Cafe Olya

Cafe: Cafe Olya
Address: 540 Parliament St.
Phone: 416-833-4248
Store Hours: Mon CLOSED, Tues-Sun 8 AM - 3 PM
Website: www.cafeolya.com

Wi-Fi?: No
Study Appropriate?: No
Stamp Cards?: No

Interior

Menu

Drinks - Soy/Almond/Lactose-Free Options?: Almond only
- Offers whole milk and 1%
- No syrups

Food - Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten-Free Options?: None
- Offers in-house baked goods fresh daily
- Offers savoury scones
- Offers croissants
- Offers coffee delivery, see website for details

Review

Drink of Choice: 10 oz. Latte, $3.50

Cafe Olya is a take-out cafe in Cabbagetown that provides your basic coffee drinks. There are no syrups/flavourings, no novelty drinks, and definitely no decaf coffee (sorry decaf fans!). They get their coffee beans from different roasters in Canada and the USA, which changes monthly.

The cafe is run by a nice couple that make their pastries in-house fresh everyday. Usually the baked goods run out by the end of the day. Cafe Olya is not meant to be a place for you to sit down and get your work done. I was there to get the information for this review and I was out pretty quickly.

This is a good spot for those who live in the neighbourhood and wants to pick up some fresh roasted coffee on the way to work or home. If you really love the coffee they are selling, they also deliver coffee beans right to your doorstep! Their coffee roaster is always changing so check out their website for which roaster they are selling for the month and details on the coffee delivery.

Grand Electric

Restaurant: Grand Electric
Address: 1330 Queen St. West
Phone: 416-627-3459
Store Hours: Sun-Tues 12 PM - 12 AM, Wed-Sat 12 PM - 1 AM
Website: www.grandelectricbar.com

Review

Food of Choice: Baja Fish and Pork Belly Tacos, $3.60 per taco

I was job shadowing in Parkdale when I came across Grand Electric. Having heard many favourable reviews, I decided to pop in for lunch. The bar had a very relaxed vibe. There was loud hip hop music playing and the staff were in casual clothes. The space wasn't very big but luckily I came at a less busy time because apparently the wait time to be seated takes forever during certain hours.

There were no hand-out menus and their entire menu was on a chalkboard. Therefore, the choices were pretty limited. When I saw that the tacos were $3.60 each, I cringed a little. I hummed and hawed for a bit before deciding on one Baja Fish taco and one Belly Pork taco.

When I received the tacos, I understood immediately why people warned me about how pricey Grand Electric was. The size of the tacos were so small! Someone who enjoyed having more substance in her meal, I wasn't too please with the portions. There was no way I was going to order another round to get a satisfying lunch because I knew it was going to cost me a hefty penny.

I definitely love the Baja Fish taco. It was extremely tasty and unique. The pork belly was also good, but being Asian and having to eat a lot of pork belly already, it was nothing new. If you come to Grand Electric, you would definitely appreciate the gourmet tacos.

Aroma Espresso Bar (Eaton Centre)

Cafe: Aroma Espresso Bar
Address: 220 Yonge St.
Phone: 647-341-3883
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM - 9:30 PM, Sat 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM, Sun 10 AM - 7 PM
Website: www.aroma.ca

Wi-Fi?: Yes
Study Appropriate?: No
Stamp Cards?: No

Interior

Menu

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

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

See full menu at: www.aroma.ca/menu/beverages/

Personal Philly Chicken Sandwich, $5.30 

Protein Rich Combo (Personal Chicken Sandwich & Mixed Green Salad), $8.85

Small Chai Latte, $3.95

Personal Breakfast Sandwich, $4.95

Review

Soup of Choice: Butternut Squash Soup, $5.05

I've always preferred going to a stand-alone restaurant over a food court. It is the same when it comes to Aroma Espresso Bar. I have avoided going to the one in the Urban Eatery at the Eaton Centre because I'd rather go to one of the cafes. However, with no Metropass and the lack of time to walk to other Aromas, I buckled down and went to the one at Urban Eatery.

Prior to this trip, I always got a personal sandwich and a drink from Aroma. I decided that I wanted more food and remembered the barista telling me that if I get the DoubleUp Combo, it would be $10 including tax. I thought that was a pretty good deal so I decided to go for the combo this time around. The DoubleUp Combo ($8.85) includes two choices of: soup or any personal sandwich or mixed greens/caesar salad/chopped salad/quinoa salad. I got the Philly Chicken sandwich and the Butternut Squash soup. They forgot my bread and butter for the soup when I received my meal. Since it was busy, I simply waited and told them they forgot my bread and it was resolved immediately.

Can I say, hands down, Aroma's Butternut Squash soup is my favourite soup ever. I've never had a favourite soup up until now. It was thick and creamy with the right amount of sweetness. The sandwich was tasty but soup totally overshadowed it in this meal.

Aroma Espresso Bar is popular with the working crowd during lunch time (as always). Being located in the Eaton Centre, it is accessible to those who work in the mall and anyone who has access to the Path. It has its own fenced off section in the food court, exclusive to those who order from Aroma. Overall, it is a good alternative if you are unable to run to the Bay and Dundas location (go to that one if you can!).

Thank you to my Aroma Fairy for providing me with the coupons so I could purchase the food for this review!