It's nice to have more options that Disgraceland and Ethiopian food. I was excited to try Drift when it opened but it took me so long to get around to it. The other day, I needed somewhere nearby and affordable so I decided to strike Drift off my to try list. This place was playing Cults (my new favourite band) when I came in so I knew that it was a good choice.
The decor was okay, I feel like they were aiming for hipster haunt but fell short of the idea. The exposed brick? Hip. The wall art? Not so much. It reminded me of Swiss Chalet. The reclaimed church pews as banquets? Hip, and a terrific idea.
For a Monday night, this joint was chock full of people. There was only one server on duty that night but he was attentive and quick.
We ordered the sweet potato fries as a starter. Holy snood, they were amazing! The menu said that they were flavoured with a Toronto spice mix. I detected a hint of Indian flavour in the mix, it was a delightful and well-executed nod to Toronto's culture of multicultural. The way the fries were cut was an anomaly. Most of the fries were on the thicker side, a great improvement over the de rigueur skinny cut that so many restaurants serve. They came with a side of smoky, chipotle mayo.
My sandwich of the day was a BLT with a twist. They used back bacon instead of regular bacon. This substitution worked well and made for a great sandwich. The basil aioli and bread were wonderful.
One more thought, can we please put an end to housemade ketchup? It never works. I just want good old Heinz, not an oddly textured ketchup/salsa hybrid.