Futures Bakery & Cafe -- Cheese and Veggie Sandwich

Location: 483 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Type: Cafe and bakery
Cost: $10-$15 Entree with drinks, includes tax
Carrot’s rating: 3 out of 5 carrots
Meat-Eater’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 carrots

Photo courtesy of Torontoist

The Annex cafe appeals mostly to students or young professionals looking for a good bargain and casual atmosphere.  The layout reminds me of the famous cafe where the six New York amigos from Friends frequently habit.  Alright fine, it’s just because there is a corner of couches to stretch out on.

Let me start by saying Future’s is best known for its baked goods, so I am going to start with their renowned desserts.  I tried a carrot cheesecake ($5) that was so perfectly put together, it melted my mind, while the cake melted in my mouth. The cake alternated between a moist carrot cake mix, and a sweet cheese cake.  With these kinds of cakes, there’s always a risk the dessert will turn out sickly sweet, but this cake did not over it. Droooooools.

Futures fans will probably knock down my door with pitch forks in hand when I mention how much I disliked the entree.  I ordered a cheese and veggie sandwich ($6) which came with two sides of choice.  The sandwich was highly disapointing, representing a fail I could have created at home for much cheaper.  The ciabatta bread was a bit stale, while the mix of olives, sour pickles, cheddar cheese, and tomatos left for an odd flavour to reside in my mouth.  All of which could have easily been enhanced by toasting the final sandwich, but that would have taken an extra 30 seconds from the gentlemen behind the counter who was already annoyed when I asked him how he was doing.

I really liked that they had a variety of sides to choose from.  I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, and decided to pair the side with a vegetable salad.  At first glance, the mashed potatoes look like they will be full of flavour, but in reality they lacked any taste.  The vegetable salad consisted of an asian-style vegetable mix, with some kind of dressing over it.  Both of which were highly disappointing.

My bottom line is to visit Futures for a great place to chat with friends over a coffee and dessert, but skip the meal.

Cheers,

Return of the Carrot

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