Toronto Delivers

COBS Bread started in Vancouver, BC, Canada with the opening of the Edgemont bakery in November 2003 with a team from Australia's Baker's Delight. From Artisinal Breads to Seeded Loaves and other Healthy Alternatives, you will find a wonderful selection in every store. We headed to the shoppe closest to our home which is on 370 Bloor Street West, one of the 7 stores in Ontario. A little bird told us that they are opening more stores this year.

What was on our grocery bag when we left? Apricot Delight that looks like pulled bread with lots of fruits and just yummy goodness! Some Custard Scrolls to appease my sweet tooth and of course Chocolate cross buns that were just heavenly. Half of the scrolls never made it home. They got as far as Holt Renfrew and boom! Bag's on its way to the recycling bin.... So our rating? World Calss.

Service? Impeccable. The server said, "if you order 2 more you don't have to pay taxes!" cool, I was sold. She then said "Try this one (choco buns), its our newest creation" which is pretty common but then she said "I'll give you this couple of ones to bring home for later" (that was a tip off of good customer service training). "Slice it thin or thick?" is a standard question along with using gloves and not touching my loaf but adding "You'll be cold out and this would keep you warm - and gave me another taste of their custard scrolls made me just buy more." This on top of what I already bought! Service with a smile and positive attitude was consistent (this would be our 17th time there - yes we counted) and the place was actually free of bread debris. (a definite good sign)

Taste? You have to get your loaf today (We're not sharing ours - oh no!)

So head out there to COBS Bread today. They did win an award last year for their breads so this was an easy review of their products.

If you receive a coupon in the mail, you'd expect it to be worth it for you, right?
If you receive a coupon in the mail, you'd expect it to be targeted to your needs, right?
If you receive a coupon in the mail, you'd expect it to be available within the period of time that's on the coupon, right?

Well, not in this case.
If you were one of the individuals who received this coupon in the mail, you are out of luck.
None of the Starbucks around the area where I normally go to in Downtown Toronto has this latte variety. In fact the barristas would initially say back in late February that they will have it next week and four weeks later they continue to not have it. Now? They just don't carry it. What happens to the coupon? Kaput! This is a $6 coupon that is being given away to Starbucks cardholders but not owning up to it. What's up with that?

This program sucks. Starbucks has to rethink a quick alternative to people they've invited to participate when they promote something that falls flat. Our rating? Not World Class at all! Boo to their marketing people on this project.

A halal bakery with yummy goods - from meat and veggie pies to cakes and pastries. If not for the construction in front of the building (not related to the bakery it seems), you wouldn't have dust filled shoes coming into the store. Nonetheless, the place is clean, the wide space is inviting and the design fab! We enjoyed this place as we just stumbled upon it after visiting the Ontario Science Centre. We went back again a couple of days later with a similar reaction - this is a World Class service. Notice we've eaten the whole box of goodies we bought. Seems like a great idea to get items from here for a party or a get together. Pastries go well witha good coffee service for the office lounge too. Ok we sound like a commercial, nope we weren't paid to say that. We just enjoyed this refreshing take on bakery items and will come back again soon.

Last night, a visit to La Cabana and Café Frappe defined the difference—and the importance-- between successful customer service and poor customer service.

In the past, Toronto Delivers has expressed dismay in the lack of good, inexpensive Mexican restaurants in Toronto. La Cabana at 467 Danforth steps up to the challenge in all three areas of food, service and price. Eduardo, the owner, met us at the door, thanked us for dropping by, and seated us. After a little chitchat, he took our order. His friendly, laid-back manner felt genuine, as if his welcome was sincere.

We ordered the Nachos Originales for an appetizer, followed by the chicken chimichanga and the beef quesadilla. The nachos arrived with a drizzling of sour cream and hot peppers, and a side of salsa that was smoky and just the slightest bit spicy. The main courses were also drizzled with sour cream, and came with a small salad and rice, all of which was delicious. Especially notable was the fact that the quesadilla had ground beef, not beef steak as a filling. It made for a richer dish that didn’t fall apart at first bite.

When the check came, we were pleasantly surprised by the price. An appetizer, two entrees and drinks came to just about $30. As we paid, Eduardo thanked us and suggested that we drop by again for margaritas. The place has just gotten their liquor license, so his invitation was ingenious word of mouth advertising.

