Restaurants
Juice Dept.
Juice Dept. has been under construction for the past year, finally revealing itself to the Kensington community for the first time this week.
Hitomi Kobayashi decided to open up her own juice bar in Kensington Market after she grew tired of the trek to The Big Carrot for fresh, quality juice. The trouble is, Sadie's Juice Bar beat her to the punch. While Hitomi was renovating the space almost totally on her own (which explains the year-long delay) Sadie's opened up its own juice spot just a few doors down.
"It's okay, the more the merrier," Hitomi replies when I ask about her feelings on the scoop. "We're different in a lot of ways, I think there's enough room for both of us."
Sadie's and Juice Dept. diverge in terms of offerings, but to me, at least superficially, it is more about the vibe. Sadie's is more colourful — literally and in terms of the drinks it serves — whereas Juice Dept. is simply and straightforwardly about clean eating, health, and nutrition. That's my impression, at least.
Hitomi walks me through her renovation, noting where she tore down walls, built new cabinets, and laid a type of faux-concrete for the bar. I quickly learn that Hitomi is a bit of a Jack (Jill?) of all trades, having worked as an apprentice in Ottawa and studied at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. She tells me she has been exploring healthy eating since the age of 16, and Juice Dept. represents that knowledge finally put into practice.
"My idea has been to share my knowledge with everyone who comes in," Hitomi says. "To be able to teach them things about what it means for something to be fair trade and organic." Most of the fruits and veggies used to make the shop's juices ($4.50/14oz, $6.50/16oz), smoothies ($6.00/14oz, $7.00/16oz) and green smoothies ($6.50/14oz, $7.50/16oz) are sourced from Green Grocer Organics or within Kensington Market, and the process is basically that of build-your-own.
There are a few already crafted concoctions, and I decide to try Hitomi's favourite - the 'Victory' blend of avocado, kale, orange, apple, banana, and passionfruit. Nothing is precut (the passionfruit is juice), and while it might take a few seconds longer to prepare, I don't mind watching as Hitomi peels a banana and scoops out the avocado in favour of ultimate freshness. The finished drink is a speckled pea-green, frothy and light with plenty of natural sweetness (and little kale evidence, for the veggie naysayers). Since it was an unusually warm day, I maybe would've tossed in a little more ice, but other than that the drink was evenly balanced, smooth, and delicious.
Juice Dept. also offers coffee drinks (everything but drip) using bird-friendly beans sourced from Birds and Beans in Etobicoke. Though she might look into offering small snacks some time in the future, for now, after a year of renovations and a surprise new neighbour down the road, Hitomi is just happy to press fresh, healthy juices.
Juice Dept. is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Discussion
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He either needs to shave his beard or wear a beard net. But, in any event, I'll definitely be forwarding this to public health. :)
Get a job
i'm going to tell you a HUGE secret ...
you can make your own fancy smoothy at home for a quarter of the price ... almond milk, and fruit. oh, and a few ice cubes blended. AND you can use ANY Fruit you want! !!!! it's like total magic! WOWOWOWOWWWIE!!!
i give this place summer survival. no longer.
no thanks ill just go to jugo juice and get all these extra protein powder added as well for cheaper
better quality=higher price
and limpsy, that is how you leave my penis....zing!
If you go to a juice bar, it is because you are looking for a juice bar experience. If you are cheap and looking for cheap gimicks, obviously you won't be happy with this....why bother even reading and commenting? Some people choose to spend their money on such things and enjoy it...such is how the entrepreneurial spirit works...GO FIGURE!
Either way, it looks damn good and something I plan on trying out! (Even a level-headed cheapo can leave the keyboard, go once and decide for themselves if it's worth it)
BTW, lots of vegans eat junkie, processed foods. It seems like this place is a healthy alternative, catering to juice connoisseurs who want organics and an interesting variety of flavours. And perhaps some of those new parents, who wake up to the realities of food quality when they have kids.
To all you haters, it is sad that organic produce still costs so much more, but it's because most people buy based on price rather than value/quality and ignore the fact that pesticide residue is not good for people or the planet.
I'm looking forward to trying Juice Dept. It looks great.
The question isn't why this place costs more but why other places cost LESS - it's because they're full of crap. You think that vanilla frozen yogurt in almost every Booster Juice is healthy? Nope. But as filler it's cheaper than giving you more fruit/plant-based nutrients.
And you want it to cost the same as making it at home? Then make it at home - along with your latte, burrito, late-night-poutine, all of which have convenience premiums when made beyond your front door.
Kudos to Juice Dept for having a mix of options, blending veggies and fruit - kale, avocado, celery, and cucumber top up chain juice bars' obligatory beets-and-carrots veg choice.