Guilty Pleasures

I am not a big box type of gal, nor am I a chain type. I tend to gravitate towards mom & pop shops and independent cafes. If in desperate need of caffeination I’ll grab a guilty Starbucks coffee, but frankly I don’t really like their coffee or the overall Starbucks experience.

I find the coffee often tastes burned and the service often so overeager that it’s off putting. Maybe I would feel less encumbered by the whole experience if I spoke “Starbucks,” but the contrarian in me just won’t sit down and learn the idiosyncratic Stabucks jive. I think I like being frustrated with SB. Frustration ensures a safe buffer zone between my palate and the coffee giant.

So, you’ll understand that it’s surprising to me that Starbucks has managed to bait me into coming in. Their salted caramel hot chocolate is out of control. Especially with a touch of whipped cream. It’s a very rich drink, so a small, or in SB jargon, a tall, is more than enough to sate your sweet tooth.

Here’s an easy copy cat recipe devised from the folks at Blisstree:

 

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (the best you can afford)
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar crystals
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons caramel syrup divided

1. Bring the milk, sugar, and cream to a simmer.  Keep it just under a boil and stir in the chocolate until melted completely.
2. Add one tablespoon of the caramel syrup to a warm mug and swish it to coat the inside of the mug.
3. Carefully pour in the chocolate.
4. Top with whipped cream, add a drizzle of caramel, a sprinkle of the salt and a dusting of the turbinado crystals.

The father, the sun, and the Holy Oak

Bloordale's a diverse neighborhood with tons of hidden gems.

You may be familiar with Parkdale, but have you heard of Bloordale? Bloordale stretches from Lansdowne to Dufferin across Bloor Street, and is the epitome of the multicultural cocktail that is Toronto. Unlike other neighborhoods that have been dominated by a single cultural influence, Bloordale is a true mix of new Canadians from across the globe. In this small stretch you’ll find Italians, Latin Americans, Sri Lankans, West Indians, Chinese, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, many of whom speak a native language other than English.

Bloordale has been historically neglected by young Torontonians because of its lack of trendy shops, cafes, and accessible grocery stores. Even the cheap rental rates weren’t enough to attract and keep young residents sated. But, fear not, over the past five years this neighborhood has gentrified, and not in the over saturated Ossington kind of way. One of the founding cornerstones that catalyzed the renaissance of Bloordale was the arrival of the Holy Oak Cafe to the neighborhood.

Click to enlarge photo

There’s something special about the Holy Oak that sets it apart from all those other trendy latte slingers. Sure, some places on Queen can paint a Klimt with foam, but the Holy Oak is more than just a run of the mill coffee house. It’s your grandma’s kitchen, it’s your work place, it’s a place for discussion, and a place to scream “JENGA!” all at once.

The Holy Oak is a café by day, a bar by night, and a light fare restaurant all times in between. The room is small, with about 10 mix and match vintage kitchen tables, a working stand up piano, and a glorious bay window that lets in enough sunshine to fight off those impending winter blues. Hanging houseplants and colorful wall art help to reinforce the comfortable, pretentious free, atmosphere. It’s also family friendly, so don’t be surprised when you see tots hanging out on a sun drenched Sunday playing with the complimentary toys.

Freshly baked goodies fog up their glass displays.

They offer Intelligentsia coffee (1.50$ espresso, 2$ americanos, and pricey, but delicious lattes at 3.75$– specialty lattes at 4$), a healthy selection Tealish teas (2-3$), Quebecois draft beer, and a small, but filling menu of edibles. The daily soup never disappoints, the portion is a healthy size and it comes with scrumptious rye bread, definitely worth the 6$. Other menu staples include stuffed naan, stuffed with your choice of curry chicken or vegetables for 5$, and various grilled cheeses (4.50$+). On weekends they offer simple brunch fare; the menu changes weekly, but you can expect eggs any style, bennies, french toast, & omelets, made with a focus on organic, locally sourced, ingredients.  Beware on weekends because tables can be scarce, so arrive early or be prepared to wait.

holy oak, batman!

