Toronto Treasures

Here are some very special Toronto nibblies that I’m aching for in Britain:

Cafés: I might as well start with cafés, as those are the dining establishments I love best. Caffeine! Sugar! Pastry! Terrific. The market for cafes in Toronto is saturated, but that’s fine by me. These are my favourites:

• Balzac’s (55 Mill Street): There’s a location in Liberty village, but Balzac’s in the Distillery District is the prettiest. Like the rest of the District, Balzac’s features original brickwork and high ceilings.
• Caffiends (91 Charles Street West): This is a student-run café at the base of Victoria college’s Old Vic building, and their coffee provided stamina for many a Semiotics lecture. Their hours are fickle, so I’d e-mail caffiends@gmail.com to find out when to go. Plus, it’s volunteer-run and they donate their earnings to charity.
• Crema (3079 Dundas Street West): Crema gets a mention because although I only went there once (the Junction always feels so far away) it served up the most perfect Americano I’ve ever had.
• Ella’s Uncle (916 Dundas Street West): Get the ovalatte, it’s swell. And there is one seriously cute red-haired barista who works there. Ella’s is also in a really nice location—you can just grab your bevvie and walk across the street to Trinity Bellwoods for a nice sit.
• Manic Coffee (426 College Street): Manic makes my favourite soy latte ever. I don’t know how they get it so rich and smooth, but they do. They don’t have WiFi, and the baristas can be a little snobby, but I’d make do for a pick-me-up this good.
• ZaZa (75 Yorkville Avenue): So fun. The owner of ZaZa is Italian and will greet female customers with “bella!” Despite the fact that this shop has only been open for a year, the baristas appear to know everyone on a first-name basis. It’s like one of those neighborhood places that I thought could never exist. The espresso is good, of course, but ZaZa shines for Olympic-level people watching. That's obvious—it’s Yorkville!
  

Chabichou (196 Borden Street): My favourite cheese purveyor! What a nice shop, filled with friendly, helpful, sexily-accented staff. The shop has luscious cheeses and carries an interesting mix of other French goodies—everything from fleur de sel to salted caramels and imported jams and spreads. Their pastries are pretty tasty as well. The owners of Chabichou also own Tati Bistro just East on Harbord, which is another very good French eatery.

Eat My Martini (648 College Street): If I wanted to go for cocktails with girlfriends, this is where I went. The menu is enormous, with something like a hundred choices of cocktails, all served in martini glasses (because why not?). Sunday-Thursday are $5 martini nights.

Fresh (326 Bloor Street West): Fresh has three different locations in Toronto, but I’ve only been to the Bloor Street stop. Many times. Too many times. I think I’ve had everything on the menu, it’s just that good. Everyone who works there has mastered the art of hip dishevelment, the kind of people who look good in TOMS. I especially recommend the Magic Tofu wrap, the cashew cookie, and the almond-date ate smoothie. And please go for Fresh’s weekend brunch, where you can get amazing scrambled tofu and banana pancakes.

GUU Izakaya (398 Church Street): I went here with my friend Gillian not too long ago and we were not disappointed. It has definitely been my most memorable meal of the year, not least because it was cold and raining and we decided to wait in a very interesting apartment building across the street. GUU serves up what I like to think of as Japanese tapas—fried oysters, scallops, a bibimbap-style rice dish—with boisterous, friendly staff and inventive cocktails.

Negroni (492 College Street): This quiet little haunt is just at the base of Palmerston, about five minutes from where I lived. In addition to proximity, Negroni is also amazing because they serve delicious mozzarella-pesto panini and house-churned ice cream. My sister and I once shared the buffalo milk vanilla variety. Very, very yummy.

Noah’s (322 Bloor Street West, plus others): I bought groceries here for four years and I dearly miss it now. It’s pretty small, but they had everything I needed: spelt-raisin bread, raw almond butter, agave nectar, and some kale. There’s also a really good selection of natural body products, so it’s like a more manageable, slightly cheaper Whole Foods.

Soma (55 Mill Street): I’m not the first to mention this chocolate shop, but what a goodie. Soma’s hot chocolate (dark or Mayan) is to die for, and they offer all manner of unique treats—cacao nibs, blocks o’ choc, 99%, milk—they have it all. I loved getting a cup of hot chocolate from here and poking around the great design shops in the area.

Urban Herbivore (64 Oxford Street): Best muffin ever. Seriously, if you’re looking for an enormous vegan spelt muffin, seek no more. Flavors are ever-changing, but they always have the sweet potato-date version, my favourite. They also make salads and a mean sandwich, but the muffins are tops.

Victory Café (581 Markham Street): If I had a “local,” this would be it. This is where I came for a drink and a snack if I didn’t feel like venturing too far. The food is definitely more innovative than your standard pub fare of pot pie+mash+fries+nachos; Victory usually serves some sort of curry dish, and they even have crème brulée (though I would not recommend that…). This is a great place for all varieties of beer, and the crowd is always really fun.