A long-time Bloor West favourite, Bloom Restaurant has refreshed their look, menu and kitchen just in time for spring! Also, all of its seafood options are now Ocean Wise sustainable. To celebrate and spread the word they invited a bunch of food writers for a little tasting party.

In the interest of space, I’ve scanned and uploaded the menu. Read it here.

With the first, second and dessert courses being choices of two, I decided that I required a tasting buddy. I appointed Christine Cooper. I ordered all the seafood dishes, she ordered the meat. With each course there was a clear winner.

We’re blooming buds

For the “welcome cocktail”, I chose the “Blooming Buds” over the mojito. Blooming Buds was described as “sparking wine with berries”. The wine was the Cabert Prosecco offered by Lifford Wine Agency, mixed with Fragole (wild strawberry) liquor. Funny, me and some of the people I dined with are blooming bud(die)s. Yeah, I try to be cute here.

I didn’t taste the mojito, but Peter and Paula preferred it. Peter claimed that the mojito was much better. I have a thing for sparkling wine – just thinking “prosecco” makes me feel giddy – and I liked the berries. It was a refreshing beverage for a hot day.

Amuse: Cassava frites with mojo dipping sauce

There was no choice with the amuse. Everyone was presented with two cassava frites beneath a mound of mojo dipping sauce.

Cassava – aka yuca – is a tuber grown in South America. For most people, cassava is most commonly associated with tapioca. Fun fact: It’s also a source of bio-ethanol (fuel). The cassava frites were crispy & dense. I couldn’t eat a plate of them and I don’t think that I’d order them, but the plate of two was nice. The sauce reminded me of aioli. It was creamy, garlicky, citrusy, salty and sweet. Mojo sauce (pronounced “moho”) is Hispanic. Google it and you’ll find many variations. I believe we had it Cuban-style (see Wikipedia).

First course: Ceviche vs. Foie

Wine: Malivoire Pinot Gris (2009)

Winner of this round: Spring Terrine. However, I preferred the pinot gris with the ceviche than with the terrine.

Second course: Sesame crusted seared ahi tuna vs. pan seared flank steak with chimichurri

Wine: Malivoire Pinot Noir (2008)

Winner of this round: Flank steak.
Wine notes: The wine was better with the meat too. The meat brings out the caramel flavors in wine and the wine brings out the meatiness of the steak- odd statement, I know.

Dessert: Churros vs. Flan

As a child, I loved flan. I expected to like the flan at Bloom best.

The churros were treated to a chocolate sauce with cinnamon, coffee and chili pepper. The vanilla ice cream was melted. Instead of telling you the winner, I’ll share this photo comic strip that Rossy composed with the Comic Strip app for iPhone:

(photo credit Rossy Earle)

This is what we called “The Churro Incident”, which kind of sounds like the name of a sitcom episode. (I could see a Big Bang Theory episode called “The Churro Incident” that involves the science of churros.) Bev wasn’t the only one licking the plate. I scraped mine well with a fork. Sorry, flan, you’re no longer my favourite.

Full photo set:

About Bloom Restaurant

Executive Chef: Pedro Quintanilla
Front of the House Manager: Johnnie Walker

2315 Bloor St West (Bloor West Village), Toronto, ON, M6S 1P1
(On the south slide of Bloor @ Windermere between Runnymede and Jane. Green P parking lots one block in each direction. Easy to get to without a car.)
Tel: 416-767-1315
Hours of Operation: Dinner Service 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday
BYOW (Bring Your Own Wine) corkage fee: $20 per bottle.
Special Events & Catering: All menu items available for take-out and catering.
Special group menus also available.

www.BloomRestaurant.com
@bloomrestaurant on Twitter

[I do have full tasting notes and had started a blog post full of narrative but it was just too long! I split it into two at one point but when I got to the dessert section of part 2 I decided to scrap most of what I had and go in a different direction. I might make that public somewhere some time.]

Thank you to Sizzling Communications for hosting the evening and putting together a great guest list that included food promoters from tweeters to magazine publishers & veteran food journalists. Thanks also to Lifford’s Nick Keukenmeester who didn’t tell me what I was about to taste before I tasted it, and points for having one of the coolest last names I’ve ever heard.

