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| - Heard about this place for over a year from some friends, so was very disappointed that it did not live up to the buzz.
FOOD
I really was not into their 4-bite macarons. They were very crunchy and the fillings lacked the right flavour. Of the three flavours I got, 2 had absorbed off flavours from the refrigerator which gave me the eebie jeebies. Bleck! The lemon was not lemony or tangy, the maple tasted like toasted almond with no discernable maple flavour, and the salted caramel (best of the 3 by far) tasted caramelly but not salty. We couldn't understand why the salted caramel macaron was tinted dark purple --- I'll admit that I'm not a fan of unnecessary food coloring. They put too much sugar in all of the macaron meringue base, so our throats burned from the sugar.
Lemon Meringue tart was bad. Instead of fluffy, billowy, sliceable, traditional meringue, this was way too sweet and fought back. When I cut into it, half the meringue got stuck on my fork would not come off the fork despite sucking on it for over a minute. How could fluffy meringue be that rubbery?! They seemed to have used a lemon curd instead of traditional cornstarch and egg thickened filling; it was tangy enough, but there was way to thin of a layer (1/4") given that the lack luster pie crust was 2-3 times thicker than the filling.
Their desserts are pretty, elegant, and classically French. Mostly individual servings.
We did not get them, but they also offer quiche, Viennoiserie (croissants, danish), panini, and the odd salad.
DRINK
They offer coffee, tea, canned pop, and Zpirit. I hadn't tried Canadian made Zpirit bottled "naturally infused water" before. It had a few chunks of fruit at the bottom of each bottle to reflect the flavour. It's not a write off, but it made us giggle when we realized what the Spiced Pear Vanilla: the taste of Juicy Fruit gum after you have chewed it for a while and most of the sweetness had dissipated! Ha! No noticeable "spice". The Peach Basil tasted like the aroma of canned peach with no sweetness to back it and no discernable basil. They are extremely lightly sweetened with stevia and cane sugar, so they are only 30 calories. I get the appeal if someone wants to limit sugar intake but not have plain old water or doesn't want their kid amped up on sugar. We did not get the Mandarin Mint or Pineapple Sage, but I'm curious enough to try them. These aren't for pop drinkers; these are for the most health conscious who don't want BPA plastic bottles or long ingredient lists.
AMBIANCE
It's a cafe with a couple large glass pastry cases. It probably seats 25-30 people, so it seems large compared to most chain coffee houses.
I believe they rotate their art. I'm far from an art connoisseur, but the art exhibit they had caught my attention enough that I walked the length of the dining area to take in all the paintings. At the moment, they have extremely bold, brightly colored aboriginal art (animal focused) and another artist with trees that are creatively made to look like humans embracing. They don't just have the odd piece; it is a bountiful display which makes it fun.
Unlike Starbucks, this place does not seem to attract screaming kids in strollers as much. Perhaps because it's a bit too refined. But that means it's more quiet.
It is brighter inside with pale colored walls than chain coffee houses, which some might appreciate on dreary winter days or if reading.
ACCESSIBILITY
One step up at the entrance. Once inside, there seems to be enough space for a wheelchair or walker to maneuver through the one-level restaurant that has a mix of booth and armless chair seating. Glass cases go down fairly low so wheelchair bound and little people can be part of the full experience. It will be hard to see staff behind the register, though.
LOCATION
Located on the east side of Yonge St between Erskine and Keewatin Avenues. One and two-hour free street parking on side streets if you don't mind walking 1-2 long blocks. Metered Yonge St parking during non-rush hour and Green P parking at Castlefield lights off west side of Yonge St.
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