Wilder Food

Homemade Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookie in the top right

Cafe: Wilder Food
Address: 382 Keele St.
Phone: 416-901-2960
Operating Hours: Mon-Sun 8:30 AM - 5 PM
Website: www.wilderfood.ca

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Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all

- Also has homemade cashew milk available

- Coffee beans from Propeller Coffee

- Chai is made from scratch

- Organic tumeric and matcha latte available

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all

- Menu items are wheat-free and refined sugar-free

- Everything is locally sourced

- Spelt flour is used

- Golden Milk available

Cashew Milk Flat White, $4.50

Turkey Brie Open-Faced, $11

Dragonfruit Acai Smoothie Bowl, $9/$10

Review

Wilder Food is a quaint cafe located in the Junction, tucked in the north-west corner of Keele and Dundas West. Spacious and cozy, Wilder Food offers a lovely array of breakfast and brunch items. If you bring friends or family, they have a selected assortment of games you can enjoy yourself with. I went through a couple of fun rounds with Exploding Kittens!

I got to try some of Wilder's menu items, including one of the specials which was the Turkey Brie Open-Faced, which was absolutely to die for! I'm not sure how often they would have this dish on special, but I highly recommend it if you see it on the menu. I also got to try the Dragonfruit Acai Smoothie Bowl, which I would like to describe as "summertime in a bowl". It's super refreshing, packed with healthy goodness and perfect after a good workout or when summer finally rolls around. The Cashew Milk Flat White was very rich and creamy. I don't drink flat whites normally so I can't really compare but I didn't mind it's thick texture at all!

If you live in The Junction or in a nearby area, I definitely recommend coming to Wilder Food for brunch. It's an underrated cafe with loads of Instagrammable and delicious plates for everyone to enjoy! Cause if these photos do not convince you, I don't know what will.

Hestia

Cafe: Hestia
Address: 66 Wellington St. W
Phone: N/A
Operating Hours: Mon-Fri 7:15 AM - 4:30 PM, Sat-Sun CLOSED
Website: https://en.hestiatea.com/

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Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all, including oat milk!
- Hestia has their own tea blends, straight from Montreal
- Coffee beans from De Mello Palheta
- Milk is steamed in all the lattes
- All drinks can be iced upon request, no extra charge

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Baked goods from Desmond & Beatrice, La Bamboche, and Bunner's

Review

Hestia is a Montreal tea bar that opened their second location in Toronto last August. It's located within The Path, so it's only opened during office hours on the weekdays. If you are not familiar with The Path, it's an underground network linking different business buildings and subway stations together. It can be quite a maze for someone who doesn't work in the Financial District. I looped around a couple of times trying to find Hestia, which was tucked away in a corner.

Hestia's mission is to serve you the best tea possible, with blends sent straight from Montreal. They serve the finest selection of tea and their matcha is the highest grade from Kyoto, Japan. This location does have espresso-based drinks for people that need their coffee before work. However, try the tea lattes if you can! Each tea leaves have already been measured out in vials, so you can guarantee that your drink will be steeped just right.

I definitely recommend their Matcha Latte and Chai Latte. They normally don't change out their menu because they want to do the classics. However, you can expect at least one seasonal drink on the menu. Hestia is perfect for tea lovers that are looking for their perfect blend that isn't from a teabag.

[Product Review] Cheese Garden

Company: Cheese Garden
Product Type: Japanese cheesecakes, drinks and desserts
Address: 5291 Yonge St. (North York); Unit G120, 3250 Midland Ave. (Midland); B58-4300 Steeles Ave. E (Pacific Mall)
Operating Hours: Mon- Sun 11 AM - 10 PM (North York); Mon-Sun 12-10 PM (Midland); Mon-Sun 12-8 PM (Pacific Mall)
Website: www.cheesegarden.ca

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North York location

Menu

Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake, $22.95

Double Fromage Cheesecake, $18.95

Uji Matcha Tiramisu, $11.95

Baked Cheese Tart, $8.85

Review

Cheese Garden is a Japanese cheesecake shop that offers a variety of desserts with currently three locations in Toronto. I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek of their new and limited edition Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake ($22.95) in celebration of their second anniversary. This cheesecake is only available from October 13th through November 4th, with only 50 available at each store and one per customer! If you visit any of the Toronto stores on October 13th or 14th, you can get 50% off one pastry item (excluding the Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake).

