The once tragic mall at Village by the Grange is now a great place for lunch and people watching. The crowd of Chinatown locals, OCAD hipsters and AGO matrons are there for the international indie stalls in the food court. It's a quintessential Toronto experience.
Helena's stands apart with it's French country kitchen setup. They specialize in savoury pies and superfresh salads. I had a spinach quiche that actually tasted like spinach. The crust was pretty good and the egg filling just right, still moist but not runny. Could have used a bit more seasoning but that's easily corrected.
Salads sides are absolutely stellar. I tried a barley and white bean mix liberally flecked with fresh minced parsley, as well as one of the best coleslaws I've had in a long time.
All this for six bucks! In a city that often overreaches for food trendiness it's nice to see the basics done correctly.