Gilead Cafe

4 Gilead Place       Website
Phone: 647.288.0680

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Posted by Staff
June 23, 2008

Rating: 3.1/5 (19 votes cast)

20081008_gilead01.jpgJamie Kennedy has moved into Corktown with his latest culinary installment, Gilead Cafe. My friends and I popped in for lunch and fully enjoyed our meal, owing to the mixture of great tasting food, casual atmosphere, and super friendly staff. You can be sure to find JK's traditional philosophy (of sourcing local ingredients and bringing out the best of seasonal produce) incorporated into every item on the menu. The cafe is perfect for those looking to enjoy a nice hot cup of java, grab a quick bite, or bring home some good eats.

20081008_gilead02.jpgThe Beer Braised Beef Poutine with Caramelized Onions and Ile aux Grues ($8.00) may very well be the king of gourmet poutine! The beef was braised to perfection - so tender that it was near melt-in-your-mouth. The fries were fresh and had a light, golden crunch. Maybe I'm so used to the cheese-packed meatless poutine from NYF, that I felt I would have liked more cheese in Gilead's gourmet version. But the overall combination achieved a good balance of all the ingredients. A word of caution, the portion is like a meal itself, so go easy on ordering more food.

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Freshly made Tomato Soup with Crème Fraîche & Basil ($5.00) was leaps and bounds better than any canned tomato soup out there (no offense to those who dig the stuff). The texture was consistent while the flavour was rich and was bursting with the essence of meaty tomatoes.

Sandwiches are also a staple on the menu. The Fried Halloumi Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Zucchini, Grilled Red Onion & Arugula Pesto on Seeded Sourdough ($9.00) was a heavenly combination fused between two pieces of freshly baked sourdough bread. I noticed that a lot of people ordered the Roast Beef Sandwich with Le Ciel de Charleviox, Pepper Cress, Red Onion Chutney & Garlic Mayo on a Ciabatta Bun ($9.00), which I will try next time.

The coffee cake was not too sweet and the coffee flavour was not too overpowering. I imagine the cake would have paired up nicely with a Cappuccino ($3.00). I also had a taste of the Cake ($3.50).

Prices are reasonable and reflect the quality of the food. I'd really love to see what new creations Gilead Cafe will come up with next season. In the meantime, I'm still reminiscing on how I devoured that poutine, which I think should be a permanent item on the menu because it's deliciously appropriate for any season of the year.

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Review and photos by Kitty Lo.

downtown cafe on October 8, 2008 at 4:32 PM

I heard a rumor that JK is opening an espresso bar in the Wine Bar space.

Anybody know when this is happening?
The downtown core needs a quality espresso bar.

Jerrold on October 8, 2008 at 9:23 PM

Mmmm... beer braised beef poutine sounds gooood.

Adam on October 8, 2008 at 10:55 PM

This place has the most bizarre location. It's down some alley between Eastern Av and King across from a new townhome development. You'd never guess it was there.

Still am dying to try it! Photos look great

Jeffrey Koo on October 8, 2008 at 11:10 PM

Kitty, this is an excellent, well-written review! Now I want to go try out the food

Roger on October 8, 2008 at 11:43 PM

That poutine looks absolutely dégueulasse!

Peter Charlton on October 9, 2008 at 12:07 AM

"Freshly made Tomato Soup with Cr?me Fra?che & Basil ($5.00) was leaps and bounds better than any canned tomato soup out there"

Nice to see restaurant reviewers at this site have great food examples to compare the restuarants in review to.

Vivyruest on October 9, 2008 at 9:31 AM

I agree with Roger, This poutine looks d?gueulasse. But again, it might be very tasty....It's just an error to call it a "poutine" just because you put some meaty-sauce on fries.
That said, I respect the guy - he's a good chef.

The Beerad on October 9, 2008 at 10:19 AM

King East is the new King West, no?

Kate on October 9, 2008 at 10:23 AM

I got take oput from here for a meeting I was having - delicious!

kitty on October 9, 2008 at 11:40 AM

special thanks goes out to Beth & Heather...and all the great staff! they were all oh-so helpful and friendly!

addict on October 22, 2008 at 2:14 PM

i had the poutine. it's soooooooooooo good!!

Mingo-Jones on January 6, 2009 at 3:54 PM

Tried it out recently and was disappointed that they didn't have the poutine with braised beef. They have a seasonal menu so they were offering poutine with braised rabbit. A buddy ordered it and I tried it - not bad at all. The pulled pork sandwich was good. Overall, a little expensive for the menu but I recommend it.

Tom on February 1, 2009 at 11:54 AM

I went there with high expectations.

I've eaten at the two JKK locations and had positive experiences.

At the Cafe, I had a small ham sandwich and a poutine for $20. The sandwich was good but way overpriced and the poutine was way overrated.

The poutine was small for what you pay for and the gravy was rather watery.

If you are ever in Montreal, check out this place:
http://www.restolabanquise.com/index.php?page=poutines&langue=an

You will find better tasting poutine, with a bigger portion and cheaper than what you get at the Cafe.

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