Saving Gigi, a cozy coffee shop, is the antithesis of
Starbucks. Although there’s plenty of people with laptops using free Wi-Fi or
others pouring over books, Saving Gigi’s environment is calmer and its mishmash
of eclectic furniture homey, in a hipster sort of way. Indeed, the two
employees that don’t expect an order the moment you walk up and allow you to pursue
the menu, indicates the restaurant’s not about efficiencies and getting people
out the door.
The dinner menu is a one pager of soups, salads and sandwiches.
A new menu item, the solar bowl ($10.95), sounded ideal for my hot summer
visit. Not knowing what to quite expect, the colourful salad of mixed greens,
peppers, green onions, beer slivers and carrots, got my attention. Topping the crisp
combination of vegetables was a healthy portion of creamy avocado, hot spicy
chicken (marinated tofu available as an alternative) and roasted pumpkin seeds.
I wasn’t expecting the chicken to be spicy but the flavour
was great and gave the salad interest. Some organic brown rice greeted me at
the bottom of the bowl, which helped make the salad heartier and soaked in the
chicken and vegetables’ juices.
Saving Gigi is popular for their coffee, which is organic
and fair-trade. Even while visiting in the evening, people were still stopping
by to get one to go. At first, I was going to abstain from caffeine for, fear
of not being able to sleep, but the intoxicating aroma got the best of me. The
iced coffee ($3.25?) was strong and rich with a nice smooth finish.
If you’re in need of something stronger, they’re also
licensed for a selection of wines, cocktails and beers; the pints seemed to be
popular amongst the patio. As a warning, there is one other thing that differs
between Saving Gigi and Starbucks – air conditioning or the lack thereof. So,
while visiting on a hot humid day, the patio with a tall cold drink is
definitely where you’ll want to be.
Overall mark - 6.5 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in Gastro World's mission statement, reviews are still my honest opinion.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 859 Bloor Street West
Address: 859 Bloor Street West
Website: https://www.facebook.com/savinggigi
Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
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