Most coffee drinkers I know acquired the caffeine habit during university all-nighters. I never did—only to start succumbing during my umpty-ump-year stint at a boring downtown office job. I followed the usual course: sweet, milkshake-like frappuccinos became the gateway drug to the harder-core stuff.
After getting an espresso maker for Christmas a few years ago I read up all I could about making espresso-based drinks: How old the beans should be; the proper espresso/milk/foam proportions; the best way to foam milk; grinder do’s and don’ts. I can make a passable cappuccino—on a good day I can crank out one better than some I’ve had at Starbucks—but my skill and my machine are simply not good enough to produce a truly celestial espresso. For that I have to go to the professional shops.
Toronto seems to be going through an independent-coffeehouse boom these days. I recently read that there are at least 25 new cafés opening in T.O. this year. (It’s about time—Vancouver’s coffeehouse scene is miles ahead of what Toronto currently offers.) Two of those are very close to our house: Rooster Coffeehouse (479 Broadview, at Withrow) and Si Espresso Bar (748 Broadview, just below the Danforth). This adds to the three relatively near our place (Broadview Espresso, Mercury Espresso Bar and Dark Horse Espresso Bar.) I visited the two new Broadview Ave. shops, and these are my quick impressions (by no means an extensive review, since I only order cappuccinos, and I didn’t have any pastries):
When Rooster Coffeehouse opened about a month ago, it replaced a rather useless corner-grocery-store-cum-sculpture-gallery (yes, it was as stupid as it sounds). It features huge windows with a terrific view of Riverdale Park and downtown Toronto. There’s a big worktable at the back, and smaller tables and comfy chairs throughout, as well as a bar and stools at the front (letting you easily keep an eye on your dog). The whole vibe is easy-going and neighbourly. The cappuccinos are excellent, both to look at (lovely latte art) and to taste, and are the correct size (small) and consistency (creamy microfoam throughout, rather than separate layers of milk and foam). And sooo much more convenient than the Queen Street shops; when the weather gets warmer I can see a lot of dog-walking to Rooster’s patio!
Si Espresso Bar is not built for hanging around all day: It’s tiny and sports only narrow bar tables and stools. It would be tricky to read a broadsheet newspaper while drinking your coffee. The owner is friendly enough, in a hipster-dude kind of way. The day I was there two young guys (evidently friends of the owner) were lounging about, and though they seemed nice it reminded me—unpleasantly—of some of the stores on the Danforth that are always decked out with lounging geezers, making the establishment feel a bit like a private men’s club. I could put up with this, though, if the coffee was excellent. Unfortunately the cappuccino I had there was definitely mediocre: Large cups (too much milk), with big bubbles in the cap of dryish foam. How disappointing!
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Peter Widdis says:
February 8, 2010 at 9:49 pm (UTC 0)
I actually had a positive comment about this place.I found the owner to be really nice,and had offered my girlfriend and I free biscotti.We had a latte and a cappuccino and it was really good.I would go back and also his pricing was very fair.
Laura says:
February 9, 2010 at 11:14 am (UTC 0)
I am really hoping that the owner/barista had an off day that day.
I actually don’t really care much about the aesthetics of a coffee place; Mercury Espresso is my gold standard for places with zero ambience but superb espresso, and I go there whenever I need to pick up some beans. (Though I am looking forward to trying the beans from Rooster—they use Te Aro, a local roaster.)
Yes, the pricing at Si is good (the price for a small cappuccinos is cheaper than anywhere else I know); however, his small capp is larger than I’d prefer. I find anything over 5 or 6 oz. dilutes the espresso too much—makes it more like a latte than a true cappuccino.
I’ve never tried the sweets at either place so I can believe they’re all tasty—and all locally-made, too!
Kristen Chew says:
March 3, 2010 at 8:04 pm (UTC 0)
Glad to hear about Rooster. We’ve got Broadview Espresso up here now, and I treat myself sometimes with a trip there. It’s a joy to watch the owner make a latte: he gets all funky with the foam, and has such a look of concentration as he makes it.
Laura says:
March 3, 2010 at 10:30 pm (UTC 0)
Ooh, I want to try Broadview Espresso soon, but I’m rarely up in that neck of the woods (and when I am I’m usually with dog.)
I recently bought some Te Aro beans from Rooster, both regular and decaf. I’m actually enjoying the flavour of the decaf slightly more, which is a huge surprise to me (I’d previously never found a decaf that I liked). So now I’m slightly conflicted as to which espresso shop to visit when I need beans—what a lovely dilemma!
Laura says:
March 11, 2010 at 2:22 pm (UTC 0)
Okay, so I finally tried a cappa at Broadview Espresso. A bit bigger than I’d normally like (especially since I only paid for a small), but very flavourful and smooth (I’m wondering if the barista gave me a double by mistake. That’s okay!)
So which local coffeehouses are my favourites? Mercury, Broadview, Dark Horse and Rooster all have very nice cappuccinos (if I had to pick my fav for coffee alone I’d say it’s a tossup between Mercury and Rooster), but Rooster has the overall edge for ambience—it’s bright and cozy, as opposed to the usual dark and cozy—and view as well. Of course, I’m probably biased, since Rooster’s the closest to me!