Sorry Cafe and Woodlot

This week is different from other commuting weeks in the sense that I have been tending to very sick people and life has been extremely chaotic with a lot of back and forth from Toronto. I myself have been spending a lot of time asking: Am I sick now? Is this cough the beginning of sickness? Am I not hungry because I am now getting the plague that has struck everyone else I know down?

I don’t know what’s going on in the world of immunology these days but there are nasty flu and poxviruses that defy logic going around. And, I’m in the camp that thinks that we’ve created a world with superbugs that people can’t fight.

Anyhow… on to the weekly coffee and food recommendations (from last week).

Coffeedence: Sorry Cafe, Yorkville

I found Sorry Cafe via the baristas from Boxcar Social. On the last day that their pop-up cafe was open on Bloor, I asked them what good coffee alternatives exist in the area. They immediately called out Sorry Cafe as being a hidden gem. It is rather hidden from the Bloor side of the fashion district, but for those coming out of the Bay Underground station, it’s a quick stop on your way into the financial district.

And, regardless of the name and reference to the Canadian penchant for saying “sorry” to every fricken thing, Sorry Cafe actually comes from the UK. It’s a part of the Kit and Ace chain and when Kit and Ace came to Canada, so did the coffee shop.

When I walked into the cafe for the first time, I challenged the barista to make an almond latte that didn’t taste bitter, burnt or sour. He took on the challenge and made the best almond milk latte I’ve ever had. The other thing that I really like about this cafe is they get different local artists to design their cups periodically. So far, I’ve seen two different designs.

Food Porn: Woodlot, Palmerston Ave

Woodlot is another hidden gem in the city. It sits in the part of Toronto that doesn’t advertise their restaurants through signage… and is located behind Bar Ravel (another great unmarked restaurant).

When you first walk in, the first thing you smell is the wood oven. It makes the restaurant feel incredibly warm and homey. The oven is a huge hand-built wood-fired oven where all the bread and a few other dishes are cooked.

I honestly don’t remember too much from the evening other than the great conversations, the really good food, and the feeling that I was sitting in front of a wood fire on a cold and steamy day. We sat at the butcher table which made the experience even homier.

Really good wine from the Niagara region. This area is growing quickly in the Canadian wine world.

I’ve not seen this anywhere else in the world (must be a Toronto thing), but it looks like the shellfish is on ice. In reality, it is on a pile of salt.

It’s a pile of grilled Hen-o’-the-Woods mushrooms on wild rice and beetroot.

And, crisp seared rainbow trout on a tomato puree.