Introducing: The Bickford Flexitarian, a new Harbord Street café that caters to raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians

Introducing: The Bickford Flexitarian, a new Harbord Street café that caters to raw foodists, vegans and vegetarians

Introducing: Bickford Flexitarian

Name: The Bickford Flexitarian
Neighbourhood: West Annex/Little Italy
Contact Info: 326 Harbord St., 416-535-7717, thebickfordflexitarian.com, @TheBickfordF
Owners: Kyle Debouvrie, Jessica Cain, Lena Ciarlariello and Gualtiero Cavaliere
Chefs:
Kyle Debouvrie and Jessica Cain

The Food: Baked goods, salads and sandwiches, including raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and sugar-free options, as well as meats like blackened chicken, roast beef and ham. A vegan BLT subs dehydrated eggplant for bacon (according to the raw food philosophy, dehydrating veggies preserves their nutrients). On the breakfast menu, French toast cups come stuffed with tomatoes and spinach, and topped with brie. Bread is supplied by the Little Italy restaurant Woodlot, and meat comes from Sanagan’s in Kensington Market.

The Drinks: Italian sodas, lattes infused with ginseng and macha, and teas like toasted rice and basil-mint.

The Place: The owners turned the space formerly occupied by the much-loved LinuxCaffe into an airy breakfast and lunch spot with booth seating, indoor greenery and black-and-white photos of the neighbourhood pulled from the City of Toronto Archives.

The Numbers:
• 18 bar stools at the counter
• 12 booth seats
• 12 hours to dehydrate zucchini bread according to raw food methods
• 3 different kinds of slaw: cabbage, kale and apple