7 West Cafe

Date Visited: Lunch on Saturday Feb 14, 2015
Company: +Will

For Valentine's Day, Will and I had tickets to see Cannibal! The Musical at Panasonic Theatre for the 2PM show. The play was in the Yorkville area so I researched and found 7 West Cafe, a quaint restaurant to have lunch beforehand. The building was interesting looking... 3 stories, black exterior, and in line with other stores that look more like houses. We entered and headed up one story to find a table in an area which looked like a classy cafe with baked goods on the counter and sun shining in through the large windows. The area was pretty cramped but luckily it wasn't too full or noisy.

They had a menu with brunch specials and I ordered a Mimosa to start which was priced at about $10. When we got it, it came with a mini bottle of Champagne, small jug of orange juice, and a small glass to pour yourself. Will was glad he didn't order himself one as it was great for sharing. It lasted us the whole meal and I loved that they let you decide the proportions yourself.

For the mains, we ordered one of the breakfast specials, Fruit Waffle and a classic, Pesto Pita Pizza to share. The Pesto Pita Pizza had Pesto, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Chicken, and Mozzarella with a side of House Salad. It was a big and colourful plate of delicious looking food when we got it. The Salad had some chickpeas in it which was a nice touch from what one would normally see in a house salad. But other than that, it just had some garden greens and nothing else of substance. The Pizza was great though, lots of chicken and good proportion of pesto. Overall it was a filling dish which left you feeling slightly healthy.

The Fruit Waffle we got came with blueberries, strawberries, apple/banana sauce and whipped cream. The Apple/Banana sauce was a great for the waffle as it sustained us without needing any maple syrup. It wasn't too sweet and tasted home-made. The overall waffle was good but there were a few holes throughout so they probably could have used more batter. We got a nice balance of sweet and savory with our choices so I really enjoyed switching between the two dishes.

7 West would probably be a go-to spot of mine if I lived in the area, and it helps that it's open 24/7! It has a chill, European vibe to it but I'm sure it gets hectic at night. Cool spot for a date though, very intimate. The service was a little slow though and our waitress was always disappearing. I'm not sure if she had to go and run to the other floors to pick up food but she wasn't always around.

Food: 3.5/5 - We got pretty lucky with our orders but all fresh and tasty.
Decor: 3/5 - Unique decor and great ambiance, just a little small.
Service: 2/5 - It was okay, we didn't need much but she didn't really check up on us.
Willingness to go back: 3.5/5 - Would definitely go back if I was in Yorkville but would be cautious of the space they have.
Overall: 3/5

Website: http://www.7westcafe.com/

Toni Bulloni

Date Visited: Summerlicious Dinner on Monday Jul 8, 2013
Company: Get together of 5 girlfriends from highschool

On the treacherous evening of the Toronto flood, my friends and I happened to organize a Summerlicious dinner in Yorkville. We unsuspectingly ventured to the downtown area from the east end, very unaware of the chaos happening in certain areas of Toronto. Half of the group was stuck coming from Union Station and had to walk half-way up to Bloor Street. Fortunately, the rest of us took the unharmed Bloor subway line from Kennedy to Bay station where Toni Bulloni's was located. We arrived first at the restaurant and were able to settle in for quite a while, waiting for the rest of the group.

While walking from Bay station to Toni's I was able to check out the ritzy area of Yorkville, in which I've never visited before. It was seemingly nice, even in the pouring rain. The shops on Cumberland are all very narrow and close to each other. I was not expecting Toni's to look how it did on the outside as it had very unique and bold signage. Upon entering, the bar area in the front was very tight but the restaurant went back quite far. There were surprisingly only about 8-10 tables in the dining area. They knew us by reservation so we were seated immediately.

As we waited for the rest of the party, we ordered a bottle of the Summerlicous House White, the G.Maruis Chardonnay from Niagara. None of us are really wine connoisseurs so we didn't have much input into this decision. But the choice was actually very nice and light with a sweetness too (that's the extent to how I'm able to describe wine), we didn't want anything too strong. 
After some more waiting, we spoke to the server about ordering and he suggested that we start with the complementary Bruschetta instead. We seemingly obliged and the waiter brought us 3 pieces. The bruschetta was a flat bread topped with tomatoes, herbs and oil. It was a nice fresh, light start to our meals. I really enjoyed the flat bread as it had a nice crispiness and was easy to eat.

Finally, the rest of our party had arrived just as we were finishing our bruschetta. They were soaked, but we were all there and could start ordering our meals :) For my appetizer, I got the Mixto Platter with prosciutto, artichoke, olives, tomatoes and bocconcini. It was a very beautiful combination of Italian delights. There was a decent amount of prosciutto that was delicious. The tomatoes and bocconcini was done in a Caprese way which I hadn't had before. It was quite light with subtle hints of flavour. This plate was a great appetizer especially if you wanted to share and try different things.

For my entree, I ordered the Scallopine de Pollo. There were many options so it was really hard to decide. We were told that some dishes had even run out. When it had arrived, it was done differently then I had expected. I thought it would be more of a grilled chicken rather than baked in a sauce. They had literally just finished cooking it before they brought it out because the chicken was still hot with every bite. The chicken extremely tender and though it was delicious, I found it rather simple. There was a nice mix of grilled vegetables on the side, with one of each kind. I found there was a lot of flavour on the plate, it was heavily seasoned but not overdone.

To end, I ordered the Tiramisu, which is something I usually don't order but none of the other desserts enticed me. When we got our cakes, I couldn't believe they were such tiny pieces. I was rather disappointed because it was probably the best Tiramisu I've ever had. The lady fingers were soaked with flavour and there was just the perfect ratio of it to cream. If all Tiramisu tasted like this, I'd have it all the time.

Food: 3/5 - Some ups, some downs, but a decent Summerlicious meal.
Service: 4.5/5 - Spectacular staff, except the one who couldn't speak English wasn't very helpful.
Decor: 3/5 - Very small, quaint and rustic. Nice atmosphere for an intimate night.
Willingness to come back: 3/5 - Their regular portions are huge!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://tonibulloni.com