I went there for lunch today, and while I won’t do a full review just yet, I will say the yuba ‘chicken’ taco was really delicious. I got it with rice and beans on the side (tasty!) and also picked up two donuts for later – one lime/coconut, one cafe con ‘leche’. If Rich is lucky, I’ll share them with him. ;)

Two quick iPhone photos I took while enjoying lunch:

Go check them out and tell me what you think!

Hot Beans – Baldwin at Spadina in Kensington Market. Takeout lunch for $10, tax included.

As someone who adheres to both of those diets, it can be very difficult finding a snack if I’m at a cafe with Rich on a lazy weekend afternoon. Toronto has a lot of choices for vegans, and a lot for gluten-free people. There are even places that advertise themselves as being both gluten-free and vegan. However, I’ve always found that they don’t mean both gluten-free and vegan, they mean either gluten-free or vegan. I’ve been disappointed by this every time. It’s not that I don’t understand how tricky it can be to bake things with both of those diets in mind – believe me, I’ve had my fair share of failed kitchen experiments learning to navigate my way through gluten-free, vegan baked goods! But I also know it can be done. And by the strong success of Bunner’s Bake Shop, I’d say there is demand out there for this sort of thing.

The story behind Bunner’s is a bit of a small business fairy-tale: Girl meets boy. Girl and boy decide to open business together, selling their baked goods in the Distillery District last summer (after doing a lot of research and coming up with a business plan). Their vegan, gluten-free products became so popular that they usually sell out by the end of the day. Girl and boy advertise on the Toronto Vegetarian Association’s directory, and start getting tons of calls from people asking about their products. Girl and boy decide to open a bake shop and find a cute little space in the Junction. Now they’ve got their products in a few cafes all over Toronto and still nearly sell out at their bakery location every day.

As for my trip to visit them? Well, yesterday Rich and I finally make the trek up from Keele station (which we’re at every Sunday anyway) and popped in to see what they had. We were greeted with a huge smile and chit chatted about the beautiful weather and the products behind the counter. We decided to get a cupcake in every flavour they had available, plus one of their Creamies (for Rich) and Supersonic Gypsy cookies (for me).

Verdict? Oh. My. God. The Gypsy cookie was perfect; if I wasn’t afraid of gaining a ton of weight I’d eat one daily. It was packed to the brim with oats (certified gluten-free, of course!), seeds, cranberries and chocolate. Not too sweet and nice and filling. Rich’s Creamie, which is two chocolate chip cookies sandwiched together with chocolate or vanilla icing, was really great too. The bite I had was tender, sweet and very chocolatey – if I had ordered it, I probably would have only eaten half in one sitting, as it packed a real sugar punch.

And the cupcakes?

The four we managed to snag were vanilla, coconut, lemon and red velvet. Now, I’ve made my fair share of gluten-free, vegan cupcakes, and friends have always given my attempts a thumbs up. I know a big part of the secret is finding the perfect blend of flours, to try to mimic regular flour as best as you can,  giving it a light crumb without allowing your product to become a crumbly mess when someone tries to eat it. You have to be a bit of a chemist to pull this off – a bit of extra protein here, a bit of starch for lightness there, something to bind the ingredients together in the absence of gluten, all while making a good tasting final product.

Bunner’s product really blew me away.  They use bean flours but I couldn’t taste any ‘beaniness’ at all. The cupcake came out of its paper liner really easily but didn’t instantly fall apart. And the flavours are fantastic – red velvet lightly chocolatey and sweet with a hint of ‘cream cheese’ (vegan, of course) from the icing. Lemon tasting like real lemon and not lemon candies. Coconut and vanilla also wonderful, even a day old (we’d saved them for today).

Please, do yourself a favour and check this place out. It’s worth the trip into the Junction if you don’t already live near there – there’s a reason they were voted best new bakery for 2010 by BlogTO! You don’t have to be vegan or gluten-free to appreciate tasty baked goods, right?

Bunner’s Bake Shop, 3054 Dundas Street West in the Junction, 647-352-2975.

What exactly was I thinking? I was seriously missing out!

Sadie’s is a fantastic vegetarian and vegan diner located at Adelaide and Portland in downtown Toronto (just south of Queen and Bathurst). They do an all day breakfast along with simple lunch items (soups, salads, sandwiches, etc), smoothies, juices, coffee and (of course!) dessert.

These photos are from our first visit. We both ordered Huevos Rancheros; Rich got the traditional with real eggs and cheese, and I got the vegan option with scrambled tofu and vegan cheese. Since these photos were taken they’ve switched to using Daiya cheese in their vegan options, which I heartily approve of. The vegan option is also gluten-free, as far as I am aware.

We’ve been back a few times since. On our last visit we both ordered tofu scramble, which is essentially a ‘traditional’ breakfast done vegan style: toast, tofu scramble, veggie bacon or veggie sausage, homefries and coffee. We both ordered sausage and found that they deep fry it (or at least they seem to!), which makes it even more delicious than when we cook similar fake sausage at home. Not the most gluten-free breakfast, admittedly, but really good and a nice occasional treat.

