Taloola Cafe

This funky little café is the kind of place where I could spend an hour just gazing around me…at the deep scarlet Victorian cameo back sofa, at the deep scarlet Victorian lampshade, at the Victorian chandelier with rainbow beaded fringe, at the bare-breasted ship’s figurehead mounted on the exposed interior brick wall, at the woven area rugs, at the inlaid tables. Oh, my, it’s a feast for the eyes. Did I mention there’s a lot of deep scarlet? There is a deep scarlet theme going on here. Think Moulin Rouge meets Seattle smoothie bar.

The menu is no less dazzling. They have:

• raw juices (beet, spinach, celery, ginger, apple)
• exotic smoothies, such as the Masala (date syrup, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger) or the Figlioni (yogurt, milk, fig puree, pecans and pure vanilla extract)
• vegan salad dressings
• organic flavour syrups
• buckwheat crepes with mascarpone, basil pesto and/or savoury jelly

I ordered the Hawaiian smoothie and was very pleased with it.  I don’t have all good things to say about my visit, though.  After my smoothie, I decided to have a bite of lunch.  I was so impressed to see “The Gluten-Free” listed under sandwiches, I had to try it.

The adorable waitperson with sleek bangs, tiny ponytails and a vintage apron brought me…well… what DID she bring me? It wasn’t a sandwich in the traditional sense.  It was a corn tortilla that had been folded in half, pan-fried a bit and cut in two.  Inside was a slice of tomato, a bit of shredded cheddar and some sprouts.  It was not especially tasty.  Next to the “sandwich” on my plate was a tiny smattering of corn chips, or rather bits of corn chips suggesting they’d been from the bottom of the bag.  And they were most definitely stale.  I couldn’t quite bend them, but almost.

The other less than wonderful aspect of my visit was the staticky music.  Ack!  If you’re going to deliver music to your patrons, at least get good speakers and make sure you don’t have a shorted out wire nor are broadcasting a radio station with bad reception.  Thank goodness I carry earplugs wherever I go.

Sylvain and I agree we always give establishments two chances, so I will be returning to Taloola Cafe.

Now all they need is a wheelchair ramp!

Taloola cafe is located at 396 Devonshire Road in Old Walkerville. Phone: (519) 254-6652

 

Hours are :
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7:30 to 3:30
Thursdays and Fridays from 7:30 to 10:00
Saturday from 8:30 to 10:00
Sundays from 10:00 to 4:00
Closed Mondays