Articles and blog posts from other guests, with more mouth-watering photos:

• SpringTime at Bloom Restaurant, Viewthevibe.com – She was filming behind me and I didn’t even know.
• Media Dinner at Bloom Restaurant, Food Junkie Chronicles
• Spring Bloom Dining, My Daily Bread
• Bloom-ing good fun at Bloom Restaurant, Tasting Toronto
• Bloom Restaurant and Ceviche, Dragon’s Kitchen
• Bloom in Bloor West Village, Kalofagas.ca

More to follow as I get them.

Eat well, be well.

There are two types of coffee drinkers: Those who drink it primarily for the caffeine (subdivided into those who like coffee and those who don’t), and those who drink it for the flavour.

Americano made by Matt.

A word about the former:
I don’t understand people who drink it just for the caffeine. Okay I do a little bit.  I recognize that for them coffee is simply a delivery system for caffeine, the world’s most popular drug. We joke about IV drips of caffeine and mainlining. But I simply don’t get it. I think that if you regularly need to drink coffee, for the caffeine that a) something else in your life is out of balance and needs to be addressed – e.g. stress, not enough sleep;  and b) there are other methods to stay awake. It’s sad that we live in a culture where rather than taking care of ourselves we let our health and energy get out of balance and then compensate, further pushing it out of balance and developing addictions¹. And if you’re drinking coffee but don’t even like it?? That just seems dumb to me.  This is also an example that goes with my condiment rant: If you need condiments (e.g. milk and sugar) to mask, rather than enhance the flavour of what you’re eating or drinking, it’s not right in the first place. So, if you don’t like coffee but buy it and dump in condiments to make it palatable, there is really something wrong.  Coffee with your sugar? But anyway…

Needless to say, I’m the latter type of coffee drinker. The former are people who scoff at the concept of decaf and ask in horror, “What’s the point??” In the latter category, I don’t need it on a regular basis. I seldom drink it because I need the caffeine boost. I prefer not to drink it every day. My taste buds love the stuff, my stomach does not, especially on an empty stomach. I’d also rather save my money. So, then, I appreciate good coffee. I won’t drink Starbucks coffee because I don’t like it (though I do like their blended drinks, which have the added benefit of masking the taste of their terrible coffee). I will go out of my way for excellent coffee. The Americano is my drink of choice, occasionally an espresso and maybe a latte made with non-dairy milk.

The coffee shop you’ve been waiting to find

Recently while up at Hockley Valley resort for the food writer’s lunch and learn, I learned about Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters and had some with my dessert. It’s natural that the resort sources its coffee from Sense Appeal and that Sense Appeal’s bar is made with wood reclaimed from an old barn in Hockley Valley: Sense Appeal co-owner Peter Adamo (his business partner is Roberto Rota) is the son of the couple who opened Hockley Valley Resort 25 years ago. Brother John Paul Adamo is now President and General Manager, formerly executive chef. Hospitality and a love of food and drink is in their blood.  And well, they’re Italian. Italians seem to be knowledgeable and passionate about food, wine and coffee by nature.

Though culture and family legacy alone (the Yiddish word “yichus” – basically lineage or pedigree – comes to mind) are enough to give Peter cred in the coffee business, he’s also a sommalier. A sommalier. You’d think that someone trained in wine tasting and food-wine matching could expertly transfer those skills and that passion to coffee and he does. Not only that, but he’s got champion (actually competes and wins) barista Sameer Mohamed on his team. Talk about a winning team.

Initially a wholesaler to high-end hotels for over a year, Sense Appeal opened its retail operation last month in a 500 square foot space on Spadina just north of King Street that started as a barbershop over a century ago. Already the media is all abuzz online and off. BlogTO raved about them and almost all of the comments in response agree (!).  It’s shocking to read so much agreement on BlogTO and truly a testament to Sense Appeal that they have that kind of consensus. The Globe and Mail did a piece about them.  People are tweeting (#senseappeal). While first typing this paragraph I went over to Twitter to search hashtag “#senseappeal” and saw that my friend Michael checked in there – with hashtags – via foursquare 15 minutes previously. 63 people have checked in 169 times.

