Cajun Corner breathes a whiff of sunny New Orleans into my cold, slushy, curmudgeonly Toronto soul. I was attracted at once to the beads (oooo...look, something shiny!) and the feathered mardi gras masks. A wide array of imported hot sauces, grits (to my knowledge they are the only place in Toronto that sells them) and spices distracted me further. But it was the lunch counter I came for and the lunch counter I will be returning to time and time again.

When we arrived, the friendly chef was frying up a pan of andouille sausage. The blackboard menu featured a selection of daily specials and regularly offered fare. The decision was pleasantly difficult.

Our beignets (aka doughnuts with a French accent, $3.50 for a dozen) were up first, hot and fresh and sprinkled with icing sugar. The plan had been to take some home to share; however they were so light and airy that sharing a dozen seemed neither tasking nor sinful.

The gumbo (8 oz $2.95, 16 oz $5.49, 24 oz $7.95) arrived next looking more like a stew, full of big chunks of the andouille sausage and tasso pork. The layer underneath revealed the rice, celery, okra, tomato and onion. The meats were flavourful and lean, while the rice layer was a bit bland. A trip to the extensive hot sauce collection would easily customize the heat level to one's liking.

My Combo Po'Boy ($5.95) was on a crusty (but not perilously crunchy) bun filled with big tasty shrimp, cornmeal crusted catfish, remoulade (I'd call it pink mayo, but that's probably sacrilege), and a bit of tomato. The ingredients were obviously high quality and very fresh. When my Dad (fearing he would devour my entire Po'Boy) ordered some catfish nuggets ($3.95), we looked up and saw just how fresh it really was. The chef was cutting up large chunks of fresh catfish and cornmeal coating them to order. The result was sublime. The nugget form showcased the catfish to even better advantage, again with a side of remoulade.

While we ate, the chef was enjoying a bowlful of his own gumbo, always a good sign.

On a separate visit, I ordered the catfish dinner ($6.95). Pictured at top, it came with my choice of two sides. Among the options were Louisiana slaw, sweet potato fries (cut like chips, not fries) and some sort of corn bake. Mmmm.....good.

As for the atmosphere, there were a few wrought iron tables and chairs for eat-in among the cajun tchotchkes. The lively zydeco music playing (available for purchase) made it easy to forget the windchill outside.

With contributions from Tim Shore