Fahrenheit Coffee - For Tea and Baked Goods?

Fahrenheit Coffee
120 Lombard Avenue
Toronto, ON M5A 4J6

Who goes to a popular coffee house and orders tea?!

Me...(I say quietly)
Well, I was actually looking to have a ginger molasses cookie.

Huh?!  (Would be the response of most people.)

Yes, I've been seeing ginger molasses cookies at a lot of cafes and started to have a craving.  I tried to bake some in the morning, but I'm either a truly bad baker or the recipe I found online was not quite right...

Anyway, I wanted a cookie and of course going to a coffee house, it seems a little weird to just buy a cookie so I ordered a drink.  I wasn't in the mood for something strong like coffee so got a Sencha Tea Latte.  The milk was nice and foamy and I really enjoyed it (the tea was okay too). But, don't expect any latte art, cause well, I don't think it can be done in tea.  Overall, a nice beverage.

This makes me want to buy my own milk frother, the expensive over a hundred dollar kind.  It's actually been on my wish list for some time, but it is another gadget I just don't have the space for...and let's face it...I'd probably only use it a few times a month.

So, aside from the tea latte, I got a scone.

What?!  Thought you were looking for a ginger molasses cookie?

Yes, well, they ran out when I went (I hear laughter somewhere)...so since I was in the mood for a baked good, I got a white chocolate cranberry scone.  Not much white chocolate but very buttery!  It's quite different from other scones I've had in that the texture is different and it seems double baked.  Before they served it to me they also heated it up in their oven which was nice.

Space is small so this is not a place to linger/chat/work.  Maybe during off peak hours you can stay a bit to chat especially since there are a few items that are only served in-house, but this is more of a to-go kind of place.  Baristas are nice and you do feel like they want to be there.

Although I didn't get the coffee, looking at other people's drinks, they look well made.  If you like tea lattes, this is also a good place to go.  Ginger molasses cookies...I'll have to let you know another day.

  

 

Rose City Kitchen - Middle Eastern Lunch

Rose City Kitchen (RCK)
36 Toronto Street
Toronto, Canada M5C 2C5
T: 416-306-0440
This location is only open M-F (11am - 6pm)
http://www.rosecitykitchen.com/

Yum!!  Saw some pics of this place on Zomato (the Queen St. location) and knew there was one near work so I tried it out last week and it's a pretty good lunch box!  I originally wanted the steak but they ran out, so I tried halloumi cheese instead.

I got the Egyptian box which consists of a bed of brown rice, topped with red cabbage, eggplant/chickpea/date puree, corn, tomatoes, and your choice of protein.  The eggplant puree was slightly sweet and went well with the other items in the box.  It was a quite a balanced box in terms of nutrition as well.  The portion might seem small, but it actullay turned out to be filling enough.  (But I'm thinking of some men I know that would need an extra sandwich or side.)  I've mentioned before that I don't usually buy lunch on weekdays, but there are days when you just don't have the time or energy to make a healthy lunch and RCK does a good job at filling the need.



Note: price of the box meal I got $10, includes the tax.

This was my first time trying halloumi but I've heard good things about it, especially that it has a unique texture and it can be grilled so it can be an easy vegetarian substitute.  Personally, I thought it was okay...I'm all for different textures but I guess I prefer hard cheeses like gruyere, soft ones like unripened goat cheese, cheddar anything, and of course a melty baked brie is devine.  The halloumi was salty which balanced out the slightly sweet eggplant puree and initally feels like you might be biting into something like meat but I guess it ends there.  There wasn't a creamy mouthfeel afterwards like other cheeses and doesn't have the texture of meat, so to me I'd eat it but it wouldn't be something I'd crave.

Rose petal hot sauce and harissa ketchup are available if you need a bit more kick to your meal. And I'd definitely recommend the harissa ketchup on halloumi.  Several long communal tables are available for you to eat at which is nice.

I'd definitely go back to try their falafel and other boxes, but just have to go earlier to get that steak!

  

 



Pearl Diver - Fish & Chips

Pearl Diver
100 Adelaide St E
Toronto, ON M5C 1K9
T: 416-366-7827
http://pearldiver.to/pearldiver/

Had lunch at Pearl Diver last week and it was pretty good.  Moreso because service was so friendly but it really had a nice vibe to the place. 

This will be a quick post as I only had one item on their menu.  Ordered the fish and chips which tasted good, fish was nice and light.  But, the batter of the fish could be crispier; seemed like there was a bit too much oil absorbed by the batter (possibly oil was not hot enough) on one piece but still tasty.  Tarter sauce looks homemade and it had the addition of dill which I love.  Side of coleslaw was good, tasted different from your usual. I think the vinegar used might be a rice vinegar...enjoyed it and I think I would have preferred more coleslaw and had less fries!  (But, that's just me.)

Pearl Diver offers a pretty good special on oysters so I hope to be back to try the fresh oysters which are on special from 12pm -6pm Sunday - Friday, $15 for a dozen - pretty awesome!

Neo Coffee Bar - Japanese Roll Cakes

Neo Coffee Bar
161 Frederick Street, Unit 100
Toronto, ON M5A 4P3
http://www.neocoffeebar.com

Japanese roll cakes are the newest Japanese inspired desserts available on the Toronto cafe scene.  Opened a week ago, Neo Coffee Bar specializes in coffee as their name would imply, but for me, the sweet treats make this coffee bar a draw.  I was happily rewarded for my lunchtime trek with a deliciously light and well flavoured roll cake. 

What I had:  Shingen: roasted soybean cream, organic red beans, and gyuhi rice cake (softer kind of mochi).

Shingen Roll Cake

Although they had a matcha roll and a matcha cookie, which were hard to pass up, roasted soybean is not often found in dessert shops and I really like the taste of kinako (roasted soybean flour).  Their website lists a host of other flavours that weren't on dispaly so I assume not all flavours are available daily.  The Shingen roll was really good!  Luv! Cake was light and moist, the roasted soybean cream had just the right amount of roasted sweetness and the rice cakes were soft and although not as chewy as the usual mochi, I still enjoyed the texture contrast. Often kinako is used to coat mochi so I can see the connection.

Aside from coffee, Neo also offers tea.  Two speciality teas and basic teas from Sloane Teas which I've noticed on many of the menus of cafes I've visited recently.  Sloane Teas have been around for a number of years (and it appears they are doing quite well) but I've only had a taste of their tea at a food show many years ago and don't remember much about that experience except the beautiful tea cannisters.  So, I decided to try it out and paired my cake with the Sloane Signature Black Tea - a blend of Darjeeling and Assam leaves and it went quite well with the cake.  I preferred no milk or sugar in my tea, but do take the tea bag out after a few minutes.

Service was nice and the room is quite spacious with individual seating at the front and larger tables at the back.  Quite minimalistic, but the warm cognac colour of the leather seating making it quite inviting - loved it.  In terms of atmosphere, the only thing I think they still need to establish is their own cafe vibe...they just opened so it will take time to develop.

Would definitely say it could be rated 5/5 based on the roll cake alone but I'm always hesitant to give perfect until I've tried a bit more of their offerings.  An additional note, they have a stamp card, buy 9 drinks and the 10th is free.