What is yuzu, you may ask? With a quick Google search, yuzu is a citrus fruit that looks like a wrinkled lemon. It's quite sour and tart so yuzu is normally used for flavouring. The Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake consists of three layers: the frozen yuzu mascarpone cheesecake at the top, with the baked pistachio cheesecake encrusted with sugar roasted pistachios in the middle, that all lastly sits on top of the pistachio sponge cake. The cake is covered with pistachio sponge cake crumbs and is decorated with gold flakes and a yuzu-shaped chocolate. The crumbs are incredibly fluffy (which reminds me a bit of fake snowflakes).

The flavour of the Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake is quite unique. I enjoyed it more the second time around when my taste buds got used to it. It would definitely appeal to people who like flavours like matcha or hojicha. I think the presentation of the cake in the wooden box is absolutely adorable and is perfect for a birthday or small party.

If you feel that the yuzu pistachio flavour may be out of your comfort zone, try their classic Double Fromage Cheesecake ($18.95) instead! This is perfect for people who like original flavoured products that are kept simple without all the fuss, but is still delicious.

I also got to try the Uji Matcha Tiramisu ($11.95) and Baked Cheese Tart ($8.85). The Uji Matcha Tiramisu is a very light and easy dessert to eat. The Baked Cheese Tart is similar to an egg tart but is a lot sweeter and spongier.

Check out Cheese Garden for their second anniversary to try any one of their pastries for 50% off on October 13th and 14th and can get your hands on the limited edition Yuzu Pistachio Double Fromage Cheesecake (which runs until November 4th).

The Alternative Cafe

Cafe: The Alternative Cafe
Address: 439 Richmond St. W
Phone: 416-551-7716
Operating Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Sat-Sun 9 AM - 4 PM
Website: www.thealternativecafe.com

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Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all
- All milks are organic
- Japanese cold brew available
- Nitro cold brew available
- 7 new Frappe flavours to be released soon!
- Roasted coffee beans from Hale Coffee
- Tea from Genuine Tea 
- Station Cold Brew available for purchase
- Flow Water available for purchase


Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Gluten-free baked goods available
- Most baked goods are made in-house
- Baked goods from Bunner's Bakeshop available

Review

My Order: Pineapple Empanada, $4, and Tumeric Frappe, Price TBD

I always enjoy going back to my roots and reviewing cafes. Salem, the owner of The Alternative Cafe, invited me to check out his Richmond and Spadina cafe. Lined up against other places like Freshii, Yogatree, and Kupfert & Kim, The Alternative Cafe adds to the selection of health-conscious shops along Richmond Street. Almost a year old, this cafe proudly source all of their products locally. For the working nomad, there is WiFi and a limited number of outlets available in the shop for use.

I got a chance to try one of their upcoming Frappes. The Alternative Cafe will be coming out with 7 types of Frappes, flavours including: Natural Chai, Cream of Earl, and Beetroot. I had the Tumeric Frappe since I was recovering from a cold and I loved it. It was a sweet drink that hit the spot for me. I highly recommend trying out a Frappe once they launch at the end of the month. This is perfect for anyone who already enjoy sweet drinks like Starbucks' Frappuccino (minus all the overwhelming amount of sugar). I quite enjoyed the Pineapple Empanada as well, so I do recommend it if you prefer savoury treats. Their cookies are also delightful and generous in size.