The Holy Oak also has a plethora of board games, wonderful live music performances that are scattered throughout the day and night, and excellent hours. They’re open everyday of the week, save Monday, from early morning to the witching hour or later.

Because the Holy Oak straddles the line between café and bar the atmosphere on a Saturday night is somehow more civilized than your typical booze focused bar. There are the university students discussing Hegel in a corner, the friends catching up over beer by the window, the internet suffers answering e-mails and sipping chai, while the party of five argues over whether slang is Scrabble approved.

SERVICE 4.5/5
AMBIANCE 4/5
PRESENTATION 3.5/5
TASTE 3.5/5
PRICE $
HOURS Mon 8am- 7pm, Tue 8am- 12am, Wed & Thurs & Fri  8am – 2am, Sat 9am- 2am, Sun 9am – 12am
LOCATION, LOCATION 1241 Bloor Street West (at Emerson)

NOTEWORTHY

• Tuesday Night Local Prix Fixe. For 25-27$ you get a fantastic meal that focuses on what is seasonal, locally produced, and organic. The meal includes an appetizer, main course, dessert, and cheese plate, and there are always two options: carnivore or vegetarian. If you are interested in learning more about the Holy Oak prix fixe click here.
• Wednesday: board game night. Great atmosphere, but don’t fret, games are always available to those who want to play.

Idealic

Ideal's patio

Over the past 10 years Toronto and Montreal have diverged down two different micro paths. While Montreal has been busy becoming a secret beer Mecca, Toronto has been quietly stoking a roaring roasting fire. One of my favourite Toronto micro-roasters is Ideal Coffee. With a focus on sustainability, both environmental and social, Ideal offers its costumers luscious, guilt free, coffee at competitive prices.

photo taken by joe r. with a panasonic gf1, 20mm pancake lens.

Ideal Coffee has three locations across the city, from east to west: Leslieville, Kensington, and Ossington.  Their Kensington location is my favourite, although the communal ambience and lack of traditional café seating isn’t for everyone. Expect a stranger to strike up a conversation with you— especially during the spring and summer months as the patio buzzes with a vibrancy that will rival most bars. While the Ideal can be a good place to read for pleasure, don’t come expecting to get work done— indoor space is limited, there’s no wi-fi, and plugging in your laptop is a fault pas. Mind you, if you’re looking to unwind during a leisurely afternoon Kensington wander this is the place for you.

Drop by on Saturday and watch them roast your beans right before your eyes.

A pound of fresh roasted whole bean coffee will run you 14$ (tax in), but wait that’s not all—with every pound you buy you get a free mug of fresh steaming drip to bring on your way, or to enjoy on the patio. Yes, I know that S-bucks coffee typically hovers around 12 a pound, but that’s tax out, and you don’t get a fresh mug of drip to sate you.  Not to mention S-bucks doesn’t offer you local Harmony Organic milk, soymilk, or almond milk. A cup of drip is 2$, as is tea, and a latte will run you 3.75$, with a cappuccino closing it at 3.50$. Baked goods range in price, but hover between 2-4$. If you’re penny pinching the 2$ drip can’t be beat.

When I used to frequent Ideal regularly I described it as the perfect bordello of a café, but since partnering up with the Fresh Coffee Network Ideal has under gone a much-needed face-lift. This shift is probably for the best, as cluttered and dingy appeals to a very particular type of person, and that person is usually under twenty. The partnership between Ideal and the FCN has affected more than just the decor— Ideal’s beans have always been carefully selected based on quality and sustainability, but until last year the café was still using Styrofoam take-away cups. The shift to biodegradable Greenshift cups only adds to Ideal’s allure.

Whole Bean recommendation: Prince of Darkness (just saying the name makes you want to cackle manically).

 

 

 

 

SERVICE 4/5 — typically, down to earth, friendly baristas.
AMBIANCE 3½/5
PRESENTATION 3½/5 — they might not draw Mona Lisa in your foam, but they’ll pull a good espresso.
TASTE 5/5
PRICE ¢
LOCATION, LOCATION 84 Nassau Street