After such a good meal, we decided to stop by Café Frappe at 519 Danforth for dessert. As we entered, a waitress passed by and mumbled that we should just sit anywhere, which we did.

I would love to tell you how delicious and creamy the ice cream is at Café Frappe. Or how savory the crepes are, or how rich the coffee tastes. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you any of those things, as we never had a chance to sample their offerings. After that mumbled greeting, the waitstaff failed to acknowledge our presence. Had the place been busy, we could understand a delay in service. The dining room was nearly empty, and only one waitress was serving the outdoors area.

The other two members of the waitstaff were standing around doing nothing for the entire duration that we were there. At one point, one of the waitstaff met my eyes, then quickly looked away. After fifteen minutes of the silent treatment, we just walked out.

What is amazing is just how different the service was in each restaurant. Eduardo at La Cabana made us feel at home, as if we were guests that had dropped in for a visit. By contrast, the waitstaff at Cafe Frappe made us feel like we didn’t belong and weren’t welcome. I’m sure you can imagine which establishment will get our return business. Café Frappe lost not only one sale but all of the sales we will take elsewhere. Interestingly, we counted at least ten other places where we could get the same kind of food as Café Frappe serves, while La Cabana is the only Mexican restaurant in the entire area. One would think that Frappe would work harder in light of the increased competition, but that is apparently not the case.

La Cabana rates a World Class across the board. Café Frappe, on the other hand gets a Not World Class, simply because there is no lower rating in the system. ~ robis

I have a little secret for you. Just west of Donlands on Danforth is a little café that serves some great coffee and cakes, in an eclectically decorated shop that feels a lot like home (they have Magic Cookie Bars, just like my mom used to make!). Sixties music plays over the speakers and the sun shines in the windows and everything is peaceful bliss, just like a good café should be.

But that’s not the secret.

The secret is, just fifty feet away from you, the owner of the café is making the best dark chocolate truffles that will ever melt in your mouth. Chocolate Heaven Cafe actually has three kinds of truffle (dark, milk and white) so if dark chocolate isn’t your thing, try one of the others. The owner asked me if I wanted a gift box for the two I purchased, but I knew there was no way they were going to make it out of the store alive. These little balls of chocolate heaven (yes, I went there) are velvety smooth and melt in your mouth like a good truffle should. Because the truffles are made on the premises, there’s the added pleasure of watching the owner create a batch right before your eyes.

If you happen to swing by Chocolate Heaven at 974 Danforth, by all means enjoy a slice of cake on the newly-opened patio, or an iced latte to the sounds of Martha and the Vandellas. But if you leave without partaking of the truffles, you will regret it for the rest of your life. My rating? World Class! ~ robis

Urbana Coffee at 1033 Bay Street does not have a website that I could find. That’s odd because they do offer free unlimited high speed internet access between 7 am and 11 pm. While it may be odd that they don’t have a web presence, there’s something exceptional about a café in Toronto offer free internet access. Neither Starbucks nor Second Cup do (while both have WiFi access, they charge for it).

The rest of Urbana is less exceptional, but is comfortable and unassuming. The drink menu includes the standard fare of delicious espresso and smoothie drinks. The food menu varies, but there are sandwiches and cakes and muffins. There are no surprises, but what you get is consistently fresh and of a high quality. The décor is also standard, with one side set up with plastic chairs and dinette tables, and the other side set up for surfing the internet. A large Klimt reproduction decorates a dome in the middle of the room, with yellow and golds reflecting the palette of the rest of the décor (yellow columns and brown and black furniture). Large shopfront windows let in the sun, so the place is always bright, with a view of the park across the street. Along those same lines, the baristas are bright and cheery, helpful and polite in the proper proportions.

For many businesses, such a keen adherence to the middle ground would be a liability. The middle ground often means mediocrity. Not so in the case of Urbana. The feeling is one of comfort, where the only thing missing is the hipster airs other places tend towards. Urbana is not the type of place to sit around drinking lattes and discussing arts and culture. But if you’d like a nice place to read a book and drink coffee, or surf the net without being surrounded by gamers, Urbana might be just what you’re looking for.

Urbana Coffee is World Class. ~ robis