CHERRY BOMB COFFEE: 79 Roncesvalles Avenue Toronto - (416) 516-8212

Bikes on the wall at Cherry Bomb

I often photograph for Toronto Life magazine and for a while have been suggesting to my higher-ups that contributors should make a list of their favourite places in Toronto.  The logic being that people who contribute to Toronto Life spend a lot of time thinking about the city and probably have some great suggestions.  Perhaps these lists could be published on the blog, perhaps a column every month in the mag, who knows.  I will admit that I have spent a little time thinking about the list I would make.  So I thought, to start off this review, I would share my top 3 favourite Toronto places with you.

#1:  Tom's Dairy Freeze:  My favourite place in Toronto.  It brings me back to a childhood that I'm not sure I actually experienced.  But nevertheless it still gives me a warm nostalgic hug each time I visit and try their ice cream, hot dogs, and burgers.  When I'm sitting with Jessica on those picnic table in front on a breezy summer day, I never want to leave.

#2:  Ward's Island:  Step off the ferry onto the island and you immediately feel 15 lbs lighter.  I love that place so much I proposed to Jessica on the Ward's Island beach in May and we're getting married at the association clubhouse to boot!

#3:  Cherry Bomb Coffee:  See below.

It's so much more difficult to write a review of a place that you truly love.  Sentences start out fluid and generally coherent but eventually turn into illiterate, juvenile, Turrets-syndrome-like babble.  An example...

The frothiness of a Cherry Bomb latte adds a certain quality to the flavour that just makes it like the most amazing bestest thing I've ever tasted in like....oh my god it's like...fuck fuck amazing fuck shit fuck!!!!

See?

So perhaps lets avoid that by writing about my favourite menu items in point form, shall we?

The coffee at Cherry Bomb is brilliant...

The lattes and the cappuccinos:  Best in Toronto.  Jet Fuel is close second but I prefer CBs!  Temperature is always perfect.  Strong enough without being overpowering.  It has the perfect amount of frothiness and, most importantly, the people who serve the frothy coffee are so darn attractive that you will probably develop a crush on every barista in the joint! Not attractive in that international model way but rather, well...if you're hosting a party and you stop by for a quick latte you will most certainly have the urge to invite all the employees to your party.  If they attended, the party would be just fantastic and they would get along famously with all your friends...no matter how horrible your friends might be.

The Almond Croissants:  I actually fantasize about these things.  Sometimes on a Saturday morning I rise early so I can be sure to arrive before 10am which usually when the first batch of almost croissants are all done.  When that happens you have to wait for at least an hour for the next batch.  Sure the regular and chocolate croissants are great there as well, but the almond croissants are the bees knees!  One more thing:  If you are so fortunate as to arrive when the almond croissants have just come out of the oven, drop to your knees and thanks Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, Vishnu, Richard Dawkins, David Icke, Alex Jones, your sexual prowess, Glenn Beck, or whatever higher power you regularly worship. 

...and the staff is just dog-gone attractive!

The Mixed Berry Muffin:  Lets face it friends, we normally hate small crunchy things in our muffins. Well at least I usually don't much care for it.  Sure they may give us that reassurance that we are ingesting something else but pure carbohydrates, but really they usually just annoy me.  Cherry Bomb's muffins are different.  I'm not really quite sure how they do it but the grains and nuts and other crunchy bits blend so nicely into the textures and flavours that you couldn't imagine the muffin without 'em.  The fruits in the muffins are sweet without being too sweet (yes I'm looking at you Starbucks muffins) and the top of the muffin has just the right amount of crunch.  Really, its almost the perfect muffin.

The Scones: Jess is more of a scone fan than I am.  She usually orders the date scone on every visit.  It gives me such pleasure to hear her belt out a luxurious moan following by an almost exhausted sigh after the first bite of her date scone on a Saturday morning.  I've had a few bites as well and even I think they're delicious...and I don't even like scones very much!

The Coffee Beans:  Delicious.  All the blends.  But we have a special place in our hearts for Extra Butter.

The Design Aesthetic:   Unique and beautifully done!  Stylish while still being homey and inviting.

I could go on, but I think I'll leave it here.  I love this place and writing this review felt great.  After so many restaurants in Parkdale were relatively average or missed the mark, it feels great to award Cherry Bomb the first perfect score.   Maybe if the staff see this review they'll want to come to my parties.  Eeeeeeeee!!!! 

Rating:  5