Restaurant Review #5 - Bloom Cafe - Toronto, Ontario

So an out of town friend of mine was visiting Toronto one weekend. Like me, she is vegetarian, so I thought I could take her to a vegetarian joint in town. I would normally take any Toronto newbie to King's Cafe, but they are renovating for a couple of months, so I thought I would try Vegetarian Haven, located on Baldwin Street. So we decide to meet at the restaurant on a Saturday at 1pm. No big deal. Until I get there and realize that they don't open until 2pm.

Now, what restaurant opens up on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm, and not for Saturday lunch? I was very annoyed. But, I think it worked out for the better, because I noticed price increases on their menu, and that did not make me happy either. If any Vegetarian Haven owners are reading this, please have some sense and open up your restaurant for lunch on Saturdays!

Anyhow, it wasn't that big of a deal since we were on a strip where there are at least a dozen or so restaurants. One small cafe caught my eye. I had never seen it before, so we decided to try it out. It is called the Bloom Cafe. Really nice, simple decor, but no music. Silence. Also, it was empty. That usually worries me, but I decided to give it a try anyways (mainly because I am not a major fan of most of the Baldwin Streets restaurants).

My friend and I ordered a FABULOUS tea called Quite Pink. Apparently this cafe is known for their blooming teas and using flowers like globe amaranth . They pre sweeten with tea with honey and some sort of pomegranate flavor that the lady would not tell me about.

For lunch, we had miso soup, onigiri and tofu pitas. The miso soup was good, but nothing spectacular. Tasted like the miso soup that I make at home from miso paste. Onigiri are these japanese rice triangles filled with various fillings. I picked avocado/cucumber and kimchi. It was alright, al little bland for my palate. Finally the tofu pita was fantastic. The sauce on the tofu made this whole pita. It tasted like a mix of miso paste, chili paste, ginger, soy, and something a little sour.

Overall, it was a good meal, not great. I would go back to try other things on their menu, in particular, the teas! One great thing about the food at Bloom, is that it is not heavy at all. We were definitely full, but we did not feel bloated or super, can't walk type of full.

This restaurant is not fully vegetarian, but very veg friendly!

Bloom Cafe
45 Baldwin St.
Toronto, Ontario
www.bloomtea.ca