Letters and lattes

My first visit was a two-for-one of sorts. I went for a Movember event called MoCupcakes. Coffee was free. It being evening, I ordered up two decaf coffees: First an Americano, then a mocha. The Americano is made with a choice of three beans. I didn’t specify, so I was given the OA, described as “rich, chocolaty and nutty”. By default the mocha is made with OA as well.

During my second visit I ask for a recommendation and get a “BH”, and later a “K”, on the house. “BH” is described on the menu board as “sweet, creamy and fruity”.  The K is described on the menu board as “Bright, sweet and citrusy”, and by Sameer as “orange zest” and by barista Matt as “frontal palate”. I find it malty. I like malty. Sameer told me that each sip tastes different. When I got to the end of the cup (hours later, granted), it tasted nutty.

When I tried the BH I liked it better than the OA. When I tasted the K I sniffed and sipped as if I were tasting wine, then I closed my eyes as the enjoyment washed over me. This was a good cup. The K is definitely my favourite – though I will have to try the OA again.

Matt makes a Turkish Latte

The Turkish Latte, spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, was recommended by a friend and also by barista Matt. I think I want to try this, though I’m unsure. I’m not a big fan of cardamom but I like it if the flavour is subtle. Biting down on a piece is not a pleasant experience. Milk alternatives are soy and – my preferred – almond. They also have lactose free milk. If coffee’s not your thing there are sodas and teas.

Not just the coffee

The staff is knowledgeable. Sameer told me that eating a banana will help reduce the effects of coffee and that this is a trick the professionals use when sampling. It’s the potassium. The closest information about this that I can find online are sources that claim that bananas are a natural antacid and protect against ulcers.

The staff is also so nice. What was going to be a quick visit lasted nearly an hour as I chatted with the staff. Peter, Sameer and I talked chocolate. I learned that they source their chocolate from SOMA, which was a conversation in itself. We talked chocolate pairing. Chocolate and beer (stout). Chocolate and red wine (sommalier Peter likes chocolate with Cabernet, I like it with any red wine but especially Port). And, of course, chocolate and coffee.

The staff cares about their customers. If you read the BlogTO comments you’ll see that Sameer and Peter personally responded to many of the comments. When I told them that I was impressed by this Sameer’s reaction was basically that it’s just good customer service. He was very nonchalant about it, as if everyone does that – except that they don’t.

Photo credit: Dennis Marciniak for BlogTO

Their Ecotainer cups are affixed with home-made labels. In November one promoted Sameer’s Movember affiliation (a container on the bar also collected donations for the cause). The one I got on my second visit promotes their Twitter account and social media tie in: “Tweet to @senseappeal with #senseappeal #coffee for a change to win coffee for a week”.

I totally dug the music that they had playing.

While I was there I ran into a friend and was offered a bite of his flaky apple danish. He had me at “phyllo” when describing the buttery phyllo dough. Sameer mentioned the caramel danish to me, something I’ll have to try another day. I remember how much more I enjoyed my dulce de leche dessert at the resort when it was accompanied by Peter’s coffee. I really do want to go back and review the food.

The place is a 15 minute walk from my office but sadly, not between work and home. As I said earlier, I’ll go out of my way for good coffee and I will keep going back.

Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters is definitely worth the buzz… in every way.

Eat well, be well.

Related posts:

blogTO’s review of Sense Appeal

It all Starts with Butter on Sense Appeal

Introducing: Sense Appeal, a cafe with a “director of coffee extraction” (Toronto Life) [Mine was written first and in draft form for 3 days.]

Taken with my cell phone

Post script: I had this post sitting in my drafts for 3 days when I returned to Sense Appeal. Shortly before 1pm I read on Twitter about pecan tart samples. I loooove pecan tarts. I also lack the ability to get up and go, nor did I anticipate them disappearing as quickly as they did. The place was busy at 2:45pm and the tarts long gone. I ordered the Turkish Latte and enjoyed it a lot. The cardamon is subtle. I didn’t mix my latte and Sameer’s latte art remained in tact until the end:

latte art

I forgot to ask for non-dairy milk, which resulted in a conversation about milk alternatives and me informing them about So Delicious’ new coconut milk. I’d like to taste what happens if Sense Appeal starts using coconut milk. The flavour of So Delicious coconut milk is subtle and it has a nice creaminess.

***
¹Why, when I read this statement while previewing the post, do I hear Meghan’s voice saying those words in my head?

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