My only real complaint about Sadie’s is the coffee (fair trade and organic) could be a bit stronger. But in true diner style, refills are free, and their mugs are huge. So I’m not really complaining all that loudly.

I hear the desserts (especially the vegan cupcakes) are awesome, but I’ve always been too full from the rest of my meal to try one.

You should go. Even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, you should go.

Sadie’s Diner, 504 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, (416) 777-2343. Meals for two with coffee, $20.

I’ve been going to Live off and on for about a year now, and fell in love with the food from the first bite. The restaurant started out as an all raw, vegan place back in 2003, but added in some cooked dishes a few years after they opened. Now they’ve got a whole line of products they sell at various stores in the GTA, including these take-out dishes.

The one I picked up was a ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’: zucchini noodles with tomato, cabbage and carrots, topped with a sundried tomato sauce, almond ‘cheese’ and walnut ‘bolognese’. Ok, I know that sentence was a little excessive with the quotation marks, but that’s unfortunately one of the things that happens with raw food sometimes – raw, vegan versions of old favourites that, well, aren’t quite like the old favourite. Admittedly, we always have a bit of a laugh over it, but enjoy the food none-the-less.

This take-out container made an awesome, filling lunch and made me feel like I’d eaten something healthy without it being the least bit boring. It was perfect after a long run at the gym.

Now I just need to get back to the restaurant to take some pictures and share with you more of their dishes!

Where’s this place I’m talking about? Oh, right. Hibiscus is an all vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free-friendly restaurant in Kensington Market. Their small menu offers salads, a daily soup, crepes, vegan ice cream and a variety of beverages (coffee, tea, juice, smoothies, etc). Everything I’ve tried on the menu has been fantastic.

The buckwheat crepes are available sweet (toppings such as nutella or lemon and sugar) or savory (cheeses, pesto, various vegetables). All of them can be customized if need be – vegans can order them without cheese, or someone who doesn’t like one vegetable can ask for a different one.

Their salad is a mixture of wonderful things – quinoa, beets, marinaded tofu, carrots, broccoli, seeds… way better than the typical green salad you get at most places.

The soup is always freshly made and always vegan, and comes with a gluten-free cracker made in-house. The last two times I was there, they had a fall soup on – once butternut squash and once pumpkin.

My favourite thing on the menu is their soup and salad combo – for under $10 you get a giant bowl of salad and a wonderful warm cup of soup. It makes for a very filling lunch for one, and is healthy without being the least bit boring.

I have yet to try their vegan ice cream, but on our last visit we learned they use a variety of milk alternatives for it, depending on the flavour. Soy, rice, almond and mung bean are all possibilities – just ask if you’re trying to avoid one of those options. The flavours are really interesting and go beyond the usual strawberry, vanilla and chocolate – black sesame seed, earl grey tea, and mango are just some of the possibilities.

The staff are friendly and attentive, and happy to make ingredient substitutions if you need or want. Last time we were there, Rich went up to the cash to pay and noticed a tray of gluten-free vegan chocolate peanut butter squares. Since I rarely find treats I can actually eat, he opted to get two of them to go. The guy taking the payment said he’d make sure to give us the two biggest squares in the tray. I don’t think this was because we’re there fairly often – I think they really are just that nice to everyone.

This has been one of the real highlights of eating out with my food restrictions, and when eating there haven’t felt one bit like I was missing out.

Hibiscus Cafe – 238 Augusta Avenue – 416.364.6183. Lunch for 2 with beverages, $20.

Greenavi was a great place to grab a cup of coffee and chill with a book, or do a few hours work with their free wifi. They also had lots of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free friendly stuff available for snacking. I’m really sad to see them go, but if the note posted to the door is telling the truth, it was simply a matter of the owners wanting to move on to pursue other things. I’ll really miss this place. Curious to see what opens here next; with Just Us Cafe and now Greenavi having not lasted in this location, I have to wonder if yet someone else will try opening a cafe here, or if the place really isn’t suited to that sort of business for the long term.

Upon arriving we noted the crowd wasn’t quite as big as at the winter version, and we didn’t have to wait at all to get in. The two women running the ticket booth noted there was a short lineup just 30 minutes prior to our arrival, but even so, at the winter festival it was pretty well full from open to close, with at least a 15 minute wait (often longer) at all times.  That said, there were still lots of people in attendance to enjoy what cask ales were on offer this time around.

Ticket prices included a nice souvenir half-pint glass and two beer tickets for $8.  If you wanted food as well, your admission was $12 instead (we saw sausages being enjoyed by many of the attendees), and for $3 you could purchase an additional beer ticket. Not a bad price considering what you’re getting!

