Sep. 03, 2008 - Issue #672: Baghead

Col Mustard’s Sandwich Canteen

Col Mustard's is the place to go for

I messed up. Not a usual occurrence, but one that does happen occasionally. Having found out that Col Mustard’s Sandwich Canteen is now serving dinner—real dinner from a real dinner menu—the plan was to stop in and eat, well, dinner. The glitch came about over differing opinions as to what constitutes dinner.
 

If you form part of the rare minority that, for some peculiar reason, has an aversion to sandwiches, you may not be aware that Col Mustard’s has been a soup and sandwich emporium in our city for the past 12 years. When overcome by the need for a really great sandwich, it’s definitely the place to go. Everything is made from scratch and creations range from the mundane to the unique and bizarre.
 

The premises that saw the loving creation and consumption of the first sandwich years ago became too cramped for the increasing demand and they moved locations just over two years ago. A new building with more space also meant higher overhead; higher overhead led to longer hours. Longer hours meant opening for dinner, which is precisely the reason a friend and I descended upon Col Mustard’s on a relatively balmy Tuesday evening.
 

As we maneuvered our tired bodies up the steps leading to the ornate door, I felt like I was about to enter a grand old character house. Our feet led us into the cheery and inviting take-out area, where remnants of old converged with splashes of new. Rustic wooden floors were livened up by vivid green, purple and yellow walls. An old-fashioned country bench competed for the pleasure of our company with tall, modern bar stools. High ceilings and big windows with bright white trim chased away the gloomy night and made the room feel open, airy and spacious. 
 

Numerous black chalkboards listing the lunch and take-out menu were hung behind and to the side of the display case/take-out counter/beverage bar. Just behind the contemporary black beverage bar, up a few steps, we got our first glimpse of the dining room, teasing us with the inviting light wooden chairs, checkerboard floors, framed rubber duckies and neon pink walls. Eager to settle in, my sandwich-obsessed friend first had to crane her neck and check out all the different sandwich offerings so her stomach could start pondering all the different possibilities.
 

So far, so good. But when I asked the friendly girl behind the counter if she could seat us, just as my friend began debating her sandwich options out loud, the plan changed rather quickly. You see, sandwiches are only available for take-out after 5 pm. Before 5 pm, you can sit down, order whatever sandwich your heart desires, relax in the quirky dining room, and enjoy. After 5 pm, you can take your sandwich home or eat it at the lone little table in the front window or at the beverage bar. Seeing as my friend needed a sandwich, we ordered sandwiches and ate at the lone little table in the front window. My review never happened. 

 

Another night, another friend and another attempt at a dinner review. This time it was a Friday night, there was a slight nip in the air, and we actually made it up those little steps into the dining room. 
 

Our little two-person party settled in amongst a few other two-person parties and made the dining room seem a wee bit fuller, but not much. Sometimes I appreciate a quiet restaurant, but the way the tables were arranged I felt kind of exposed, and a bit on display. It was simple, quirky, and casual, but I thought it would be more comfortable if it was bustling and full of people.
 

Although they are licensed for beer and wine—and actually had a reasonable selection of wines by the glass—it felt like a hot chocolate ($4) and a soda water with lemon ($3) kind of night. Our eyes tried to casually inspect other diners’ choices and, although we did catch a glimpse of a burger, some salmon and something green that I thought must be a salad, our mission was quite unsuccessful.
 

That left us with just the dinner menu as a guide. There was a wide range of intriguing options on it. Soup, salads and pizza made up the first part of the menu, followed by some small plates and then the dinner dinners: lemon and garlic chicken breasts, a cioppino pot and grilled lamb chops. There were even burgers and mac ’n’ cheese. 
 

Although I was tempted by the special of the day, an asparagus lasagna with spinach, ricotta and mozza, I was having a hard time deciding. I felt like I should be eating a sandwich, and my mind—and stomach—were having a hard time getting past that little barrier. Even one of the big salads couldn’t sway me.
 

After numerous return trips from our very patient waitress, I ended up ordering the Grilled Flatbread with a Trio of Dips ($8). My friend went with the Three Cheese Pizza ($10). We each debated ordering a small spinach salad to add some colour to our dinners, but visions of the dessert special, butter pecan pie, dashed that thought.

 

We managed to fit in a great deal of chatting before our dinners arrived. When they did, I originally thought we had received the wrong order. The small, round disk that was placed in front of my friend was brown, very brown, all over. Closer inspection revealed that it was indeed pizza, a small, cheesy pizza, with very brown, very well done cheese. My one nibble was chewy: the overdone cheese was chewy, the pita bread crust was chewy, the pizza was chewy.
 

My flatbread was better, even if some of the pieces were a bit too grilled. It was nicely arranged around three little pots in the middle of the plate: one contained a tomato jam, one was filled with hummus and the third had tzatziki. I’m not sure what the spicing in the tomato jam was but my friend, who abandoned her pizza in favour of my flatbread, thought it tasted kind of like gingerbread. I thought maybe curry, but neither of us was inspired to investigate further. Both the tzatziki and the hummus were mild and creamy, with the hummus becoming the dip of choice. The garlic hit I was anticipating never materialized, and, although my taste buds missed it, I didn’t offend anyone at the breakfast table the next morning.
 

Although neither of us were full, we decided to skip ordering a wedge of the tempting butter pecan pie. It just felt like time to go. 

I still can’t really say we had dinner. We had a couple of little items from the big dinner menu, with mixed results. There’s still a huge chunk of menu that we didn’t even touch. I do know I love Col Mustard’s for lunch. I’m just not sure about dinner. V 

 


Tue - Sat (11 am - 9 pm)
Col Mustard’s Sandwich Canteen
10802 - 124 St, 780.448.1590

More info about Col. Mustard’s Sandwich Canteen →

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