Friday 25 March 2011

Earth To Table Bread Bar

Lunch yesterday at The Bread Bar. 
Given my current lack of friends here in Canada, I went by myself. Which do not get me wrong was quite nice.
Now firstly let me explain that coffee is not great in Canada, although some Canadians profess that "coffee is one of the greatest things in Canada" and some cannot go a day without a coffee. When I say coffee I am meaning Latte, Cappuccino, espresso etc. I am afraid of sounding like a Melbourne coffee snob, but I really can't help it. I have given some places a go, only to be disappointed.
Yesterday at the bread bar I thought, this might be just the place. So I sat down and ordered a Latte. I almost said "please don't heat the milk up too much and burn it" but I refrained, for fear of sounding like one of those horribly annoying customers. So I waited...

Not the greatest of coffees, the froth was not creamy, the coffee was too weak, and can you believe it the milk was warm to cold, so I had to drink it quick before it went cold.... (cost $2.95 CAD (not including tax).
I was given advice from a friend who also lives in Canada to stick to the drip brewed coffee as this is the one Canadians know how to do, oh and have cream with it. 
I have tried this type of coffee and it is ok, but nothing to rave home about. It is definitely not "one of the best things in Canada", and I don't see myself ordering it the next time I go out to eat, or suggesting to a friend to meet me for a coffee. However, there is one positive to this type of coffee, it is significantly cheaper than the Latte. For example, at the famous Canadian establishment 'Tim Hortons' (Blog to come about this place) a coffee costs approximately $1.40 (CAD). So, I can save a lot of money and in these times of limited employment this is something I need to consider. Still, I might forgo the coffee and save a whole $2.95.

Now to lunch. As I had a signifcant amount of snacks throughout the day (it doesn't help not having much to do sitting around the house all day) I was not that hungry. But when I got to the Bread Bar I thought, I have to try something off the menu because I have been told by people I have met, that the lunch is really nice. I ordered "Wild warm mushrooms, thyme & fontina", I was debating between that and two other things, so the waitress recommended the mushrooms. I like recommendations a lot, even when your taste buds may be very different to the person making the recommendation, still, I usually go with the recommendation. 
It was really nice. It had 3 types of mushrooms (forgive me I have forgotten which types), Arugula (English = Rocket), Fontina - Italian style cheese, and Thyme, and it was seasoned (phew). The mushrooms were lovely and warm and the cheese was melted, plus the bread "Milk and Honey bread" made at the shop was really soft and fresh.
Overall the food was great, and I am looking forward to my next visit to The Bread Bar to try something else off the menu, but this time no coffee, perhaps a tea instead.