Coffee Makes You Happy". They also have another cafe on College called The Empire.

Oh I should also mention the barista was playing interesting music on a turntable..someone named Johnny Rigo and..taking me back to my teens - Elvis Costello!! 68 Wales Avenue..tucked in behind the hospital emergency entrance.







Also on a foodie note..we tried out D'Beatstro on Bloor on Sunday and it was delicious - one of the best tofu scrams I've had..french toast and great home fries..their home baked beans were fun too. I had the French Toast and F had the Gluten Free Breakfast. They even make their own vegan sausages...nice to find another vegan brunch spot.  Looks like a yummy selection of baked goods as well..however we were full and after walking for a bit got a Cowboy Cookie and brownie from Bloomer's instead..next time!

Pulse Feast

Because I sometimes have entries on food..I must be on the radar for some event organizers..I was surprised to receive an invite for this event back in December. It was held at the Design Exchange on Bay...

Guests could help themselves to these big bags of beans, lentils and peas..while being educated as to how great pulses are - which those of us in the veg community already know since it's a major protein source for us..

They provided nice cloth drawstring bags to take home your goodies..plus a goody bag with roasted chickpeas, pea flour and a brownie mix...with romano bean flour.

There were 3 vegan dishes available too which were yummy..(I checked before going and the contact person promptly assured me there would be a trio of vegan dishes).

The crepes were especially tasty...

This lentil dahl was vegetarian with yogourt on top..

I guess one thing puzzled me though - although I give points for considering vegans I had to wonder why the whole event couldn't have been vegetarian as it would have provided a great showcase for legumes and I'm sure with many fine chefs working they could have come up with even more great vegan dishes...

Just by reading the displays they outline all the benefits of eating pulses - how good they are for you in terms of protein and fibre, how environmentally responsible it is to grow them - getting much better bang for the buck than animal agriculture and how easily they can be grown in many places..not to mention how many delicious ways you can prepare them.

This is after all the "Year of the Pulse"...

Constantinople

First, before I get to my latest cafe find I must tell you about my visit to the One of a Kind show yesterday...where I spent 4 hours!? I had only intended to go for two..but it is huge..

I met the designer of this gorgeous outfit - her company is called "Metamorphose" from Montreal - it's her first time at the show. Her name is Karine Demers and she is delightful..her style is right up my alley - feminine and gorgeous - lots of flower prints..this two piece outfit which I couldn't resist buying is amazing. The fabric on the skirt is a mix of stretch on the section and some kind of soft waxed cotton on the floral part - you have to feel it to believe it..it's called "Clara". Very unique clothing and oh so cutting edge chic - what we expect from Montrealers...there are also kids outfits.

http://www.creationsmetamorphose.com/en/info

Now to coffee - this relatively new cafe - Constantinople Bakery and Cafe has been on Queen West near Bathurst for a few months but I have only discovered it recently. I think it's the urge to hibernate which has lead to these new cafe discoveries! It's Turkish themed with lots of space - a great spot for meetups. There are Turkish delicacies - they do a lot of their own baked goods, soups, sandwiches and even have chocolate for sale...I bought some chocolate covered pistachios which are "scrummy" to use Mary's phrase from the "Great British Baking Show". I don't know about you but I have never encountered chocolate covered pistachios before - every other kind of nut, yes..

If you order traditional Turkish coffee they serve it with Turkish delight. Staff are welcoming and accommodating.

Cocoa Latte, Rooster and Green

Continuing with exploring cafes outside my immediate neighbourhood, last week I checked out three places that were new to me

First up was Cocoa Latte on St. Clair - the photo above is from blogto.com - a great source for restaurant reviews. I initially had gone up there to visit the new Mandala Designs shop - I love the clothes that I buy at Fresh Collective..however, they were closed on Monday and Tuesday which is when I ventured up there..no matter...on a cloudy day refuge in a cafe was in order and merely wandering St. Clair was interesting.

I was looking for another cafe called Krave Coffee but it was very busy with no seats! Oh well...time to check out another pick..Cocoa Latte. I enjoyed a table at the front of this cozy place a delicious latte and a roasted cauliflower soup and side salad. They also have vegan treats from Sweets From the Earth.

The following day, Remembrance Day it was over to 479 Broadview to visit the celebrated Rooster Coffee House at the edge of Riverdale. It too was extremely popular and very full inside..I noticed that they had a few comfy chairs always a plus with me. Fortunately it was warm enough to sit outside and enjoy the parade of dogs and their companions who stopped in to the cafe. Here I enjoyed a Matcha Latte - good. They also have a new location on 343 King Sreet East at Jarvis... roostercoffeehouse.com

 
You also get a great view of downtown Toronto and the park across the street...

Finally my favourite discovery came after my Book and Brunch meetup at Old School on Dundas. I wandered up to check out Green Grind on College which was my favourite find of the week..extensive menu cozy chairs and environmentally responsible! I will be back. I noticed they had french doors which are likely opened in warmer weather too..

www.thegreengrind.ca

Comfy chairs!

Bean and Baker Malt Shop

Recently I have decided that perhaps I am in a cafe rut - just going a few blocks to my fave places in the King and Queen West neighbourhood so I ventured a little further north to this very cool retro shop/ Yes,  you can get ice cream (they have Coconut Bliss for vegans!) and malts along with coffee, tea ,cocoa, baked goods, soup and sandwiches - while feeling you are travelling back in time. The soups sounded good too as I heard them describing the rotation including tomato split pea and minestrone.

The staff are even dressed to the period and the music is also nostalgic. The owner has a history in the coffee and spice business and his wife is a pastry chef. The red stools and chairs and tables make me regret losing my old set - at the time it was 30 years old and still going strong. I asked the owner about them and there is a distributor in Cambridge that sources them from a place in the U.S. Midwest - made in America! I believe it's called "Nostaligia Inc".

The spot is at the corner of Harbord and Grace and is bright and cheerful - my soy latte was great and I had a cookie and a vegan pie to go...I'll be back.