Rich and I did our usual method of attack when it comes to these events: each of us got a different ale each time we refilled our glasses and let the other taste, so in total we got to try 6 of the casks. Here’s what we had, complete with some notes:

C’est What? Caraway Rye (County Durham Brewing Company) – Interesting, tasted like caraway rye bread or crackers. A bit of a novelty, not something we’d order regularly.

Cameron’s High Hop Silver – Absolutely the winner of the afternoon for us. Hoppy and a bit sweet and just really good. Great summer beer. Searching Cameron’s blog tells me that this is a special beer they only make occasionally, a blend of their Auburn and Cream ales with the hoppiness kicked up a few notches.

Compass Albion Ale (Better Bitters Brewing Company) – Rich refers to this one as a good session ale. It’s an Extra Special Bitter, easy drinking, and not strongly flavoured (so goes fine with whatever you might be eating).

Great Lakes Orange Peel Ale – One of my favourites on tap at the Vic last year, so I really wanted to try it on cask. It was great, refreshing and with a hint of orange peel flavour. I’ll seek this one out again.

Michael Duggan No.9 IPA - Really good, classic IPA. Well rounded, not just hops.

Neustadt Black Velvet – A novelty beer again – a mixture of cider and stout.  Someone else there commented there was a bit of a shoe polish smell/aftertaste. I can’t say I disagree. Not bad overall but not something I’d ever order again. Hey, I was being adventurous; I ordered this one when they were out of the two I wanted to try instead (Black Oak Summer Saison or F&M Stonehammer Strawberry Light).

We’ve also had a number of the beers on offer previously, so we avoided getting things like Durham’s Hop Head or Hop Addict or Granite’s Hopping Mad, given we wanted to try new things instead. All three of those are great, hoppy beers for those who enjoy that; highly recommended and well worth seeking out. Victory Cafe usually has Hop Addict on tap and often has either Hop Head or Hopping Mad on cask in their regular rotation.

The next Cask Ale Festival should be in January 2010. I’m not rushing away the summer, but I am looking forward to attending the next one!

The ‘Notice of Distress’ posted to the door, dated July 13th, seemed to indicate they were being locked out for non-payment of rent.

I don’t have a picture, unfortunately, as I didn’t bring my camera with me tonight. If I have a chance I’ll snap one tomorrow for you all.

Urban Herbivore is the sister restaurant to Fressen, which we loved but had some service issues at. Not surprisingly, there are some minor service issues at Herbivore too, mostly in that orders can get mixed up between the time you order and pay and the time you receive your food. They’re always quick to fix the problem, so it’s not a huge deal, but it is one of those things I notice. I think it’s simply an issue of having too few staff taking orders, or being too disorganized for the number of people coming through the door.

Their no fur policy, which is displayed right on their door, is interesting to me. On the one hand, fur is definitely the most controversial animal product that people can wear, and vegans certainly tend to be anti-fur. On the other hand, fur isn’t ok, but leather or down is? Hmm. Maybe it’s an enforcement issue – down and leather can be hard to avoid, especially during the colder months, but fur really isn’t. Or maybe they’re trying to make a statement specifically about fur. Either way, best leave your bunny mittens at home if you’re going to go to Urban Herbivore, if you’re the type that would wear such a thing.

For details on the food, check out my foodtv.ca review.

Urban Herbivore – 64 Oxford St, Toronto, ON, (416) 927-1231

True to their name, Wanda’s does indeed have a wide assortment of pies available, in nearly every flavour combination one could want.

Pie isn’t the only thing on the menu, however. Their kitchen is constantly baking to produce cookies, cakes, pastries and squares. They’ve also got fresh-baked bread available for an assortment of sandwiches, plus a daily soup, quiche, and flatbread/pizza. And bonus: everything is vegetarian and some items are vegan.

Rich and I have tried a lot of different items on the menu, but our favourites include their almond croissant, scones, and open-faced sun-dried tomato and walnut sandwich. On our last visit, I grabbed a blueberry scone, pictured below. I will say that for those used to traditional Scottish scones, these aren’t really like them. But they’re so good for what they are that you should get one anyway.

Coffee here is from local roaster Dark City and they’ve got a variety of teas including green, black and herbal. If you order a latte or cappuccino and want soymilk, they actually know how to get great foam out of it. I mention this because Rich and I were discussing this recently; Ottawa coffee shops just didn’t know how to foam soymilk for some reason, yet here in Toronto it isn’t a problem at all. We didn’t realize the difference until we were sitting at Wanda’s a few months ago and were remarking on how great the soy lattes are!

My one negative comment about Wanda’s is the service. It’s very friendly but it isn’t very efficient much of the time. If they get a bit of a crowd up at the cash, the staff seem to scramble to try to fill orders, and I’ve had multiple occasions where my beverage was forgotten about. However, they always rectified this for me really quickly and offered free refills to make up for the mistake. So really, it isn’t a big deal, and certainly worth overlooking if you enjoy tasty baked goods.

Wanda’s Pie in the Sky
287 Augusta Avenue
Toronto, ON
M5T 2M2
(416) 236-7585