Their menu is always changing as they come up with new drinks and food items to serve. The Alternative Cafe is one of the few cafes (potentially the only one in Toronto??) to serve Japanese cold brew, an ancient style of producing cold brew coffee. It can take anywhere from 11 to 17 hours to make! The owner had to piece together multiple sources in order to perfect the process. They also have Nitro cold brew if you are fan of that process too.

If you are near Chinatown/Queen West area and would like a pick-me-up or a new cafe to get your work done, I definitely recommend The Alternative Cafe as your new go-to spot!

Antikka - Cafe & Records

Cafe: Antikka - Cafe and Records
Address: 960 Queen St. W
Phone: 416-792-1855
Operating Hours: Mon-Thurs 8 AM - 9 PM, Fri 8 AM - 10 PM, Sat 9 AM - 10 PM, 9 AM - 9 PM
Website: www.antikka.ca

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Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all
- Specializes in Armenian Coffee
- Coffee from Hale Coffee Roasters
- Tea from Genuine Tea
- Cold brew coffee from Station Cold Brew

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Yes to vegan and gluten-free
- Vegan sandwiches available
- Gluten-free pastries available
- Fresh sandwiches everyday

Chaiwala Chai Latte, $4.75

Small Armenian Coffee, $3.50

Review

Antikka is a cafe and record shop on Queen West that recently opened. With a mix of rustic and indie vibes, Antikka let patrons enjoy a great cup of coffee and discover their next favourite vinyl. The name of the shop pays homage to the owner's grandmother, who often used the word to describe something outdated (similar to antique).

They specialize in making Armenian coffee, a process that uses sand to heat up the coffee to a boil and has to be done twice before serving. If you choose to get their Armenian coffee, they are served in specialized handmade coffee cups from a merchant straight from Armenia. If you prefer your coffee to be sweetened, do tell them in advance. It's recommended not to add any sugar or sweetener afterwards but during the brewing process instead. I also had the chance to drink their Chaiwala Chai Latte, which is not overly sweet or bland either. I did not have to add any sweetener since it had a mild sweet taste to it already.

Antikka will be bringing in live music performance starting January so you check their social media for more information. They will also be opening their patio during the summer time, which you can look forward to in the warmer months. If you are a student living close by, this cafe is perfect since there are plenty of outlets and WiFi for you to use. If you are normally on Queen West, drop by for a drink or come and sell your preloved vinyls.

Livelihood Cafe

Cafe: Livelihood Cafe
Address: 254 Augusta Ave.
Phone: N/A
Operating Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 AM - 7 PM, Sat-Sun 10 AM - 7 PM
Website: www.livelihoodproject.org

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to all three, coconut milk available for lactose-free option: $0.35
- Flavour Shot: $0.50
- Extra 'Spro Shot: $1
- Iced: $0.35
- Misto: $0.50
- Coffee beans from Planet Beans and Rufino Coffee

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: Vegan and gluten-free cookies, vegetarian sandwiches available
- Baked goods are from La Bamboche

Review

Livelihood Cafe is part of a non-profit organization called the Livelihood Project. This organization help refugees develop transferable work skills and re-train people who have lost their jobs to automation. Livelihood Project also teaches digital skills to help people familiarize themselves with the constant changes in the digital world. They hire refugees from Syria, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia to work at Livelihood Cafe. However, they are not just hiring people who are looking for a job. The organization is currently looking for the next leaders to guide their own communities in the future. Livelihood Project aims to give these refugees experience and knowledge to empower others. They want people who are passionate and inspired to make changes within the Toronto refugee community.

The Livelihood Cafe itself is located in the middle of Kensington Market. It acts as a training and meeting space for the public and headquarter for the organization's operations. It allows other non-profit organizations to come and work at the cafe as well. This is also a good space with WiFi to get your own work done if you live within the area.

If you are someone from Syria, Ethiopia, Sudan or Somalia that makes traditional baked goods from your home country, Livelihood Cafe is interested in selling your treats. If you would like to reach out to them, please visit their website.