Toronto 24-Hour Interval 2

April 22, 2012

Toronto skyline behind a massive double-crested cormorant colony

I'd arranged my flights so that I had a total twenty-four hours spare inward Toronto earlier function obligations kicked off. This served 2 purposes: eating equally much corking veg nutrient equally I could notice as well as heading out to produce a fleck of birding. I woke upwardly obscenely early on as well as decided to start wandering to Tommy Thompson Park, hoping that I'd stumble across a bakery or something that opened earlier 8am on a Sunday. Queen Street East is loaded alongside hip-looking cafes, bars as well as restaurants, all of which looked similar they'd survive unlikely to opened upwardly earlier 11. And as well as so at that spot was Lady Marmalade - already opened upwardly as well as alongside a card inward the window that looked real promising indeed. When I got abode I discovered it's on a bunch of 'best breakfast inward Toronto' lists - goodness fortune indeed!

Lady Marmalade is a cute picayune identify - a mix of old-fashioned diner stylings as well as trendiness. At 7:30 on a Lord's Day it's pretty empty but past times the fourth dimension I left at 8:15 at that spot was a queue forming. The card (pdf is here) is to a greater extent than oft than non savoury - lots of egg dishes, a (slightly terrifying sounding) breakfast poutine as well as savoury waffles. There are a few sweetness options - the crepes inward item sounded promising. I considered the tofu scramble but inward the terminate couldn't become past times the vegan adaptation of heuvos rancheritos (scrambled organic tofu alongside chilli, smashed beans, guacamole, chipotle salsa as well as wholewheat tortillas, $12.50).

What a delicious start to the day! The beans (hidden behind the coriander pile) were a teeny fleck smoky as well as were soft as well as smushy - perfect for smearing on the tortilla. The scrambled tofu was rich alongside what seemed similar a role tomato, role chipotle sauce as well as were dotted through alongside picayune (mild) chilli pieces. Shake on some hot sauce (as I did) as well as you're inward Mex-breakfast heaven. The service was lovely (although things were starting to larn a fleck slower equally the room filled up) as well as the setting was a warm as well as serenity oasis from the windy streets.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 brusk walk afterwards I was at the park, which solely opens on the weekends as well as was total of joggers, bike-riders as well as swain bird-nerds. The icy winds meant that this wasn't my most enjoyable birding sense ever, as well as I cry back I was a few weeks early on for the total arrive at of migratory birds that plow upwardly here, but I nonetheless managed a few hours racking upwardly lots of novel birds. It's a pretty lovely commons anyway as well as is good worth a wander if yous notice yourself at a loose terminate over a Toronto weekend.

A vocal sparrow doing what it does best

By the fourth dimension I'd walked all the agency to the terminate of the commons as well as dorsum I had numb fingers as well as was starting to larn hungry again. So I pulled out my veg map (The Toronto Vegetarian Association leaves piles of vegetarian directories around the identify - I constitute mine inward a bookstore - which include corking picayune maps of most of the veg restaurants inward the inner city) as well as headed for Sadie's Diner simply off Queen Street West.

This identify fully embraced the diner aesthetic as well as had a welcoming as well as relaxed atmosphere (this was belike due to the lateness of my luncheon - past times 2:30pm at that spot weren't also many other customers about). The weekend card hither is all well-nigh brunch as well as is a mix of vegetarian as well as vegan dishes. I went for the vegan brekkie burrito, which seems similar their signature dish ($10 + $3 for a side of guacamole).

The chunky abode fries were completely unmentioned on the card - I larn the impression that inward North America you're simply supposed to assume that your breakfast volition come upwardly alongside a side of fried potato. I wasn't complaining. The burrito itself was a enterprise attempt - a mix of rice, vegan cheese, tofu as well as chilli packed expertly into a tortilla. It was a much less messy suggestion than the Trippy Taco alternative, but was a fleck milder inward season equally good - luckily hot sauce seems to survive a staple condiment, so I could arrive at it the picayune boot I idea it needed. This identify seemed similar a pretty reliable veggie brunch selection - they offering vegan French toast, to a greater extent than huevos as well as vegan-huevos dishes as well as a few other bits as well as pieces. The service was efficient if a picayune stand-offish, as well as they were happy to move out me sitting reading piece I rested my feet for the walk home. Plus they've got a corking wall of Pez dispensers!

 

The jet-lag was kicking inward pretty difficult past times now, so I slunk dorsum to the hotel to crash out for a while. By the fourth dimension dinner rolled around I was nonetheless stuffed from all the spuds as well as also tuckered out to venture real far away from the hotel. Luckily, there's a veg eatery correct side past times side door! 

Commensal is a real evidently buffet-style place, where yous charge your plate upwardly as well as pay based on weight. There are viii or so hot dishes, heaps of salads as well as some soups to select from. 

For well-nigh $10 I got a decent sized plate filled alongside salad as well as a few pieces of the ginger tofu. 

I had high hopes for the tofu, but it was a fleck lacking inward flavour. Still, the salads were simply what my torso needed after a twenty-four hours of airline nutrient followed past times 2 big beany breakfasts. They were fresh as well as tasty as well as were a salubrious agency to terminate the day. Commensal has absolutely no atmosphere to utter of - yous become at that spot to charge upwardly on nutrient as well as and so yous leave. But if that's what you're after (and it was for me) as well as so it does a goodness project of it - I wouldn't pose it on my must-visit listing for Toronto but it'll fulfil a demand for a lazy, salubrious luncheon or dinner around the middle of town. They convey enough of clearly labelled vegan as well as gluten-free options equally well.

So my start total twenty-four hours inward Toronto was a success - some corking birding as well as 3 pretty decent meals. Toronto has loads of vegetarian as well as veg-friendly restaurants as well as I managed to sneak a few to a greater extent than meals around meetings, so rest tuned for to a greater extent than soon!

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Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 quick poke around the spider web turned upwardly lots of bloggers raving well-nigh Lady Marmalade - banking concern jibe out some recent reviews at lace as well as lemondrops, Eat Here Next, Relish as well as Quaff, Run Eat Read. /L/ was a fleck less impressed.

Similarly, there's much honey for Sadie's Diner. See: Vegan Butthole Explosion, Veggie Tales, Vegan Band Dude, Iliana's Palette as well as Drawn as well as Devoured were all a fleck disappointed past times the lack of season inward some of the dishes.

Commensal has less blogger enthusiasm - I could solely notice a fairly mixed review from Eat Here Next as well as a to a greater extent than positive write-up from yuzulife.

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Lady Marmalade
898 Queen Street East, Leslieville
647 351 7645
Veggie breakfasts: $7.50 - $11.50 (plus taxation as well as tips)
http://www.ladymarmalade.ca

Sadie's Diner
504 Adelaide Street West, Fashion District
416 777 2343
Veggie brunch dishes: $5 - $12 (plus taxation as well as tips)
http://www.myspace.com/sadiesdiner

Commensal
655 Bay Street, Toronto

416 596 9364

Pay past times weight - $10 - $15 gets yous a goodness sized meal

http://www.commensal.ca/

Accessibility: All 3 of these places had reasonable accessibility - no to a greater extent than than a pocket-size measuring on entry as well as reasonably spacious interiors (although Lady Marmalade gets a fleck tight equally it fills up). At Lady Marmalade as well as Sadie's yous produce all your ordering as well as payment at the table, piece Commensal yous pay at a depression counter. The buffet at Commensal is well-nigh waist high.