Calico Cafe Bloordale Village

ominous pause

The iced tea is quenching and not over-sweetened but the beetroot juice is fantastic; the earthiness of the beets is offset nicely by the pineapple. It's so good that we share the first juice before swiftly ordering a second.

As much as I hate admitting it, I'm a practicing stereotype where dessert selection is concerned. It doesn't matter that it's often a disappointing choice - if chocolate is an option, then anything else isn't even a consideration. Happily, this mousse is not one of the disappointments. It's an extremely rich combination of dark chocolate and cashew cream topped with coconut cream.

Having a server who also happens to own the restaurant and design the menu is much appreciated. He's happy to talk with us when he gets the chance and to answer all our menu queries in depth (though my vain attempt to ascertain the chocolate mousse recipe is batted away with a cheerful grin).

We were all extremely impressed with Calico Cafe; a lot of thought and work obviously goes into the menu and it shows in the food.

Photos by Emma McIntyre