Weekly Lunch Pick: a delicate rainbow trout at a Spadina Avenue café
At noon, a queue snakes out from the mezzanine barista bar and kitchen at Sense Appeal, the King and Spadina café with its own director of coffee extraction. In addition to excellent coffee and an array of freshly made sandwiches, it’s the creative hot entrees, available at lunchtime on weekdays, that are drawing the crowds.
The hand-written menu promises bison onion soup, organic chicken supreme and a caribou chili, but we opt instead for the rainbow trout ($11), a dish considerably more elaborate than you’d expect at a café. The rose-coloured fillet is baked and served warm over smashed herbed potatoes, masala-spiced stewed red lentils and a tangle of sautéed carrots, zucchini and cremini mushrooms. On top, the fish is crowned with a bundle of raw shredded kale. This being a café that’s serious about its beans (they roast their own), the owners have been experimenting with suggested coffee pairings (ours was an americano) for an extra two dollars.
The cost: $14.69 with tax
The time: Eight minutes from order
Sense Appeal Coffee Roasters, 96 Spadina Ave., 416-907-8524, senseappeal.ca.
