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| - I came here for lunch with two friends, one of whom is both vegan and cannot have gluten and the rest of us are not. We selected Windup Bird Cafe as they are able to cater to all of these dietary needs.
The restaurant is quite quaint with quirky decor - mismatched side plates, bright and vibrant paintings, etc.
We were greeted warmly, and although we had a reservation, it was not at all necessary as there were only about two other tables occupied, so we were told we could sit wherever we wanted. The server was very sweet and when she heard that it was our first time there, she was eager to tell us all about the concept of the place and the various events that are held there.
I had items 1 and 2 as my main. Items 3 and 4 come with a small serving of the butternut squash soup and a very small tasting of each of the three salads in the 3-kind salad.
1) 3-Kind Salad ($9 - baby arugula w/micro-sprouts, mixed bean, & roasted Ontario beets - vegan and gluten-free)
This was a good dish. The beets could have been roasted slightly longer to become more tender and they could have been seasoned a bit better.
2) Curried Butternut Squash Soup ($7)
I was really looking forward to this dish as I had read some rave reviews on Yelp. It was a cold day so I was hoping for the soup to be pipping hot. It was definitely warm, but I would have liked it to be that temperature where you just have to give a gentle blow on the spoon before you have your first few sips. You could definitely taste the curry and the soup had a bit of a kick. There was definitely something added to the soup, and I'm not sure what it was (maybe potato?) that muted the flavour of the butternut squash, and I did not like this aspect of the dish. I did not like the bread that was served with the soup. It was more like crostini and it was rather crunchy. I would have preferred soft and fluffy bread that I could have dipped in my soup.
3) Vegetable Keema Curry ($13 - Stewed celery, mushroom, chickpea, onion, carrot, sweet bell pepper - vegan and gluten-free)
This dish was served with brown rice and there were generous portions of both the rice and the curry. I had a taste of my friend's dish and you could definitely appreciate the flavours. There was a strong hint of cinnamon, so if you are averse to cinnamon, I would avoid this dish.
4) Open-Faced Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich ($16)
This was a chicken breast that was sliced (and appeared to be sprinkled with cinnamon, among other seasonings) served alongside 3 large pieces of bread. The pickled vegetables that the menu's describes consisted of about four small spears of vegetables. There was also a balsamic glaze on the plate as well as three small side dishes of spreads for your sandwich (butter, grainy Dijon, and a red sauce that looked to be spicy).
The prices were a bit steep for a lunch, but you get a decent amount of food, so it's not bad. However; for a similar soup and salad combo, I would go to the nearby Hibiscus on Augusta Ave for, in my opinion, a much better squash soup and more flavourful salad bowl for about half the price of the soup and salad here.
Our waitress came by after we paid and asked if we wanted some complimentary freshly squeezed juice. She offered us orange, apple, cranberry, or strawberry-basil. We decided to try the strawberry-basil and the cranberry. The strawberry-basil was quite nice and refreshing, and it was the juice we all preferred. The cranberry was fine, but it does not taste like typical cranberry juice. It smelled a bit odd and was not tart or sour like I was expecting when you eat fresh cranberries. Upon asking the waitress about this further, she explained that they do not actually make the juices there, but rather purchase them from another company, and that sweetener was added to the cranberry juice.
I would likely return to this restaurant again, although I will probably stick with Hibiscus as my go-to for a soup and salad combo in the area.
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