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

Interior

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.

Young Animal

Restaurant: Young Animal
Address: (Temporarily on Mondays Only) 2901A Dundas St. W
Phone: 416-569-8949
Operating Hours: (Temporarily on Mondays Only) 6 PM - Close
Website: www.younganimal.ca

Menu

Review

I was invited to try out a pop-up Trinidadian restaurant called Young Animal. The owner wants to bring attention to Trinidadian food because it's not commonly found in Toronto. Jamaican cuisine dominates the Caribbean food scene here when in fact there are 25 countries that make up  the Caribbean. Trinidadian food has African, Indian, and Chinese influences due to the history of the island. The first dish I tried was the Curry Chicken Roti, commonly known as a Buss Up Shot ($8) in Trinidad. It's broken up roti that you dip into curry and eat with your hands. This is an Indian-inspired dish with very mild spiciness. So it's great for people who cannot handle spicy food!

After, I had the Jerk Trout (the type of fish changes depending on when you visit) with Fried Plantain and Curried Callaloo ($10). This is one of the best dishes I've had to date. I couldn't stop raving about it afterwards to the chef. It's very rare that a dish truly stands out to me because I like practically everything! However, the Jerk Trout does not taste like typical seafood. There's no fishy taste and the combination of flavours simply melts in your mouth. I cannot highly recommend it enough!

The last dish was the Doubles with Tamarind and Mango Chutney ($5). In Trinidad, this is commonly eaten during breakfast. It's a type of sandwich that contains two dough buns with chickpeas squished in between. It's a very tasty vegetarian option!

Young Animal is currently hosting pop-ups on Mondays at Cut the Cheese in the Junction. So if you are in the area, I highly recommend that you check them out! This is a great way to try Trinidadian food if you are looking to explore other Caribbean options within Toronto.

Amani Earls Coffee & Tea Bar

Cafe: Amani Earls Coffee & Tea Bar
Address: 3178 Dundas St. West
Phone: 647-655-3275
Store Hours: Mon CLOSED, Tues-Thurs 8 AM - 5 PM, Fri-Sat 8 AM - 6 PM, Sun 9:30 AM - 5 PM
Website: www.amaniearls.com

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: Yes
Stamp Cards?: Yes

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Yes to soy and almond
- Offers Honey Black
- Offers Rosewater Milk
- Roasted coffee beans from Pilot Coffee Roasters

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free?: Yes to all
- Offers homemade chocolate chip cookies
- Offers smoothies during the summer
- Offers made in-house breakfast sandwiches
- Offers baked goods

Review

Drink of Choice: Te Aro, $4.50 - $5

When I went to Amani Earls Coffee & Tea Bar, I realized I haven't been to The Junction for awhile. I absolutely loved the vibe of this neighbourhood and they had a lot of cool spots. When I arrived to the cafe, I realized that it was about to close. I really wanted to sit and do some homework but instead, I had to grab my drink and go, having only enough time to talk to the owner about his cafe.

Amani Earls is in a sweet little spot on The Junction strip that offers a variety of items, such as homemade chocolate chip cookies, breakfast sandwiches and smoothies during the summer. Their focus is on the quality of the coffee and use a great grinder to make their drinks. One of their specialty drinks is the Honey Black, which is a cortado with honey at the bottom of the cup. They also have Rosewater Milk. However, their novelty drinks change often and you may not see these the next time you pop by.

I asked about their drinks and the owner talked about the Te Aro. Curious, I was able to try this drink despite it not being on the menu. A Te Aro is steeped coffee mixed with almond milk, cacao, English Breakfast tea, and a dash of vanilla. It was indeed a tasty drink. In fact, English Breakfast is my favourite basic tea since it is one of the few I know that tastes good with milk and sugar.

If you are into cafe art, they display and sell from a different artist every three months. Amani Earls is simply a cute cafe in The Junction that you should drop by the next time you are in the area.

The Good Neighbour Espresso Bar

Cafe: The Good Neighbour Espresso Bar

Address: 238 Annette St. 

Phone: N/A 

Store Hours: Mon-Sun 7 AM - 7 PM

Website: N/A

Wi-Fi?: Yes

Study Appropriate?: Yes

Stamp Cards: No

Interior

Review

Drink of Choice: Cappuccino, $3.50

The Good Neighbour Espresso Bar is one of my favourite cafes I've been to prior to this blog. It's spacious and as you can see, great big windows for plenty of sunshine and happy weather (when it's much warmer). This is the only cafe I've been to in the Junction to this date. Now that I have "re-discovered" it as I'm making these Incomplete Review posts, I hope to revisit in the future.